Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-06-27
Mi5tcllanruus Rraaina.
WOMEN "BooTLEGGERs" FOXY.
Keep Oklahoma Officers Busy Trying
to Catch Females Who sell Whisky
IN Ipdiapc

forcement officer in the employ of the
United States government. in its cam
paign to keep separate the reserva :
! ton Indians and firewater. He ought
to know in regard to the hobble skirt
for the wearing of one recently caus-
ed the arrest of one Of the most per-
sistent women bOOtleggers in the
southwest
We had been suspecting her for
some time" said Rev. Brannon recent
ly, in telling of how they caught her,
but we were unable to catch her with
any liquor about her 1t was evident
that she was selling to the Usage In
dans, getting her supplies at Pawhus-
ka. but, although always on her guard
she was foxy enough to deceive u.s.
Finally a hobble skirt caused her un-
doing.
You know, or at least every mar
ried man does, that the hobble skirt
has also done away VIII the wearing
ting skirt will not permit of very much
underneath it. And this woman prov
ed To be no exception to the rule. AL
though i'm an unlawful business, she
remained feminine enough 10 copy the
fashion plates. and she was no bad
locker i'm the prevailing styles.
She laughed at us when we con-
frontcd her for about the seventeenth
time. and told her that we were posi-
tive that she was selling whisky to
the Osages. She was standing when
we entered the room, just opposite me-
She was telling us how innocent she
was of the charge, and that we were
on a wrong trail entirely i'm continuing
To pester her, when my eyes caught
the shape of half pint bottle or flask
imprinted through her hobble skirt
where it was drawn tight just below
her left knee. The sun was shining
through the window, and brought the
imprint of the bottle out plainly
so you still insist that you are in
nocent?' l asked.
Certainly l do; | have never sold
liquor of any kind to an Indian.
"'Will you please tell me, then,' /
asked, what you have in that half-pint
flask i'm your left stocking?'
she knew the jig was up the min
ute she caught the direction of my
eyes. for she could see as plainly as
did, the imprint of the flask. We
called In a woman operative, and had
the bootlegger searched then and
there. We were not going to give her
any opportunity to avoid us this time
In each stocking leg the woman car
ried a half pint of bootleg whisky, and
at the top of her corset our operative
ed and ready to be delivered. 1t de-
! velOped afterward that she had sold
the liquor to Indians i'm advance, and
was about to start out to deliver il
when we entered the room"
we find the woman booteggcr the
hardest to catch always" said Bran
non. Il have been on watch on the
reservations i'm oklahoma, Minnesota
and several other states. and it is al
ways the woman whisky seller who
gives us the most trouble. \ man will
sell whisky and leave trail every
time, but the woman will face you
down with smile. and sometimes
with tears, and declare her innocence,
and YOU have absolutely got To catch
them i'm the act.
Il remember an experience | had
long ago, with a woman bOOtlegger
among the fullblOoded Creeks 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 pretty tot who
would COO and laugh if you gave her
half a chance. The baby was a valua
bic asset and it came out later that il
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 fact
that she took afternoon walks into the
country. always carrying the baby
and basket of innocent looking baby
clothes. determined TO shadow her
and find out, for my own satisfaction
where she went every afternoon out
into the tall timber.
Il did this by going into the woods
ahead of her. and like Zaccheus of old
climbed a tree to have a better view
Of things down below. | selected one
where the foliage sheltered and con-
cealed me, but from my perch | 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 rar
from my tree she laid the child on the
grass Then she herself sat down to
wait.
My tree seat was getting mcomf0rt-
abb. and the crampcd position | was III
had caused my legs tu grow numb, but
determined To stick the thing out. II
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
kncrled down on the grass and kissed
the sleeping baby. and later it proved
that he was the chld's father. All oi
them talked awhile, evidently in regard
To- money matters. for in a few min
utrS they paid her several pieces oi
silver and then took up the basket
My aStunShmrnt was such that
nearly fell from my perch when they
lail 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 whisky
"Thcy transferred the bottles to
their packets. 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