The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-10-24
The Autobiography OF a Quart OF
Good Whiskey.
FRANK A MUNsEy.

! AAS <AosVDA0oADRAs "a - $.~NA~ -
Good Whisky. .
Bred in old Kentucky, was the
product of those good old families,
the Washes and the Stills. My early
years were spent in dark but clean
barrel in company with my brothers
and sisters, all congenial spirits. We
had ripened into maturity when pro-
| hibition came, and at that time ru-
mors seeped in through the bunghole
that we would be destroyed.
! Presently, however, we of the barrel
/ found ourselves in warehouse, and
there, for the first time since we had
come together in the round oaken
house with its charred walls, we were
separated, We were put into quart
bottles and packed, in lots of twelve,
in wooden boxes. In due time, watch
ing through crack In my box, saw
some of the other cases being taken
into the outer world. The whisper
went around that they were being
greatly honored; that they. We're to
be used for medicinal purposes.
II seemed odd to me that, as each
load Of cases went out OF the ware
house and some man said something
about medicinal purposes" there was
q great deal of laughing. And when
they were not laughing the men talked
Of nothing but money. p
My turn came at last. A man with
a permit took our case and some hun
dred others out into truck and drove
away. expected to land in one of
those nice warm drug stores Of which
l had heard, but we were taken by
night to a place on the outskirts of the
city, loaded into fast motor cars and
driven for miles in the darkness. Then
we were turned over to another man,
who hid us IN a cellar. Every time we
passed from one man to another there
was talk of money. Occasional refer
ence was made to our fine quality,
but money was the prime topic.
Our case was broken open by the
latest owner so that he could drink
one Of my companions ! therefore
/ could see better what was going Ola.
Men Ia motor cars came, usually Mt
night, and took cases away. Fror,
their talk they owned roadhouses,
and, although they grumbled little
at the high price charged for my bot
tie friends, they used to say that the
public would have to stand 1t. ~.
One night "A man drove up In a
hurry and asked TO buy one bottle Of
| whiskey. He said his wife was sick
and that the village drug store was
clesed.s My owner demurred at sell
I ing less than dozen, but at last, per-
haps because our case was already
preached, he sold me for large price,
and away went with the man whose
wife was sick. At last, said, an hon,
orable end is In sight; am to be used
for medicinal purposes. .s
But before we had gone a mile our
car was held up by two men who
showed badges. They searched the
car, found me, took my new owner
to police station and confiscated
his car. thought surely I would be
destroyed, but the two men who ar
rested us began to quarrel over me,
each insisting that he needed me to
carry ont contracts he had made
''along his route" for whiskey deliv-
cry. 1--WE made only $500 this week, /"
one declared, "and If can't get the
hootch won't have any income ex-
cept my sainry as a prohibition en-
forcement agent" This melted the
heart of the other, who said that his
weeks profits were nearer 81 1000, what
with Matchmaking the bootleggers who
would be MIXED and confscatipg the
wares of those who wouldn't.
The men stopped quarrelling snd
laughed and joked. The thing they
laughed at most was the remark Of
one of them: did you see that Mr..
KRAMER Is quoted as saying that
prohibition Is paying Its way'?" The
other man bent so far over from
laughing that big roll of bills fell
out. of his breast pocket. t.
Evidently ] am to go out into the
world again; and eventually, by some
hook or crook, / may be used for
medicinal purposes. 81