El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-11-27
NEW YORK IS MOTT
50 DRY To SOME
Cheerful Liquid can be Pw-
chased for "a Price" if
You've Got it.

New York. Nov 27.-Nows accord
ing TO Hoyle. the police. federal
agents and the prohibitionists, this
should be q tale OF boozsless Broad
way, the kickless cocktail and the
punchless punch. But in all veracity
this IS a story Of New York where
near beer flows freely and hard liquor
/ trickles.
When the prohibitionists the soda
pop interests and others decreed
through congress that the whole
world should go dry and that Amer
lea should start the fashion, New
/ York laughed until its throat was
parchsd, and then took another drink
Came June 30, 1919, and the thor
oughly alcholized and ribald funeral
Of John Barleycorn- With the dawn
ing OF July ] New York found its
faVorite saloons we're closing Up and
that N those establishments .appre-
hensiT5ly remaining onen It required
more than a mere nodding acqualn-
tance with the bartender 10 be served
with sherry
Today New York realized rubicund-
jovial old J. B. is indeed buried and
despite his twitchings in the coffin is
not likely to be resurrected. But the
devotees Of tina hard dying old gen
lemau are still grimly fighting
against the great drought. and until
the last drop OF alcohol Of any va
riety has been consumed, until every
private and public still has been
smashed by the federal authorities,
until the very art Of distilling alcO-
hol is lost, there are thousands in
this city who hope 10 continue ironi-
cally greeting this new dry era with
another-just one more-libation 10
the dead. wet past
Those who want liquor badly
enough can get IL for the trail TO the
lair Of the blind tiger can be fol-
lowed by anyone untroubled with de-
fective vision The three soft raps
at the back door. the suspicious eye
at the peep hole, the whispered pass ;
word. the rattle Of unlocking bolts. I
and bars the chink OF silver on the
rustic Of paper money and
Here's confusion 10 Pussyfoo; .
Johnson
That's the usual form Of procedure (
but there are bars wide open where Z
the tried and true stiu find rest for
their soles upon the familiar brass
rail. where the bartender is still SYM
pathetic REGARDING the domestic z
squabble, the harshness OF the boss
in the office or that sudden slump in
sticks Whisky, usually OF the triple I
charged. shock-the-soul-of-y sort. 7
is served from a ginger ale bottle .
Two fingers OF the rusty-red liquid .
il measured into your glass and the .
The cOst2 That depends on the bar .
and the regularity Of your custom .
The average shot Of red-eye fetches .
forty cents a mouthful- There are .
places where the barseeper. taking e .
chance on the stranger. charges sew
possible TO buy good whisky for .
npout So a quart bottle, but gin IS .
not 20 be obtained The stuff they sell {
under that fond old name smells like .
turpentine, tastes Ike tzbasco, and /
tackles you like an internal typh0on- +
The latest trick Of barkeepers is 90 ]
urreptitiously pour the dose" from .
a bottle carried on the hip. This is so I
that In case Of a sudden raid no .
whisky VIII be found behind the bar /
Beer and ale OF course. have Ions
since gone the way all hood liquor {
should 60. and champagne and the
higher priced wines have been either
exported or lie be-cobWsbbed IN the .
cellars Of the far-sighted and
wealthy There are roadhouses on the T.
outskirts OF New York, It is said,
Hnere patrons can get whisky
punches at 81 and sLs0 q blow. but
one Of the strangest effects Of pro1i-
bilion has been to bring back the free
lunch counter IN many saloons, es-
pecially IN the foreign quarters OF
the city These places, ostentatiouslF
advertising near-beer brews. charge
10 cents q glass and grant the pur-
chaser the privilege OF nibb1inE atf
cheese and crackers OF picking att
salted fish and pickles.
But although authorities have long
since stopped Broadway restaurants
and caharets from serving liquor IN
coffee cups, the Street OF Streets" Is
by no means deserted by midnight.
Few OF the larger cabarets have
closed Up. and the dryer the town \
becomes the more hystericsl grows
the Jazz strains.