Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-16
new YORK IS
CHIEF ACTOR
IN SAD RITES
One Wild Night to Be Fol.
lowed by Another Of
Unchecked Excess.

New York. Jan. 16.-The bibulous,
fraternity in New York, having
stayed up all night at the wake"
Of John Barieycorn in the cafes andI
hotels along the White Way, put on
its deepest mourning today in pre-
paration for the final obsequies at i
midnight.
The revelry in the fashionable
hotels and restaurants last night /
was declared to have put to shame
all previous celebrations in New
York. But the mourners declared
that last nights affair was only a
turning up" process for the last
i farewell tonight. Liquor brought al
most unbelievably high prices but
that apparently was the least OF
the worries Of the thirsty.
Celebrate in Churches, Too.
While the swan song for demon
rum is being chanted tonight there
will be celebrations of different
character in many churches. Spe-
c;al services will be held and
chimes at midnight will ring out
the old and ring in the new"
Chicago MOurns.
| Chicago, Jan. 16.-The advent OF
national prohibition at midnight to-
night will mark time of mourning
in Chicago's hotels, clubs and cafes.
, With a single exception hotels an
uounced there would be no festiv'-
ties to celebrate the passing Of
John Barleycorn.
Revenue agents estimated therol
remained 100000 gallons OF liquor
stored in Chicago. Fifty thousand
gallons of this, they estimated. had
been removed from warehouses aud
stored in homes during the last
week.
| Still Steal II.
Two spectacular robberies mark
ed the early hours Of prohibiti0al
eve here. In one six masked men
bound the yardmaster and watch
man of the Pennsylvania railroad,
drove six trainmen into a shanty
! and took between $4,000 and $780,
600 worth of whisky from two boz
cars.
I In the other several men held a
watchman for the Coca Cola conf
pany at bay with revolvers and re-
moved four barrels of alcohol from /
| a warehouse to a waiting automo-
/, bile truck. Their booty was VALUED
at $4,000
Nobody Mad at Peoria
Peoria, ILL.,, Jan. 16.-Peoria, FOR
half century the greatest distili-
ing center in the world, today,
along with everyone else. is help
ing bury old John Barleycorn, but
mourners are chuckling as they
help do the job. Predictions OF
business stagnation because Of old
Johns death all have gone wrong.
Peoria's greatest distilling plants
are being converted into food prod
uct concerns, more than million
dollars being expended in making
the change. More men will be en-
ployed than ever before. Distillery
| UlUutN lo UeiuS luOScucu lutO OiESi
business lines and today Peoria is
enjoying a building growth AMI
| commercial increase such as it
rever before has experienced. So
everybody's happy
! Keep Dry Organization.
! Washington, Jan. 16.-The ma
tional legislative conference, de-
scribed as a clearing house for the
legislative efforts of various dry"
organizations. voted today to con-
| tinue its labors until details Of pre-
hibition enforcement are completed.
Suggestions that it disband We're
greeted with shouts of protest from
tie floor
Officers were reelected, includ-
ing Howard r. Russell, associate
superintendent Of the Anti-Saloon
league, as president. and Anna A.
Gordon, president Of the W. c. :.
T., vice president.