The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-07-26
Two Live Sons of Erin Are Said
To Have Accumulated Large
Supply of Booze Very Easily

Two typical "sons of Erin" said to
have hailed from a town on the
Northwestern road west of New Ulm,
enjoyed a thrilling and unusual ex-
perience short time ago as they
started for HON ewith an auto loaded
with wet goods. The men had been
in Southern Minnesota city where
they purchased goodly quantity of
the brew of the vat While making
the purchase they had also managed
to store away a considerable amount
below the belt"
Then they started homeward. A
short distance out the men fell into
a dispute as to whether or not they
had enough booze to pay them for
the bother of making the trip. Mike
thought they should go back and get
more. Tom was of the opinion they
had enough and was anxious to get
home. AT las, d compromise was
reached. Tom was left under the
shade of mighty elm, with the booze
they had purchased while Mike drove
the car back to town to get more.
Once back in the city temptation
was too great for Mike and he became
gloriously drunk, so much so that he
was unable to start out with the ma
Tom waited with growing Impotence.
under the tree, several miles from
town. The pile of liquor he was
guarding attracted more than mere
notice from those who were in the
passing machines. Realizing that he
was an object of suspicion, Tom with
the usual Irish wit hit upon clever
plan to avoid trouble.
He stopped the next car, informing
the occupants that he was United
States deputy marshal and was
searching for booze. He displayed
the pileshe was guarding as evidence
of the good work he had done. There
after every car that came down the,
road was stopped and searched Ere
long eight fat cargoes had been seized
and added to the ever growing pile
under the tree.
After he had searched a car-the re-
rsourceful Tom would warn occupants
of their shortening and then tell
them he would not make an arrest
this time, but to "get the hell out of
here" and keep quiet about the mat
ter. The machines would scurry off
down the road, the occupants glad to
get off so easily from supposed gov
eminent official.
Mike at last became sufficiently
recovered from his "spree" to start
back for his faithful comrade. Before
leaving town however he load
ed up in his car more booze. AS he
drove up to the place where he had
left his pal, however, his eyes grew
large with wonder and envy. "A
huge pile of wet goods, nearly ~ ten
times as large as the one he had left
with Tom, was stacked up under the
,pUnable to take all the booze and
fearing detection If they took any
the men decided to leave the whole
pile, with the amount they had in the
car also,g and to proceed, home with
out, further delay. For several days
the booze is reported to have remained
by the wayside. Farmers in the
Heighhorhood were loath to NEEDLE,
thinking the federal officers had left
it there forsa trap. AT last the case
was reported to a United States of
fetal in that neighborhoOd and the
liquor was confiscated That the oc-
currence actually took place is proven
by the fact that friend of one of
the Irishmen called at the federal
court rooms in Mankato to see if the
government had taken any action
against the man who is said to have
been representing a government Of
fetal.
The government appears to have
gainedl goodly amount of liquos
through the action of the son "of the
old sod' and number of fellows
transporting booze on that particular
day when Tom sat besides the way
appear to be the "goats" for having
so readily surrendered their cargoes.