The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-06-02
WHISKY OVER BAR
LIKE OLDEN DAYS
SOLD IN MEMPHIS
Witnesses So Testify in Kier-
sky CaSe-Beer Also Sold,
Booze CamoufIaged, But
KierSky Denies He Knew It

WHISKY right over the bar by an
aproned clerk" not a bartender, was
sold in Memphis as recently as jan
uary OF this year, according to testi-
mony in the federal court Monday in
me case OF Harry Kiersky, accused of
retailing liquor without a license at his
place of business on Georgia avenue
near the Frisco shops in South Mem
phis,
W. E. McElveen, special agent for
the department Of Justice, told of his
visit to Kiersky's place on Jan 1 and
how he saw the clerk serve peonle
from a bottle some soft drink and nov
a glass was furnished in which some-
thlng wal pourned out another bottle
before the soft drink was poured in.
When other officers raided the place
this bottle was found to be two thirds
full of a well-known brand of whisky.
A raid Of the place, led by Ed Pass,
assistant chief of police, and John j.
Carrigan, deputy United States mar
shal, not only revealed the small bottle
from which drinks were served over
the bar, but uncovered about 80 cases
OF "sho- nuf' whisky, camouflaged by
soft drinks in cases, Three bottles Of
a soft drink at cache end of the case
were put In to deceive the ~investi-
gators, it Is claimed, and the rest of
the cases were filled with hard whisky,
according to the officers testimony.
Dry Goods"-Not Wet.
Carrigan said that not only whisky
was found, but also several cases con-
tanned beer. The name Pilsener was
on the cases, the officer testified, and
also the name of a well-known brewer
in st. Louis. Cross-examined by Phil
Canale, attorney for Kiersky, Carrigan
stated that he did not taste the beer
and could not definitely swear that 1t
was beer.
zDry goods, not wet goods, were sold
at the store, according to Kiersky's tes-
timony. He denied any knowledge that
liquor was sold at his place and denied
that any was stored there. Kiersky
said that he was on his wedding tour
from Dec. % to Jan. 4. the day the
raid was made. If any whisky was
sold or brought into his store, he main
tanned, 1t was done without his knowl-
edge.
Honest workingmen were wont to
frequent the place" Kiersky said. land
often mixed drinks there"
Aforesaid honest workingmen were
wont to foregather and mix such con-
coctions as soda pop and alcohol, ia
maica ginger, whisky n other self
embalming fluids in his place, Kiersky
admitted, and he kept aromatic spirits
of ammonia in 15-cent bottles for the
employees of the Frisco shops and others
to drink, he also said, but none of the
beverages was SOLD by mis-
clerk, so far as he knew.
1t was his business to sell dry Gods,
groceries, victuals and soft drinks, and
had done nothing else there for four
years. the witness stated. Character
witnesses were introduced In an effort
to show that Kiersky is a model young
man, has always trodden the path of
rectitrde and never did stoop to such
occupation as wearing an apron n
dealing out shots at four-bits a throw
in response to the injunction, Give us
another, bartender"
While the federal grand jury is work.
ing busily on the liquor situation, sum
moning policemen, those who claim to
be ex- pootleggers and others believed
to be connected with the liquor traffic,
II is the purpose of Thos. j, Walsh,
district attorney, to get the
docket clear of the liquor cases TO-
pending. The court, therefore, for sew
eral days probably will be engaged in
trying liquor cases. Liquor charges
against the following persons are to be
tried at once, according to Mr.. Walsh:
Emilio Devote, Robert Westbrook, j.
W. Hooks, A, F. McAlester and Pete
Devini.
None of these cases is expected to
reveal any further details Of the sys-
TEN whereby whisky Is brought into
Memphis in fragrant violation of the
law and sold here with the aid and
consent of officials and officers of the
law paid to keep that traffic sup
nunrcnl