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AGENTS TELL OF STILL RAID AT BURNSIDE*Defendant Who Pleaded Guilty Unable to Identify Pictures’ of PlantNEW YORK—Trial of the fivewen charged v,'Slh operation of a753-sallon still in a barn on the Frank E. Horton farm at Burnside ■was continued today in l ederalCourt here with testimony by several Federal agents and Burnside residents. .Those on trial axe Frank E. Hor-ton, Raymond C, Horton, both of Burnside, 'Melvin Simmons oi Pine Bush, Clarence Fenner, oi Campbell Hall, and John Nelson. Kingston. A sixth defendant. Leo Tabacchi. of Roscnoale, pleaded guiltv before the trial began.Tabacchi took the stand yesterday, called by Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas D. Rogers. to tell what he knew of the still and the men who operated it. The information obtained from him proved meagre as he declared he was hired to do manual work about the place and did not know the nature of it. He had been hired only a short time before his arrest, he said, pictures o' the still and In.- nearby houses were not recog-nized, by him.Michael A. Reardon and Joseph Brown, Federal agents, took the stand in turn ta describe the raid on the barn. They had been patrolling the vicinity of Burnside and had been attracted to the Horton farm by the odor of mash. They parked their car in the woods about a half mile from the farm and cautiously aporoached from three directions. When they got close enough they awaited developments, watching the place for four hours. They said they saw a truck turnOi. Uw road, put out Its light* and drive up to the barn.Agent O’Mahoney, in charge of the party, save a sl.'nal then and the rents raided the place. Thc.v found two of the men unloading barrels of molasses from the truck and others inside the barn, tending the still, the agents testified. The five prisoners, all exceptFrank Horton,-were taken to Newburgh police station in the agents’ car. Joe Brown- was left on guard at the still after bichloride of mercury tablets had been dorpped inthe tanks to arrest fermentation.Another witness. Frank Mahar, who was connected with the Alcohol Tax Unit at the time, said he oupestioned Frank Horton and was told by hhn that the place was rented to an Italian, whose name he did not recall. He produced a lease. Horton told him he did not know the place was being used to -ate a still,A final witness was Joseph Hawkins. Middletown, who was a tenant In the Horton house at the time of t-.e raid. He described the activity around the barn.1
Newspaper Details
Middletown Times Herald
Middletown, New York, US
Wed, Dec 16, 1936
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Carmen D.
NY, USA 11 May 2021
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