Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-01-07
EvADINa THE LAW
Tricks Used by Kansas Tigers are In
aenious.


For wavs that are dark and tricks
that are vain the Mongolian has moth.
ing on the Kansas jointist. Fearfui
and wonderful are some OF the
schemes invoked to aid the laws.
John Dawson, attorney general OF
Kansas. is the chief law-enforcing Of
ficer. He has to keep tab on the law
enforcement work in 105 counties,
and 1t keeps him and his assistant
pretty busy doing It. The other day
Dawson was checking over his joint
cases Of the last year to see what
disposition had been made OF those
finally tried In the courts ana wnat
Steps should be taken to get the otner
cases ready for trial. In this hst
there were 700 liquor cases out OF
1000 cases handled by the attorney
general during the last year. Here
are some of the smart tricks turned
by jointists and bootleggers In Kan
sas in the last year to evade the pro-
hibitory law, as shown by official rec
ords.
AT wichita jointist had a special
suit of clothes made with so pockets,
each pocket holding half pint OF
whisky. He was q walking dram
shop. When loaded he appeared like
a very large man. When he had sold
out he was small man and his CLOTH
/ ing hung in wrinkles. A policeman
saw him drinking and held him for
investigation.
At Wichita bootlegger had sixteen
regular customers and a dog. IL was
only a little curly-haired spaniei, put
the bootlegger took him to all his Gus
toners one day. The next day the dog
started out with a bottle Of whisky In
his mouth. He visited each customer.
Those who desired took drink and
the dog went on to the next. Each
week the bootlegger collected from
each customer.
In Topeka a negro extended water
pipe into the attic Of his house and
connected II with keg Of beer, and
was In business five months before
they could find out how he sold the
beer.
In lola a man peddled toothwash on
the streets. The wash was cheap
whisky of pink color. ~
A chap put an advertisement In
paper at Atchison OF an auction saie
of suit cases and travelling bags. Each
| bag contained from a pint. to four
quarts Of whisky and sold rapidly
A man worked in Topeka, Kansas
CITY. Kan, Atchison, Wichita and FL
Scott during the fall and hasn't been
caught vet. He would walk up TO
man on the street and offer to get him
a pint of first-class whisky at "
pint. He had a large package under
his arm. and IL the citizen wanted the
| LIQUOR, the package was left with the
purchaser while the bootlegger went
around the corner to get the liquor.
He never came back. and after the
allotted time the citizen would decide
that he had been .stung for ~.
Then he would examine the package
and find there the pint OF whisky ne
had purchased.
Some of the schemes to evade the
law were bolder. Chief among these
were the drugless drug stores, which
flourished before the days Of an awak-
ened public conscience. There were
many of these drug stores In Topeka.
To all appearances they were drug
stores-the windows were filled with
drug advertisements and the shelves
carried the same rows Of bottles found
| In other drug stores. Usually the Dot
| ties were dummies filled with chalk or
flour or colored water. Behind II all,
usually separated by partition, was a
fully equipped bar. Ordinarily It was
impossible to purchase a drug OF sucn
common use as quinine In one OF
these counterfeit pharmacies.
For a long time a joint keeper In
Leayenworth puzzled the officers.
Many raids which were made failed to
disclose the source Of supply. Finally
when one Of the raids was made the
attention Of the officers was attracted
| to a safe. The suspect was asked 10
open. He refused. The safe was
blown and found to contain a stock OF
| liquors.
On one occasion, when Leavenworth
was extremely dry" and the law en-
ticularly warm for the joint keepers,
pontoon bridge was constructed
across the Missouri river to the town
of Stillings, Mo-, and nearly score
of saloons established. But this make
shift was shortlived. Law enforce
ment grew lax again In Leayenworth
and, besides, pontoon bridge Is not
satisfactory means Of transit for un-
steady feet.
Probably the most famous scheme
to enable the thirsty to get liquor In
Kansas was the M. B. This was a Sc
cret order, the Order Of the Mystic
Brotherhood. Every member was
sworn to absolute secrecy, the same
as in the fraternal orders. One man
in each town was the steward and he
bought the liquor and furnished it to
the members as they desired. The
order f1ourished for ten or fifteen
years before any attempt was made to
check 1t, and then It took five years Of
hard court work to drive the order out
Of Kansas. There was an 0. NJ. b.
lodge in practically every Kansas
town.
The blind tiger" appeared in vari-
Gus forms in the state. 1t was always
intended that no one. should know
who dispensed the liquor. If one knew
where the tiger was running he would
go up to 1t, lift a trap door In the
| wall and place a quarter or whatever
the customary price in the town for
beer or whisky, whichever he wanted.
The trap door was closed and in a
minute the customer would open 1t
! and find his money gone, but the beer
or whisky, whichever he had ordered.
was In its place.-Town and Farm.