Evening star., 1951-02-26
IS Due in Court
After 81 Police
Raid Bottle Club
Undercover Men Pour
Liquor Samples Into
Sterile Test-Tubes

SteflIe ] eSr- uDeS
Fifteen persons faced Municipal
Court action today In the after
math Of a raid by 81 policemen
on the Stagecrafters Club, an
after hours rendezvous at 433 8
Third street NV.
More than $50 patrons were on
the scene when the police struck
lat 3 am. yesterday. They were
permitted to leave after brief
Questioning.
Leading the raiding police were
Inspector Lloyd E. Kelly. assistant
superintendent of police; Capt.
Roy Blick, head of the Vice Squad
and Capt. Howard v. Covell of the
First Precinct.
They were armed with a Com
|missioners' search warrant, which,
Capt. Blick explained, was OBJ
tanned after weeks of evidence
gathering by undercover men.
Sterile Test-tubes Used.
Two undercover men were in
the place when five cruisers ans
two patrol wagons loaded with
police drew up outside. Capt.
Blick said the undercover men
purchased whisky with marked
money. Instead of drinking 1t.
he said. the men poured the liquor
into sterile teSt-tubeS.
Capt. Blick reported that the
raiders recovered the marked
money, sealed the test-tubes in
front OF the bartender and took
the bottle from which the whisky
for the undercover men had been
poured. He said the bottle was
marked IN. Eliston."
Norman Eliston, As, of the $500
block of Fourteenth street NV.
was taken into custody as the
manager of the club. Capt Blick
said Eliston told them he received
no pay as manager, but was only
filling in until the club could hire
some one.
Ferrone Held as Club President.
Dominic Ferrone, So, OF the
Capitol Hotel. New York City, was
arrested as the club president.
Ferrone was spotted by an under
cover man as he attempted to
leave the club with the patrons.
Capt. Blick said.
Ferrone identified himself as
club president when he testified
Hast year before the House Dis
j trict subcommittee investigating
i lcrime. Capt. Blick said Eliston
/ described Ferrone as "the man
from New York who comes here
tevery week end to get the money"
i Eliston. Ferrone and 13 others
were charged with keeping and
) selling whisky without license.
They were released under $500
bond each.
/ 13 Called Employees.
The 13 others, described by
police as employees of the bottle
!: club, gave police this information
about themselves:
i Mrs. Mary L. Langley, 81. watt
ress. 800 block of East Monroe
Iavenue. Alexandria, Va; Miss
Charlotte Smith, 81, teacher.
Laurel, Md; Miss Mary e. Mitch
ell. 30. clerk. 1900 block Of Gales
street NE; Miss Margaret M.
Payne, Is, vocalist, HOO block Of
Second street NE: Mrs. Barbara
Walker Jones, At. teacher, 5000
block of Fulton street NV; Willie
Peoples, 80, laborer, 1900 block Of r
street NV; Daminig Castillo, 20,
student, 1000 block of Columbia
! road NV.
i Also, Albert j. Senes, 80, floor
man, Colmar Manor, Md; Lewis
r. Brown, ~, dishwasher, 200
block OF E street NV; Connor E.
Harry, 80, truck driver, 1900 block
fof Ozark place NV; Tony j.
Mira, 80, cook, $500 block Of
Fourteenth street NV; Condary
S. Mcneil. "a, waiter, 1900 block
of Eighteenth street NV, and
Nicholas M. Mazarella, 30, student,
1000 block of New Hampshire ave-
nue. NV.
Police said they confiscated
about 100 bottles of whisky. mem
bership lists, books and other rec
ords along with the direct evil
dence Of the undercover mems
purchases.