Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-02-04
LiquorCache
Puts Union q
In a Middle
Revenue Agents Inquire
About Unlisted Stock

About Unlisted Stock
BY wESTBROOK PEGLER
THIS is sad story, mates.
Il Our government, meaning to
raise a few more jits to buy
things to shoot Germans and
Japs with, decided last year that
any one possessing any drinking
liquor with intent to sell must
declare the same and pay tax
Of So a gallon.
Whereupon the proprietor or
a Washington rejoicery where
the beauty and the chivalry OF
our embattled capital are won't
to raise refined hell by night
reported that they had on hand
600 gallons Of spirituous refresh
mentS.
The plant Is called FL Patio
or, more commonly. The FL
Patio, and the props are John
Longo and Larry Kelly.
Brother Kelly is treasurer or
the building fund of Local "a or
the Building and Common La
borers Union. which has a men,
bership of about 1900.
AS A routine matter, an In
N spector of the alcohol tax
unit of the internal revenue
called to see whether the stock
on hand square with the
amount declared in the return.
and, sure enough, II seemed TO
do so.
But a little later one OF the
operatives happened to sniff the
air downwind from FL Patio and
went back for a second look.
He found among the declared
merchandise stacked In roof
off the business office OF the
Joint about 300 additional cases.
or more than 1000 gallons be-
yond the stock on hand at the
first inventory.
This aroused the agents suspi-
-cipnSr he asked where they
kept the beer-which was just a
sly ruse, because he wasn't in
terested in beer--and they told
him il was I'm the cellar.
So he went down to have a
peek. and there saw wooden
partition and asked what was
behind that.
Mr.. Longo said there was
liquor behind that, the private
property of Brother Kelly of the
Laborers Union, bought as an
investment.
But Brother Kelly was In
Florida celebrating labor's gains
under the party of humanity.
and il couldn't be opened az
Brother Kelly had the key.
GO THE agents thought they
~ would go to the new head
quarters of Local "a, completed
early in 1871 at cost OF $780,
600, TO see whether some one
there wouldn't have a key, and
while they were there decided
to have look around.
They prowled the cellar OF the
labor temple and there found
another similar partition made
OF tile, and asked what was kept
in there.
Union records" said a kins-
man OF the absent Hon. Bro.
Kelly, but the agents disbelieved
him because most unions don I
keep records.
The janitor then opened it up.
and Brother Kelly's kinSman
proved to be in error, for the
contents of the hidden room
were not records. but about $50
gallons more of choice merchan-
disc.
The agents then returned to
FL Patio, jimmied the door Of
the room under the sidewalk
and took the stock into protec-
/ tive custody.
Altogether they picked up for
safe keeping about 1000 gallons,
of which they found no recorded
declaration, and they now be-
gan to take a serious view OF
the case, because the law pro-
pides two kinds of penalties run
ming up to five years in prison
and a fine of $1,000, plus con-
fiscation and a penalty of So for
each gallon illegally held.
THESE developments brought
Il Brother Kelly back from
Miami untimely and posthaste,
for the value of the goods alone.
reckoned at $4,000, is no trifle
even TO a prosperous unioneer
with a boom town night club
running for him on the side.
He said the undeclared goods
was in no part either his or
Mr.. Longo's, but the property
of his union, bought TO animate
the 1900 brothers at a jollifica-
ton some time next fall 10 cele-
brate the betrayal of the
mortgage on the $135, 900 home
Of Local "a.
Against that version. how
ever, the agents must weigh the
word of Mr.. Longo, who said
Brother Kelly had bought the
extra goods found in FL Patio as
a personal investment, and the
recorded fact that nearly all OF
IL yyaS ordered hv I onuo and