The Washington herald., 1917-10-31
PRICES PERISH
AS KING BOOZE
NEARS THE END
Vary in City According to
Location of the
Sales.

John Barleycorn is making an au-
spicious exit. Auction sales and cyni-
cal Indifference on the part Of diff
ferent saloon keepers mark his de-
perture. Within one block Of each
other, two, palaces of drink are SELL
ing the same product at 81 and 81
variation in prices.
In the sections outside the business
districts bottles Of rare old stun are
going at beggarly prices. Downtown
saloon keepers who were thinking In
no cheerful manner Of bankruptcy a
few days ago, are reaping veritable
golden harvest.
Cascade whiskey at an upper north
west bars auction sale sold for q 81
per bottle. At q Pennsylvania ave-
nue. resort $50 was commanded for
the same product. Scotch Is still in
big demand Rum Is rather plentiful.
Gin has almost disappeared.
Typical Crowd Gets Busy.
A strange crowd smiled at Sans
last night Broken down souls with
bleary eyes stepped up to the auc-
tioneer in sad procession with exact
ly the amount required. The $50 for
bottle OF rye, in many cases, paid
in silver exclusively, represented the
result Of a days panhandling for a
bed.
Men with rich overcoats stood at the
bar beside the derelicts. Now and then
one with a neat suit and overcoat
came brusquely into the bar and went
quickly out with a purchase under his
arm. Others, large Of body. fiorid OF
face, and pudgy. bought and bought
and bought.
The typical frequenter with the fad
ing hat band was very much in
melancholy evidence
The auctioneer was a humortst. AL
though dollars were coming in TO
Smiling Sam like hailstones in a win
ter thunderstorm. the gentleman on
the box kept requesting the proprie-
tor to throw that one in the gutter
too. Sam This crowd must have es-
capped from Blue Plains" 'Is this the
Gospel Mission? Now gentlemen" I"
smilingly. I'VE amt givin' this ikker
away"
At the Raleigh bar. prices varied
from $3.50 to 500 The price list ran
from Cascade at $3.50 to Haig and
Haig at $500.
has sold the last quart of the stuff
which made its high balls famous
Old Crow bourbon and rye Is to be
had no more. The last went yester-
day. The last Of the entire stock is
expected to go tomorrow before sun
down.
Cnlalog Down and Cutters.
Shoomaker's, celebrated for half a
century. as the place with the dirty
cob-webs and good whiskey, frequent
ed by famous men for the past half
century, is combining its trade pure
lyto the bar stock. There is nothing
doing in the upper part of the room
nearest the street. where Quart after
quart of into1icants went out during
the past few weeks.
Miller's, haven Of rest for many a
tired soul. was almost deserted last
night. The stock Is nearly gone. No
special sales will be held.
At the St James, Washington's bar
for the tourist, the stock is going in
pleasing manner to the man behind
the bar. To the transient peeking
in for a moment, the pace is alto
gether too rapid
A conservative estimate from one of
the Districts oldest saloon proprietors
states that his downtown trade dur
ing the past six months has been
treble the normal stock. To this he
ascribes the reason that his stock is
at an end.
Perreard's. the little Bohemian
restaurant Of Washington, already is
no more.
Il no more draft beer. And the seek
~ Oh ha
Bohemian element of the Capitals
population, will congregate to drink
the drink OF cheer within its welcome
doors no more.
Madame Perreard. small, French,
vivacious, looks sadly on the property
on which her husband and she have
lived so many years. Washington's
only true French barmaid, Madame
has served 'twets" for "dry" throats
for nearly twenty-five years.
''Eet Is not the stopping OF busi-
ness" chimes the little French ma
tron. oh, nay. nay, nay, nay, Eet Is
this. work for twenty years and
more in thees place and make not any
big monee. But see, monsieur, see.
Across the street Is building a theater.
What a crowd. II this were but two
years past, then would be satisfied
ICr prOnlDeeuon 10 come
THE theater will do no good to me. I
can sell nothing but soft drinks. And
what good at all are they for real per-
sons?"
She looks across the street to where
the new Thirteenth street playhouse
Is being erected, and sighs a sigh of
the French.
What are you going to do
Madame?' comes the now inevitable
question
"Ah-hh, messiuer." with gradual
rise in infection, "I have a throat.
There ees not much more left. And
my man has a throat also"
But Madame" she was told. 'If
that is all you have 1t won't last
month"
Forty minutes eet takes to get to
Baltimore, Messieur. Forty minutes.
And 1t would be shame never again
to faa AZ he