Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-01-23
-Four Charged
In Raid on Biz
Fairfax Sill
300 Colon, $4,000
Unit Termed Largest
Found in Virginia :

OEI1pCu DO t1lC ulSSCSb uklCOVCf6u
in Virginia since prohibition days.
was raided in Fairfax County
yesterday by Federal, State and
county officers.
Four men were arrested and
charged with violation Of Fed
eral alcohol tax laws.
The still was in q guest house
Of the Brook Farm on the An
nandale-Falls Church road.
FEDERAL agents said they had
been watching the still for three
months. and moved In when the
first "test run" had been COM
pleted. They said the still was
capable Of putting out 800 gal
Ions Of "high-grade stuff" each
day.
Raiders said they doubted that
the four men arrested had
enough money to set UP the still
themselves and suspected the
operation had financial backing
from underworld figures in
Washington. Investigations are
underway into procurement Of
the still equipment and arrange
ments for transporting the
liquor.
Is Keep Vigil.
A 13-hour vigil preceded the
raid. At noon yesterday Vir-
ginia Alcohol Beverage Control
agents and Fairfax Police Capt.
James M. Mahoney were called
in. Altogether there were Is in
the raiding party.
They drove up to the cottage.
only so yards from a heavily
travelled road. They first COM
manded the men to come out.
When that failed. the raiders
rushed in and said they found
three men hiding behind the still
apparatus in the basement. They
were:
John Garner Terry, 81, a
welder Of the 1900 block of Sew
enteenth street NV; Julian
Lawrence Thomas. Al, also a
welder of the same address, and
Michael Lee. AZ, a bartender who
said he lived on yacht at An
napolis. ..
Held on Counts.
All three were charged with
five separate counts each of con-
spiracy to violate Internal Reve-
nue. laws. They were arraigned
before United States Commits
sioner Stanley King at Alexan-
dria, who fixed bond at $4,000
each and scheduled a prelimi-
nary hearing for 2 pm. Tues
day.
While they were being ar
raigned. a fourth man was ar
rested at the still as he entered
the cottage - apparently un-
aware Of the raid. Federal
agents identified him as William
Pickett, so of the 1900 block
of North Seventeenth street, Ar
lington. Pickett told the agents
he was "self employed" Federal
agents described Pickett as the
still supervisor. They said the
other three were "hirelings."
Convicted of Assault.
Lee. once a co-owner of the
Sand Bar Restaurant. 1923
Fourteenth street NV. was con-
victed last May in Municipal
Court of assaulting an after
hours night club owner with a
bottle.
In November. 1852. he was
charged with assault in the
shooting of Willard G. Wyman.
jr.. former West Point cadet and
son of Army 1t. Gen, w. G.
| Wyman. The shooting occurred
in the Sand Bar where Lee, no
longer an owner, was listed as a
cleanup" man. The case was
dropped when young Wyman re-
fused to prosecute.
In 1913 Lee was sentenced to
two years and fined $4,000 for
possession of marijuana. He
was arrested in Ell Paso, Tex.
after police found So pounds of
marijuana and two revolvers in
his room.
Chlorophyll Used.
The raided still was a copper
column bubble cap design with
a 36-foot distillation column
running from the basement to
the roof. Alcohol Tax Unit
Agent Thomas F.. Casey said it
was a type rarely seen since
prohibition. It can produce $50
proof alcohol. Agent Casey said
the men were seen to scatter a
chlorophyll compound around the
cottage to conceal the smell.
Pickett also was taken before
Commissioner King and his bond
fixed at $4,000 pending Tuesdays
hearing.
The accused men rented the
cottage from Mrs. Lottie M.
kosenberger, 71-year-old widow
who lives in the main house on
the 65-acre estate. She said, 1T
was the worst surprise I've ever
had in my life" when the raid
uncovered the still operation.
Mrs. Rosenberger said the men
who rented the cottage told her
they worked at the Pentagon.
Ex-WCTU Member.
The landlady. who said she
was a former member of the
Women's Christian Temperance
Union, declared that her tenants
never made any noise and she
noticed nothing unusual.
There are several other small
tenant houses on the farm. Seven
horses are boarded at the farm
by private owners.
Virginia ABC investigator M.
K. Bryant called the still a real
streamlined operation"
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