Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1919-02-15
(signed) PETER NORBECK,
Pierre, s D., February l, 1919,
A RoOTLHGGIEd STORY.
BY r P, KING.

| BY E p. KING,
| Now that we are to have dry nation,
there will be moi few bootleggers at
work throughout the land, for already
there have appeared signs on the horizon
OF such stampede. The papers are al
ready flooded with stories about this
particular class of lawbreakers.
A story, well authenticated, and which
happened in town not many rIiles
from here, came to the attention Of the
writer, which viii probably prove inter
estng to good many readers. 1t was
during the recent holiday season, and
the usual number of depot loafers stood
on the platform, as the afternoon train
pulled into the station. A sprightly,
commercial looking young fellow, carry
ing a suspicious looking suitcase, got off
from the rear coach, aud giving his bag
gage to the hotel porter proceeded on
across the street and entered the pool
hall Being an agreeable sort of chap,
he was soon enjoying himself in pool
and billiards with other sociable young
men of the town.
The city marshal, who was always
alert and suspicious of strangers, sus.
pected at once that the big suitcase
which the young fellow handed oyer to
the porter contained something besides
a change of raiment, so he decided to do
some detective work on his own intia-
tive. He, therefore went to the hotel
and getting possession of the suitcase
fitted key into the lock and opened it.
His suspicious were not without grounds
The suitcase was allied almost to the
bursting point with plat bottles of real
"Old Rye He took the suitcase to his
| Office and called in the states attorney,
thejustce of the peace, aad tao or three .
influential men Of the town for a coun.
cil TO determine the best course to pur-
sue. These men, being but human, de-
cided that it would be a great waste to
destroy all this liquor, especially at a
| time when the Flu" epidemic
was SO prevalent. SO they de-
cided to substitute water, colored to
the proper degree, for the whiskey. One
of the members of the council was q
druggist, and on him they imposed the
duty of making the change. He did this
in an admirable manner, and every
thing would have come out all right had
it not been for the division of the spoils
The marshal held that inasmuch as be
had been the sole detector, he was en-
titled to the major portion, and he in
sisted on his rights so strongly, that the
rest were forced reluctantly to acceed tC
his demand
We will now return to the youns
man. Having spent very enjoyabl,
evening, he went to his hotel with grea
expectations. Here he found warran
waiting for him, and an officer, who tool
him to the city cooler" Being con
fronted by the marshal and the state,
attorney, and seeing no avenue open fol
his escape, having been caught with
"the goods" he signitied his willingness,
to plead guilty and end the matter. He
was accordingly led before the cit,
tribunal on the following morning tC
make his plea, In the meantime, how
ever, some Judas of the dissatisfied
bunch got next the young fellow and
told him that he was being made goat
of, and that there was nothing in the
bottles but colored water" On receip
of this news, he decided to hire an at
torney, so on the morrow when he wa:
brought to the bar to plead, he waived
examination and was bound over. His
attorney has now instituted habeas cor
pus proceedings to test the legality o
the confinement, and up to the present
time it has not been decided.
This should be lesson to municipa
officials to first secure the conviction
before they drink the booze"