The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-06-18
j. 5. WILL STING
THOSE Who SOLD
SOLDIERS LIQUOR
Government Sends Represen-
tative to Inspect Eaw En-
forCement Program in and
About Memphis.
REVIVE SLEEPING
WHISKY INQUIRIES
Commission Of Training Camp
Activities Application Of
Law Severe and Hospitality
of BOOtIeqgers May End.

The strong arm OF Uncle Sam has
again reached forth In an order to send
special representative to Memphis
to find out Just TO what extent liquor
has been sold to soldiers in uniform, to
punish those who have purveyed the
poison in the past, and to prosecute
those who are continuing the uraetice
First Lieut. Frank r. Christensen
OF the sanitary corps, is on the way \
from Washington In the language of the
government ITO make an investigation
oi the law enforcement program as ap-
piled In Memphis by the commission
OF training camp activities and TO de-
termne to what extent soldiers in thM
vicinity have been able to obtain
liquor"
The coming Of Lieut.. Christensen
premises to act rs a prod to dormant
Inquiries by federal state and city Of
ticlals and a possible renewal OF ses
sionS of the grand jury and at least
more vigorous effort really to effect
n clean-up in Memphis before the first
| OF July.
The government, It is said, con-,
| templates just as much trouble after
| that date as II has encountered In the
| past, II not more as, for at least u
few weeks, whisky unloaded from the
wet spots will flow with greater pro-
| fusion toward the former dry states In
| the opinion OF authorities,
Easy to Get Liquor,
To the sophisticated Memphian the
proposal of Uncle Sam to ferret out
and punish those who have sold and
do sell liquor to soldiers sounds easy
to do, The bootleggers of the city and
| county have never Disseminated as be
| tween soldiers and civilians to any
great extent True there's been many
a slip from hip TO hip, but 10 the SOL
| Gier the only difference has been that
the "legger" took the boy In khaki a
| fttpI InaT ain h, all tA Ag an NJ
was little more careful TO lock the
| door OF the lavatory before delivery
| was attempted
when Park field was opened the COM
mission for training camp activities
sent an agent to the city and made an
attempt to surround the boys with
wholesome, moral atmosphere and to
an extent succeeded, at least for a
while, The segregated district was
closed Cat least the front doors, and
seller who allowed his skuklug figure
to be seen within the shadows of Park
! field
However. ladies' of rouge and pairt
| hied themselves to first-class hotels In
their train the polite bootlegger who
| dcnlt In quarts instead of the ever
handy pocket companion--the half pint.
| Week end parties without number be-
came popular and a lemon and seltzcr
| Monday morning became popular
post-reveile necessity, and hromo:
seltzer as great a staple as pork and
| beans,
Discipline Weakens.
| Attention was called frequently to
house and hotel parties and on more
| than one occasion men were disciplined
during war time in all branches Of the
| service More than one party OF boys
| travelling through Memphis was rudely
broken up during war times when spe-
cial agents of the government active In
search OF violations of the espionage
| act also took cognizance of the liquor
selling to soldiers At one time crew
| Of officers was diverted from CAM
palGn against sale Of narcotics and put
on the liquor to- soldier campaign The
| result was a'few arrests mostly of men
loafing about the depots. A number Of
arrests were made, and in several cases
federal indictments were returned but
difficulty In getting the witnesses here
| to testify when the cases came up hin-
dered this method Of punishment, More
than one case has been continued be-
| cause witnesses were In France. In
several cases fines only were assessed
and the cases disposed of In this way.
| Several ladies imbued with over
Jealous patriotic desire to be hosptabe
to soldiers, have landed In the tolls Of
the law Prosecution Of these mis-
guided persons has Jagged because Of
|
| to tell"
With the signing Of the armistice the
practice Of selling liquor to soldiers be-
came more common in Memphis In
fact II was the opinion apparently OF
bootleggers that 1t was not so serious
offense to sell soldier whisky as 1t
was before hostiltes ceased
Arrests by police around the stations
multiplied, In most cases forfeits post
ed were declared and there the prosecu-
tlon ended A few cases found them
selves their way into federal court, but
there never seemed to be any great
impetus behind effort to stop the prac-
tice any more than the effort to stop
the selling OF liquor to civilians
Not many months after Nov II. 1918,
the giving of a drink to soldier as a
serious offense was almost entirely ig-
nored.
It is as yet, Of course, problematicaI
what the result of this new turn In
the liquor situation will reveal but It
Is certain that more uneasy will cock
the eye at khaki when there turks
therein the purpose to sell the soldier