The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-01-07
DODGING THE LAW
BY FREDERIC J. H4SkIN
-BOOTLEGGING

ment on the kind OF drug store oper-
ateu by Dick lis unnecessary.
whisky has been called all sorts or
names, both by its users and opposers
so has beer. which Is known In some
places as nectar In others as pear
CIDER and others as ambrosia In one
state which had some counties wet
ana some dry, II was customary for
man wanting drink 10 40 to the
local merchandising place when the
town was dry, and ask for a load or
locust posts. III he was served with
whiskey and made no protest, all well
and good. Ii he did not happen TO
be- drinker. the clerk pretended to
nave made mistake and assured him
the locust posts would be forwarded
the next day. This became such
&c eventually that the Locust post
communities nearly all went dry at
the next election.
The excuse FOR buying drink Legal
ly is often as hard to find as the drink
itself. One OF the favorite pleas for
liquor In arid spots has been snake
bite. In this connection an actor tells
story or man who went to q drug
store in dry town IN Kansas and
asked how he might get a drink OF
prohibition whisky. re had no collie
or other complaints and the highly
moral druggist was at loss how TO
get the money and at the same time
escape arrest. Finally he remarked:
III you were bitten by a snake IL
would be all right, for liquor Is the
only cure for such afflictions. IL you
want TO take chance there Is a
snake In the barber shop next door"
The visitor went TO the barber shop
and found forty-seven in line ahead
or him. He waited until forty-six OF
them had been bitten and was pre-
pairing TO take his turn when the own
er OF the snake announced: "All or
Tor today. The snake Is tired out and
has no more poison"
The undignifed hilarity OF the resi-
dents OF home for old soldiers at.
tracted the attention of the officials
some time ago. Not a soul around
the place could be suspected but the
festivities continued. AT last q care
ful watch revealed that the veterans
were most cheerful after Wednesday.
when the washing was returned by
the women who had the contract for
laundry. Further investigation re-
/ vealed that every bundle OF returned
laurdry, when the signal had been
| given, contained a pint of whisky. A
steam laundry now does the work.
| The ruling OF the government that
| any beverage containing less than
one-half OF one per cent of alcohol
was non-alcoholic. and therefore mot
subject TO a government stamp. caused
the brewers to food the market with
large quantities of weak beer Usually
this was labeled Hops. Near. Beer"
etc. and was kept in stock at soda
fountains and other places supposed
10 deal only In soft drinks However,
/ the chance for deception proved so
easy that the keepers of these soft
drink establishments soon began TO
work off reserve stocks OF real bot
tied beer. When a stranger entered
the place he was given Near Beer"
but when John or Bill or anyone
known to the dealer came in and call.
ed for a soft drink he was given the
real thing
| One enterprising hotel man I'M
southern town gave all guests at his
hosiery card OF introduction to a
soft drink dealer up the street, and
the bearers OF these credentials were
invariably given the genuine article
instead OF an imitation. Finally, a
government agent was passed along
from the hotel to the coft drink cru.
| porium and now the landlord and the
foxy soda jerker have gone out OF
business for themselves and are work
| ing for the state.
| Tomorrow-Swindiinq the Banks.