'Booze' Mystery Soon Cleared Up

'Booze' Mystery Soon Cleared Up Nothing But Near-Beer on Two Trucks Held Up by the Police POLICE OFFICIALS SAMPLE CONTENTS Great excitement prevailed about Police Headquarters early last evening when two five-ton covered motor trucks pulled up to the entrance and Detective Brothers alighted with three other men. In a brief space of time a crowd of at least 1,000 men, women and children flocked about. It developed that Dective Brothers, scenting a big "booze" delivery, stopped the two trucks as they were coming out of Wright avenue into Haddon avenue. The four men taken to Police Headquarters were: Phillip Gassman, 1012 Wyoming avenue, Philadelphia! John J. Bowes, 1[?][?][?] North Sergeant street; Arthur Deitlebaum, 1801 North Reese street, all Philadelphians. Inside the two trucks were barrels carefully covered with burlap. Detective Brothers and District Detectives Kates and Smith jumped on the trucks and grabbed several brown bottles and carried them into the captain's office. Assistant Chief Hyde and Captain Humes took charge of the situation. The bottles were carefully arranged on the desk as everybody smiled. "Looks like beer to me," said Detective Brothers. "Well, let's find out," exclaimed Captain Humes as he pried off the top of a bottle and raising it, swallowed some of the contents. "Can't prove it by me," said the doughty captain as his face became wreathed in a frown. Others sipped the supposed beer, but they too, had their doubts about the quality of the stuff. "It looks like beer, tastes like beer, but it does not appear to have much authority," chimed in Assistant Chief Hyde after taking a very small mouthful of the beverage. "I'll tell you the truth, Chief," said Gassman. "It's only one-half of one per cent. Take a bottle of it and have it analyzed and I'll bet you the two trucks it's only near beer." Gassman then explained the situation. He said he owned the "near beer" and stored it in a warehouse on Wright avenue rear the elevated railroad. He added that he would have to pay a yearly license of $[?]00 to store the stuff in Philadelphia and for that reason he kept it in Camden and distributed it when he received orders. This explanation was accepted by the police authorities, who permitted Gassman and Bowes and Deitlebaum, the latter two who were truck driver, to go. However, two bottles were kept for testing purposes.