Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-15

Locating liquor caches in the eStab-
lishmentS of the Capitals bootleggers
Is like finding the proverbial needle IN
| q haystack.
anyway that's what members of In
spector ThaddeuS Beans vice squad
| opine-and that opinion was voiced
long and loud all because a police re-
porter, lounging in the squad room,
happened to say, What soft job you
guys have"
Only Yesterday members Of the squad
searched for more than an hour before
they finally found cache of Is gallons
of alcohol stored in . secret compart-
ment In en underground room: dspplnts
every inch of the moor OF basement:
SQUAD members found a trap door ana
| descended a pair of rickety stairs to
lower underground compartment.
For half an hour they tapped the
floor of the sub-basement until they
came upon a second trap door, cleverly
concealed by dirt Under the trap was
dozen or SO jars OF liquor packed IN
burlap bags. The owner OF the home,
an interested spectator during the
search, was arrested.
Unusual Gasoline.
Inspector Bean tells of an interesting
and ingenious hiding place discovered
in the southeast section several years
ago.
The squad had information that
liquor was being sold at gasoline fill-
ing station but were unable to locate
where the owner kept his store.
A special agent was assigned to the
lob" Day by day automobiles drove
into the station, were served and de-
parted. He was about to give up IN
disgust when he recognized the driver
of an automobile proceeding into the
station-he was a we'll known rum
runner
The d. G sacked up to the tank for
gas. but it Wa pretty powerful ga"
decided was liquor. Dismantling the
remaining tanks at the station, police
found liquor in the gasoline storage
compartments. Two arrests followed
A well known liquor dealer and sec
ond offender had a clever arrangement
in his speakeasy. He served all Of his
spirits to customers in the kitchen OF
his home. Two buckets Allied with liq-
uor were attached TO . revolving shelf,
under which was o sand pit about 4
feet in diameter.
A lever under q table where the pro-
prietor generally sat would send the
shelf into q sudden dive, and the con-
tents of the buckets would seep into
the sand below. That's just what hap
pened during two visits the vice squad
made to the establishment. The pro-
prietor had tough break" during the
squads third visit-he didn't reach the
lever in time.
Used Light Fixture,
Sergt. George McCarron tells Of
watching barber shop on lower Penn
Sylvania avenue for several days. In
dividuals would enter in normal con-
dition and make exit either hilariously
or with decided difficulty. He investi-
gated, but found no liquor. The entire
squad went down later.
The barber showed them around from
the attic to the cellar MeCarFon
walked over to an electric light on
which was attached a green shade. The
barber objected. "Wsit-Ill turn this
one on" He motiened toward another
light in the basement.
McCarron's suspicious were aroused
and he took the shade from the light
q small faucet was attached to a fake
electric wire made entirely of rubber,
At first glance the wire appeared to be
merely covered with rubber insulation,
hidden under the show window Of the
shop A large quantity OF LIQUOR vas
seized.
The hArber-bootlegge had been Serv-
ing his gin in the cellar. on would 60
the faucet and down rubber tube, dis
psnsed as a wire, would come the gin.
In a home located in the very heart
of the city the squad discovered an IN !
tricate liquor system and arrested its
owner. That was about year ago.
Sewer Trap Cache.
A large l0-galIon tank had been in.
stalled between the ceiling Of the top
8oor Of the dwelling and the roof. The
SQUAD found the tank after diligent
search and traced pipes leading from 1t
to the kitchen sink. This bootlegger