The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-03-27
Losses by Railroads Recently
Run Far Above Hundred
Thousand Dollars and City
Flooded With Booze.
LOSS CLAIMS FILED
AGAINST CARRIERS
Liquor Is Handled Openly in
Cars and Trucks to Boot
IeggerS Caches in City With
out official MoIeStation.

An easy way Of making easy money
has been discovered by the leaders Of
the gangs OF bootleggers who have In
tested Memphis for months.
They have discovered that II is much
more profitable to steal their liquor
than to buy II, even though they make
profit OF 900 per cent or over when
they pay for their supplies.
Thefts OF liquor shipments from the
railroad yards have not been uncom-
mon In the past, but the recent aetiyl-
tIos OF bootleggers in that direction
have been 30 bold as to indicate
strong organization among the boot
leggers for that purpose and high
degree OF official protection.
Al the roads entering Memphis have
suffered from, the pilfering OF small
and thee losses have In numerous IN
stances been made good to the ship
pers by the claim departments.
But when entire carloads began to
disappear from local railroad yards, Of
ficals began TO suspect that some
agency other than petty thieves was
Three or four OF the roads entering
Memphis have had number OF entire
carloads stolen within the past two
weeks. The Frisco has lost one or
more carloads, the n, c, & st. L. one
car tho Illinois Central moro than one.
besides the theft of smaller lots of
liduor, which railroad officials state viii
run the total thefts Of liquor up to
not less than value Of $4,000 a month
for the past two months
Billed Through Memphis.
obviously, ear in transit from soma
point In Missouri or Kentucky, through
Memphis, but billed. for example, TO
New Orleans, can not be robbed with
out the connivance Of someone EN-
ployed IN the yards or on the freight
trains. which bring the cars into Mem
pitts for transfer 10 soma other line
Some OF these thefts have occurred
right In the local yards, in the down
town wholesale district where they
booze cars had been conveniently
placed That district IL patrolied BY
uniformed policemen and by numerous
private watchmon, but not one Of them
apparently has seen the flock Of high
powered automobiles which carried the
cases Of liquor away after II had been
unoaded from the locked freight cars.
Railroad officials, when asked about
this state OF facts, we're dlsincllned to
make any statements. The police are
wonderful sleuths when II comes to To-
eating a half pint or pint OF bootleg
liquor, but they seem to have confined
their activities to that class Of the
see anything larger
Enormous Profits.
In number OF instances claims have
been filed against the roads by the
shippers for the value OF the whisky
stolen. That's what Is making the rail-
road officials 40 wrathy. When II comes
to paying out $4,000 In hard cash for
n carload OF stolen booze, the claim
departments want to know why that
booze got away,
A carload Of whisky In from 400 to
$50 cases, A case holds "a quarts. Al
only a dollar a quart, the iobber's price
for the meanest bootleg brands, a car
load would b0 worth $4,000, At " a
quart, the cost Of something approach
Ing real red liquor in quality. the cost
price for whisky this month is 81
quart. SO II is that the bootlegEer
who retaiIs 4b0 cases acquires, II It's
only the ordinary bootleg liquor OF
commerce, $500, or profit Of $64,so0
on every carload. OF course, doing
business on such slim margin OF
nroft, some of them prefer to steal
the booze outright, arguing, perhaps.
that It's not much worse TO rob the
railroads than to rob the ultimate con-
sumer. In that case their clear profit
on every carload is S75soO, lees the
cost Of protection from the law and
gasoline for their flock Of booze cars
and gasoline is getting cheaper al
most every day.
Crime on Increase.
No wonder there's a taxi stand on
every street corner in the old restrict
ed district, and small wonder that the
men supposed to be at the head Of
the syndicate which la conducting the
organized hootlegging business are
making money,
Last July. when the grand jury then
In session made its final report, II was
stated that an organized band OF men.
with ample means, was believed 10 be
conducting the contrnhand liquor trade
in Memphis and shelby county. Yet
law enforcing officials of the city and
county made mighty little progress to.
ward breaking up the business.
Last year also several railroad men
were indicted and convicted In the fed
eral court on charges OF conspiracy in
aiding In the robbery OF liquor ship
ments en- route from Missouri points
to points south OF Memphis
Yet, according to railroad officials
statements Thursday, the thefts from
railroad cars seem to be increasing In
stead OF being abated