The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-12-30
CUSTER SPILLS
GOBS OF GLOOM
Tells Kenoshans That They
Cannot Get Liquor Out
of Bonded Storage.
WANT MANY. BARRELS
Notifies Twenty-Five Kenoshans
Supreme Court Didn't Mean
What They Thought.

Santa Claus, with reverse English,
was the part assigned to Joseph Gus
ter, representative of the United
States government in Kenosha today
and without any tinseled whiskers or
red jacket he went about distributing
Christmas presents today. They were
not welcome presents and they cast
large gobs Of gloom over the twenty
five Kenosha people who had sought to
have liquor removed from bonded ware
houses on warehouse certificates. These
men have been bombarding the repre-
sentatives of the revenue department
for the release of the liquor for the
past two weeks with the understanding
that they wanted it for the Christmas
and New Year celebrations. mot a
pint of it will be released to these
people" was the ultimatum of Custer
this morning and he fortified himself
behind an order which he had just re-
ceived from Federal Prohibition Com
missioner Delaney Of Green Bay.
Holds Up 2S5 Barrels.
It was stated by the federal agent
that the order would hold in the ware
houses two hundred and thirty-five
barrels of perfectly good bonded whis-
key which is supposed to belong to
Kenosha people or on which Kenosha
people believe that they have the first
claim. The warehouse certificates call
ing for the liquor are held by twenty
five Kenosha people and the amount
called for runs from single barrel
to way over the hundreds Of barrels
1t is declared that the liquor, under
the present prices of whiskey in Ke-
nosha, the order issued by Custer this
morning effects liquor valued at over
sixty thousand dollars.
No Use to Argue the Case.
II have notified these men that there
is no chance for the release of any
of this liquor at this time and that
there is little hope for its being re-
leased at any other time" declared
Mr.. Custer. "These men have been
bombarding my department for the re-
lease of this booze. They have GER
tifcates galore. Some of them bought
them and some of them accepted them
for collateral for loans. Some of the
men are in the saloon business but. a
majority of them are not in the bust
ness. They had the idea that the re-
cent order Of the supreme court gave
them the right to remove this liquor
from the warehouses, but this order
which l have from Delaney this morn
ing declares that the order of the
court only effects the removing of
privately owned liquor from one place
to another. 1t has nothing to do with
this fortune in booze" held in bonded
warehouses for which these fellows
have certificates"
Don't See Any Remedy Either.
what are these Kenosha men going
to do with their certificates" was the
question put to the federal agent.
II haven't the slightest interest in
the answer to that question:" contin-
ued Custer. "These men knew that
the prohibition amendment was in
force when they bought these certi-
| fcates. They can use them for SOU
venirs of their folly if they want to-
I certainly have no farther use for
them and I can not see how they can
be very valuable
May Be for Medical Uses.
It is just possible that some of the
Kenosha men may be able to get their
money by. sending the certificates to
some one who has a permit to bring in
the liquor for medical purposes. There
has been plenty of liquor brought to
Kenosha in this way and possibly the
men with permits" would be willing to
hold the bag and buy the certificates.