The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1920-03-03
Maine Variety Have Many
Dodges to Fool the Federal
Agents.
FOUNTAIN SYRINGES USED
"Waiking Speakeasses" Are the Hard
est to catch-liquor 10 Cached
In Odd Places by ltinerant
Vendors.

Buffalo, says the Courier of that
city, for a few hours and related some
interesting methods Of conducting the
liquor business under strict enforce
ment.
Mr.. Evans told Of many ways of
handling "wet" goods used by ''boor-
leggers," but not one of the hundreds
with whom he has come in contact
ever used a bootleg as a depository
for his stock in trade.
"While the name still sticks to in
dividuais who defy the liquor law out
side of regular saloons and Kitchen
barrooms, the bootleg full of booze
ceased to be when the high boots with
loose tops went out of style.
Was Easy to Get Booze.
up to the time of the passage Of
the Webb law by the federal govern
ment a few years ago." Mr.. Evans
said, providing for the labelling of
all wet goods handled by express
companies and other common carriers,
1t was a comparatively easy matter
to get a plentiful supply Of liquor from
Boston wholesalers, and even after
that most of the ~bootleggers managed
to smuggle in by water or automobile,
and there were some who %concocted
Q mixture out Of alcohol, water, burnt
sugar and a dash of tabasco, which
they passed off IN many an unsuspect-
Ing victim.
"The hardest bird we ever had to
contend with vas putting II booze
for years. We knew he was doing it,
but we could not get the goods on him,
and it was a long time before we got
him, even after we were wise to his
system. This was his system:
"At night he would load his over
coat up with pints, half-pints and oc-
%casionally a quart. These he would
plant, one in IL pile of clapboards in a
lumber yard, another in a junk pile
and still another under a doorstep or
In a rubbish barrel in an alley. The
next day his customers would co1ne
to him, pay him for their purchase,
n he would direct them to the near
est plant.
I'VE began to he suspicious of him
after a oma reported seeing q man
remove a bottle from the muzzle of
n Of the two historic cannon that
guard the Soldiers monument. Final
~ we trAiled him at night. watched
him SOW his crop, harvested it and
then placed him under arrest.
Strangers "Not Wanted"
1--WE were unable to get a conviction
against him. although the fellow was
MOI working and had no visible means
OF support. 1t was not until we caught
him mapping with a couple Of stool
pigeons that we finally convicted him.
In order for the system to work out
we'll the bootlegger must be we'll ac-
quainted with his customers and have
their confidence in a large degree.
Another popular method of dis
pensing the hard stuff was through a
couple of fountain syringes. suspend
ed from the shoulders one in front and
M on the back. They would fiji a
flask or serve by the drink as desired.
when things begin to get too hot
for the pocket peddlers," Mr.. Evans
continued, ''th"y solicit business and
fill each order n at a time by taking
the customers money, going to the
hide and returning with the goods. I
doubt If there is sufficient trust In
ones fellow man for this system to
work out successfully in a city the
size of Buffalo.
we have picked up men with a
considerable stock Of booze ON their
persons while to all appearances It
did not seem possible that the indi-
vidual could have more than q flask
or 80.
I'm the days before the form-1tting
clothes, when long coats and peg-top
trousers were in style, many a suit
was tailored with huge pockets in the
trousers, and sometimes inside the
coat under the arms.
1.-The blind tiger, so popular in the
South, was never used much in Maine,
Its only recommendation is that 1t Of
fers more or less safety in selling to
strangers. You put your money
through a small opening in a wall and
out through the opening comes a
drink.
Beer Was Too Bulky.
The methods used by saloon keep
ers to keep out Of the clutches of the
law were almost as numerous as those
Of Dootlegging. The FIRST step Of the
saloon keeper when the lid was
clamped down was to eliminate beer
and ale all. together. as it was too
bulky to handle in the event Of a raid.
In those days near-beer was a much
despised and little known article in
Maine. But when the district at
torney hailed all saloon keepers who
possessed q United States license be.
fore the grand jury and fattened the
county's treasury by about $500, i
head, they began to take more kindly
10 nA0p.hAer N ~ nrnvnA an alahi s%nr