The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-06-18
WH|SKEY RUNNER
VISITS HOME CITY
TELLS OF TRAFFIC
MADE SMALL FORTUNE TO GO
INTO BUSINESS WHICH GAVE
EXCITEMENT AND PROFIT

A man from Toledo, Ohio, has re-
Gently been visiting relatives in this
city and for the sake of the latter we
will not mention any names in this
article but inasmuch as that the
stories which the Toledo man told the
writer regarding his occupation for
some time past are interesting and
are connected with one of the biggest
problems which the state had before
it for long time back, we will give
some Of the facts.
We used to go to school with him
in the LEGAL schools, more than 20
years ago. We were in the same grade
and played together at recess and af-
ter and before school, When we saw
him on the streets of this city last
Wednesday night, we quite naturally
held out our hand and welcomed him
back to the old scenes of his boyhocd.
Naturally, also we asked him in what
occupation he was engaged in and
where he had been living. He saia
that he lived in Toledo and that he
had been until a few days previous
engaged in the whiskey selling and
whiskey running business between
that city and Detroit.
He told US that he had been selling
automobiles and that he had made
fairly good as a salesman in that line.
but that when the rum running game
opened up between the two cities, Of
fering as it did, excitement, thrills.
adventures and big money profit to
those who were successful in getting
through the lines and disposing of the
wet goods, he forsook the gasoline
wagon business and straightway went
TO buying whiskey and taking it over
into Detroit, where an eager lot of
patrons stood ready to pay fabulous
prices for a drink cf the prohibited
liquor.
He says that he bought truck load
after truck load of whiskey at 500
per case, paid small price for having
IT trucked into the city of Detroit AMI
there sold it at $50 per case. a profit
OF practically $40 on each case of
whiskey carried through. When one
takes into consideration the capacity
OF truck and the number of case.
which it will carry, he said that it
would be easy to estimate the dollars
which he made on each load. We think
that he said that he carried two loads
over into the city of Detroit every
day.
Toledo-and the state of Ohio. of
course he said, had both gone drv
now,- but the Ohio prohibition laws
allow of any person stocking up and
holding as much of any liquor of the
ike as they can and our erstwbile
schoolmate tcld us of the big stock
which he had in his Toledo home for
future use and sale.
he thought that the whiskev bus;-
ness was alright and that the runner
was a mighty good fellow as a rule.
work. ne at business which was he.
ing unJustly Disseminated against. He
was not of the opinion that the nation
would go dry on July 1. and said that
1t never would go dry. One of the
reasons which he gave for this fact
that the distillers had vast amount
OF money which they would use in the
matter of keeping the country wet
and equipped with saloons.
He said that the state police were
very vigilant and that at times he had
taken some big chances but that he
had gone through with the cargo each
time and had cleaned up enough
"kale" so that he could live on easv
street for time.