The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1911-07-06

face YOU down with a smile, and

sometiems with tears, and declare
her innocence, and you have. -abso-
lutely got to catch them in the act.
Il remember an experience I had,
long ago, with a woman bootlegger
among the fullblooded Greeks. She
was motherly and kind, her face
showing toll, but sweetness, too, the
kind you would swear by, and always
she had with her baby girl, a pref
ty tot who would coo and laugh If
you gave her half a chance. The
baby was a valuable asset, and it
came out later that it was one she
had borrowed for the business.
with the baby in her arms and
carrying a. basket of baby clothes al
ways, she was the last person on
earth you would suspect of being in
the bootlegging business. The one
thing that aroused suspicion was the
into the country, always carrying the
fact that she took afternoon walks
baby and basket of innocent-rooking
baby clothes. I determined to shad-
ow her and find out for my own sat-
isfaction, where she went every af-
ternoon out into the tall timber.
81 did this by going into the woods
ahead of her, and like Zaccheus of
old I climbed a tree to have a better
view of things down below. I Sc
lected one where the foliage shelter
ed and concealed me, but from my
perch I could see plainly up and
down the path for some distance.
Presently the woman showed up. The
hot sun had put. the baby to sleep,
and stopping not far from my tree
she laid the child on the grass. Then
she herself sat down to wait.
"My tree seat was getting uncom-
Portable and the cramped position I
was in had caused my legs to grow
numb, but I determined to stick the
thing out. It was not long until the
clatter of horses feet thoroughly
aroused me. There were three men
in the party, and all dismounted
when they reached the woman and
child. One of the men kneeled down
on the grass and kissed the Sleep
ing baby, and later it proved that he
was the child's father. All of them
talked awhile, evidently in regard to
money matters, for in a few minutes
they paid her several pieces of sill
yer and then took up the basket.
My astcnishment was such that l
nearly fell from my perch when they
laid aside the baby clothes little
dresses and napkins and such like
and lifted from the bottom of the
basket two dozen half-pint bottles Of
whiskey.
"They transferred the bottles to
their pockets, mounted and rode
away into the Creek country, and the
woman picked up the child and
basket and walked back into town.
The next day, accompanied, by sew
eral local officers, hid in the un-
derbrush and awaited the regular af-
ternoon conference. All of the par
ties came and we placed the entire
lot under arrest. Later they were
convicted"
Two women were arrested in the
Creek country who carried bottles OF
whiskey in their bustles, while only
recently Sheriff Sale, of Norman, ar
rested one who wore a wooden skirt
and contained twenty pockets, eacn
the size of a half pint bottle. A
woman, who sold to the Usage In
dams, kept her stock of wet goods
on the bottom of the Arkansas river,
going to and fro in a boat. The bot
ties were tide to a strong stake which
was driven into the mud underneath
the rivers surface.-New Orleans