Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-17
WHISKY SPECIALS
KEEP WASHINGTON WET
Every Two Hours Motley Crowds
Make Flying Trips to Balti-
more for Booze.

There's high old time on Pratt strece
when the Whisky Special ieavesl
And II. leaves several times every week
day laden with spirituous reireshmeht
for the bibulous OF Washington, and every
time IL leaves there is the same scene OF
excitement commonplace to the people ol
the neiobborhood. but full OF interest To
eacuaI Visitors in that locality. The long
Enc of cars ON the Washington, Balti-
more & Annapolis Electric Railway backs
down Pratt street to Eutaw, and there IS
nm immediate scramble for them, men and
women, mostly Negroes, but with goouiy
percentage of whites among them, VINO
makc Wild dash for the cars, wrestling
Vii their packages and suitcases full of
booze. all anxious to get seats and safe
pieces for their precious packages ot
liquid Joy
TRAINS ALWAYS PACKED.
1t takes but a little while for all the
seats 10 I've grabbed. II is every ono for
himself, and the strongest wins out. No
consideration is shown for the women,
black or white and no consideration Is
shown bv the women for the men. tloth-
ing is disarranged hats are knocked on
and occasionally q bottle Is smashed III tho
struggle but not often, for bottles are
protected even At the cost oi bodily IN
Jury They are too prec1ous and bring too
good price in Washington
TRAINS ryERY TWO HorRs.
Ordinarily these Whisky Specials or
'Roozc Specials as they arc called, nm
on a regular schedule. every two hours
from 10 O'Clock in the morning until
IN the evening and sometimes even later,
hut. sinc, the Bowie races have been on,
they run at any old time the company can
ind the ears for them. But what Of that
The booze carriers sit on the piles OF lum-
her and old bricks like patience on a
monument" waiting for the tram that
NAV come at any moment moving about
occasionally and munchtng Wornv chest
nuts ard musty peanuts, which they buy
ut prlces that must be on par with what
whisky Is bringing IN Washington,
Occasionally an automobile Which tailed
To g,t passengers for the race track. pulls
IN /. the curb and the driver calls ott
,l'ircct 10 Washington, anvwhcrc you
want to 20 The machine tlIls rp with
three or four passengers ii s. 4 throw,
and of they 90. to come back the follow
ing dav for another load Slnguiarlv
enough. the Negroes were the most
numerous patrons oi the automobiles
Yesterday Perhaps it was casc q
easy come, easy 20.
NO CAMoUFIACF THESE DAYS.
Some time ago. the whisky Was carried
almost altogether IN suucaSeS and there
was some effort nj conccalmGnt hut that
day has gone For the most part the
booze IL carried openly in the packages IN
which il has come from tho dealer, and
snvcna can tell n glance what the pack
ae,.S contain Fcw OF the patrons of the
t.,,,ze specials CARY less than a dozen
bottles tTln.
II a queer crowd -thst Rooze Special
Negroes. men and women, boys and
rirIs Shabhilv dressed and ct The pres
ent prices Of whisky their usual loads
would represent more money than ono
would thlnk the majority Of them ever
owned III one time. And they pay cash
for the stuff. too. But some Of them
are clad III costly rament, the women
especially, with coats of fur and gowns
II rich materials Their hats arc ex-
pensive, there are rings on their tln"crs
their faces are powdered and rougcd
end their HAIR seems 10 have been treat
ed with Ant,-kira Rarhar;c-loahing
ic,vf,rv hangs from ihcircars and one
ins.inct!vcv looks for nose rings
Bd, :Lcy certainly DO know how 1"
handle their packages end e hus'ic
with The nlcn ior seats IN tho Whisky
Spccial
NJ SORRY Lo0KI%G LoT-
The ,..;t men and thc white women
among tnc whisky toterS aIc sorry
looking lot. They seem 10 have been
rutalizcd White men arc rather MI
merous in the business. tut therc are
nor nanv white women, for which the
! ord may hc thanked and there are
not Inanv white boys and girls; they
: ktx.r
and girls are numerous.
Much 0f tins traffic formerly - E
the regular trains OF the ", Il &
from the Liberty street terminal nd
the Baltimore 4 Ohio trains from Gam
den station Put the Baltimore < ONO
shut down on II Fat refusing 10 allow
pasSaTlccrs 20 C.lrrv merchandise, Which
sfeu4 10 iave meant whisky only, on
It's passenger trains That drove I'll the
downtown trat5.c of the sort to the "
Z 4. A. which had 10 drive II away.
from thc Liberty street terminal and 10
provide special rains for 7 None 81
me whisky traffic Is allowed To g on
the regular trains now. Ot course 9
.nan might take bottle or two tn MS
s.1clel or suitcase, but the regIiara
re soon spotted and when they conc
lugglnp thc.r -uiJcascS obviously filel
with booze, they are refused F,assage
and referred 10 Pratt and EutaW streets.
40 CRECK N WASHINGTON.
OF course. Washington beng drv.
all the stuff carried on these trains j.
supposed to bc for personal I~- E4e
II l. hard 10 Iulaglne any negro or White
man. for that matter, belng ail IT,
consume :. dozen bottles O! whi>h III
dav or two and still have such Il
thirst that he HIS to come back TO Ealt-
r,,ore for another couple Of dozen bottles
So,n. Of these whisky toters maze Il
rip :, day every day u the Yeel y
ne ~ every day. vet no one ever hear>
cf any of fheut Icing arrested Or hrid
up N Washington
There seems 10 bo 10 more conceal
nlent NJ tnat end 81 tie linc thar thcr,
IS 81 this, and it would seem that If ;,
any possibility al that stuff should not
he for personal use. but for sale b5
boo. logger, tho police If Washlncto:
ought 20 be able to checl, M on it Bl'
they seem - accept hc statement hat
tn, whisky j. for the totcr's own ,tee,
4nd the. secm - h..v. '.ru belief N
his ability - ho'd a~ much rs h. car
tote But the Baltimore police, who
work that Pratt sud Iufaw streets pos
have no such f;.ifa ~ any human bciug
linllOr-absorDing capacity. They Say b,
stuff is taken - Washington for sale
Baltimore sun.