The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-06
TABLOID BOOZE
Bangor (Me.) Correspondence New York
World.

Bangor (Me) Correspondence New York
World.
A Maine sheriff might find a barrel of
beer or even jug of whisky, but he can't
find a beer lozenge, or cocktail tablet,
and over that glad fact the thirsty of this
state are rejoicing now.
For the tabloid booze drummer has come
to Maine and is doing a rushing business
in condensed drinks of all kinds from
plain whisky to cocktails and from beer to
gin fzzes. The drummer carries consid-
erabe stock of the tablets with him for
immediate demands and arranges for fur
ther and unlimited supplies my mail.
Many bars in Bangor, Lewiston and Port
land are selling tabloid drinks today,
while a great many men who just must
have their whisky or beer when they want
II have obtained their own supplies and
make their liquor at home while they wait
and the wait is not long. Nobody here
knows anything about the constituent ele-
ments of the tablets. but nobody cares
SO long as they produce something that
looks and tastes like liquor.
The tablets come in little paper boxes or
price varies. A small vial of one kind of
tablets, costing 10 cents. dissolved in
gallon of water, with other ingredients
costing 80 cents. makes gallon of what
passes for whisky-total cost, 63 cents. 1t
is not whisky that would appeal to a con-
noisseur for it burns and bites all the
way down. but 1t is as near to whisky as
a good many people are able to get in
some parts of Maine and it goes"
Other tablets, costing each 80 cents,
make half pint of whisky of a somewhat
better quality. This tablet requires only
to be dissolved in water, which takes
but a few minutes If the man is in a
hurry for his drink he can hasten the
process by stirring. Cocktail tablets make
one drink each, being dissolved in two
thirds of a glass of water-. A cocktail
made in this way costs 20 cents. Beer
tablets, costing 20 cents, make a pint of
something that looks like lager, with
high collar"
A good many tabloid drinks are now
coming in by mail and prohibition is up
against another piece of tough luck.
great advantage of the tablets is that
man can conceal a morning eye-opener in
a corner of his vest pocket or even in his
shoe.
Testimony as to efficacy of the Webb
law in keeping liquor out of Maine is very
conflicting 1t is known that liquor has
very lately come into Bangor in large
quantities, one dealer having a few days
ago received full carload of beer, which
was carted at night through the streets of
the city and across the bridge to Brewer,
where it was concealed. This beer has
not as yet been discovered by the raiders,
although IS barrels of beer belonging to
another Bangor dealer and concealed in
Brewer were seized a few days ago.
From the Kennebec river come reports
of dozens of motor boats engaged in bring
ing liquor up from Bath to Gardiner, Hal
lowell and Augusta. 1t is said that large
quantities of whisky and beer have been
brought to various Maine ports in motor
craft The sheriffs and their deputies are
now standing night watches to capture
them.
The railroads and steamboat companies
announced some time ago that they would
deliver no liquors intended for Illegal
sale" but it is known that liquor is still
coming, both by rail and boat, in large
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