The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1919-02-26

ny United Press.
DETROIT, Mich Feb. "a col
orful chapter in the history Of pro-
hibition is being written by numer-
GUS daring bands of whiskey SNUG
glars operating in Michigan.
Their attention is conferred prin'
dpaily ON Detroit.
Smuggling whiskey into the state
today is not the crude, haphazard
business it was when Michigan went
Gry. last May Brains, daring and
ingenuity are necessary to circum-
vent The forces engaged in enforc-
ing the dry laws.
the principal source Of supply for
Detroit and vicinity is Toledo, Ohio,
Two good automobile roads connect
the cities Along these roads at
the Michigan-Ohio border and at
Monroe. Michigan, stopping-off
point between the cities The state
oonstabuary, the deputy sheriffs and
agents Of The state pure food and
drugs bureau are modified in
force.
They daily intercept automobiles
laden with liquor. Some Of them
they capture, How many get by un-
detected is problematieal. Not a
night passes without leaving its tale
Of exciting races through the dark.
Anywhere from one to four wrecked
automobiles are found in the bitches
ly the road, saturated with their i'll
fated cargoes.
Practically every weapon known
to war except poison gas and how
itzers, Is to be found in tfe SNUG
gler's arsenal Clubs, reYolvers,
knives, rifles, blacliacks, shotguns,
rocks, sIugs of iron and bottles are
used
Officers peering into freight cars
III search Of contraband have been
pounded with clubs, beaten with
blaokiacks, stabbed Shot at and
otherwise discouraged. Booze run
,ners often smuggle themselves and
their godos into freight ears under
piles Of material in the hope Of
evading detection, and always fight
with every weapon at hand to es"
cape arrest and jail.
The automobile whiskey smugglers
often work in squads, one machine
acting as a scout car, well in ad-
vance Of the main body, to discover
traps or draw the pursuit. Conveys
cf this type bring in anywhere from
1000 to 5000 quarts of whiskey in
one trip. At current prices the val
ne Of the larger amount would be
close to $4,000
individuals travel daily between
Detroit and Toledo and seek to
smuggle back a few quarts for home
consumption They use suit cases
with false bottoms. hot water bot
ties, oapacious pockets and double
compartment cans Women have
been known to carry a girdlo of
whiskey bottles about their waists,
under coats Of skirts. Officers
search all interurban cars thorough
ly Automobile owners make use Of
practically every part Of their cars
tor smuggle in a supply of drinkables.
Camouflaged tires and inner tubes
succeeded for a while, but the police
found a lea1zy one and now all tires
and tubes are examined. Tops with
double Innings, tool kits, hollow seats
an deXtra gas tanks, special com
partments built around the motor,
hollow doors and other part Of the
machine were successful in the early
stages, but today they are horo
less
Probably the most successful of
the rum runners are those who use
the railroads. They operate on a
large scale, risking car loads Of
liquor at a throw The whiskey
comes buried in piles of vegetables,
stuffed into piano cases and shipped
as furniture, bibles, ink, rags. oil