The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1918-11-30

to Minneapolis for the car. Du-
luth is an orange now sucked dry.
Two weeks ago last Thursday
night, it is alleged that ten auto
mobiles left Iron River, Wis,
headed for the Mesaba range,
through Duluth, loaded with cases
Of whiskey aggregating about
$4,000 in value. Underground
folk allege that freedom to run
that booze through Duluth to the
Mesaba -ange was included in the
two automobile deals, as a part of
the consideration.
Until Oliver went dry, five auto
mobiles went through, Duluth
about four times a week to a
booze depot this side of the Indian
territory. From that secret depot
the stuff was peddled out along
the iron range. If a certain
Austro-American came onto the
bridge between Minnesota and
Wisconsin, he held up five fingers
and, in response, the Waterman
permitted the first five automo-
biles to go across without inspec-
ton or molestation. If the fellow
held up three fingers, the three
first automobiles went across with
impunity.
There is credible evidence to the
effect that, for a time, one of the
automobiles that ran the blockade
with outlaw booze belonged to an
outlaw Polish priest in this city.
It is alleged that automobiles,
suit cases, boxes and even pockets,
filled with Iron River booze, are
permitted to come into Duluth.
A certain Austrian is credited with
first calling up McKercher and
asking him if the coast is clear
and, when he says that it is, run
of blockade whiskey is made
either by train, team, automobile
or personal carriage.
About ten days ago a certain
chap, very familiar with under
ground doings, called up chief
McKercher and, in broken Aus
trian accents, wanted to know how
everything was in Duluth.
The Big Chief made rather a
non-committal reply when the i'm
poster said:
Eyes, chief, but is everything
o. K.?"
"Ye-e-es," slowly answered the
chief peace officer of this city,
"but don't call me up so often by
telephone -
That little incident plainly
showed that chief McKercher was
accustomed to have Iron River fell
lows ask him if the coast was
| clear.
A Rip-saw Inspector recently
has been riding up and down the
South Shore trains between Du-
luth and Iron River. On train No.
7, car No. 604, November Is, two
men and woman struggled booze
into Duluth. The men logged suit
cases heavily loaded with the stuff
and the woman had bottles of the
fire water tied about her person,
under her garments. Booze also
was brought up November 16
and %.
On the way up, the trainmen
were derelict in their duty by let
ting passenger drink on the train
from a bottle and to give booze to
others on the train. The man sat
in seat No. 8, on the left hand
side Of the car, and the inspector
sat in seat No. 20.
On that train there is a news
agent alleged to bear the historic
name of Jackson. He is repre-
sented as once having been a bar
tender and, later, a brakeman. It
is asserted that he lays off from
braking on the 500 Line to run as
news agent between Duluth and
Saxon, solely because of the fat
profits in running the dry block
ade with booze.
It is alleged tina when booze
comes in over the 500 Line in the
big, black box that news agents
have, the box is left on the car
until it is switched to the cleaning
yards, where the fiery stuff is re-
moved and run up town.
Such stuff as the Rip-saw in
spector saw Jackson run through
on the South Shore was bottled
goods, planted in the bottom of
his big black box. He is credited
with having a safety pass from
McKercher, therefore dumps off
his illicit cargo and drags it into
the baggage room, as is customary.