Evening star., 1921-11-27

roads with a speedy pilot car in
| front TO scent danger and warn IN.
| members OF the supply train, trailing
| AZ the rear. This type of rur-rune
nins DID not attain its highest stage
or periection until after the nation
! January, 1918. MS
In the meantime came the era of
1 take seats and camoufiaged gasoline
I tsnks Beneath the rear seat OF a
touring car was extended a cavity
| WIN storage capacity for from four
20 To- eisht cases. The springs Of the
| seat were taken out TO use the vi
most limits of the space. For quite
while, the machine laden with
liquor breezed indifferentIy by Off
GERS on the roads and in the CITY
| spectabllity
The gasoline tank" is well known
by this time. Wide official knowIedca
OF the utility Of the reserve tank IN
storins liquor virtually placed II in
tne discard at a youthful stage. Then
came the day of the turtle-back road
;,ur WIN les compartment storing an
immense quantity of liquor for the
space. The day OF this device came
| ana went. and the speed car, flying
over the roads at a desperate, break
neck pace. rounding curves on two
wheels and whizzing toward the eli,
\ sur
vlved all the ingenuities. 1t remains
| today as the most powerful vehicle
Of the law breakers
In the days OF early infractions of
the prohibition law the rum runners
as a rule, worked alone. They went
obtained their cargoes. The bootleg
| ger got his consignment. rushed pelI-
| nell over the roads and proceeded to
store II until he could sell. He ped
died 1t from convenient down town
point in quarts and pints. Ravages
OF the organized officers of the law
| bore down heavily upon him and his
method changed.
Skilled chauffeurs speedily went to
the front as road men" They be-
came specialists. working for an en-
! ployer. who paid them nat prices for
| ton. The employer then obtained
| men who were willing to go out and
peddle the Illicit goods. The sales
| men built up clientele: they covered
regular routes Police interference
with their trade simply meant thai
oondsman would be on hand TO
furnish bail in little or no time. And
the fine paid after conviction was
| made up in the huge profits of future
sales. The employers looked out for
their men. They had to. Let them
get reputation for "double-cross!ng'
their workers. and the other work.
ers would fade away, since the fear
Of the law hung always over them as
| a pail.
This system developed to such a
point that price lists. not long ago.
were circulated. Certain telephon.
! numbers. over which known parties
| could obtain what they wanted. were
distributed
! This Is what the prohibition en-
fcrcenent officers are now contendfnr
with. The prohibition men in Wash
ineton do nor number more Than
twenty-five. The men they are watch
| ing number eight times that.
, The first measure for combatin 2
| the sale Of Illicit beverages was 70
/ scatter under cover men through
cut the city. These officers acted as
agents and participated in sale.
They followed up the sale sometime s
! for a week, sometimes for month.
! working on the single proposition Of
| locating the source and the storage
| place. In following the clues in this
! manner much Of the liquor was put in
| custody.
| A raid on the supply base was the
| next step. First a small supply OF
confiscated liquor grew up in the pc-
| lice precincts Next. the prohibition
agents started taking over the con-
I fiscated beverages. With the pres
sure Of cases in court, the supply in
| custody has increased TO such an eS-
|
| labeled compartments for confiscated
| consignments is now being con-
| structed.
| The danger in the life OF the pro-
| hibition agent comes mostly with
road work" The men behind the
wheels OF liquor transporting ma
chimes are usually desperate and arm
! ed. They tolerate no interference
| with their traffic Therefore, the
| officer of the law seeking to stop
| these men must be as ready with his
! bullets as his opponents.
| Scarcely any Of the men working
| with Stephenso have not been under
! fire. Stephenson himself and Denny
| Murphy OF No. . were almost beaten
| to death little more than a year
ago on the Bladensburg road. when
they came upon bootlesgers with a
| broken down car. They were beaten
| with blunt instruments and fired
unon with deadly shotgun. sawed
! cH at the muzZle to spread the leaden
| pellets and left for dead. when they
| crawled through wooded patch t."
| the yeast plant at Lansdon and tei"-
| pboned for assistance