New-York tribune., 1921-01-30
Liquor Runner Devises Many
Tricks to Outwit Officers
Federal Agents in Birmingham Uncover Numerous
Containers, but They Find the Bootlegger AL
ways Ju1ap Ahea, With New Inventions

panions who would be tickled speech
less to come into a windfall like this
just as the holidays were opening, anC
he proceeded to round these friends
up by telephone.
Suit Cases Are All Loaded
When the little party had assembled
the visitor opened the closet in hi:
room and brought forth six suit cases
pushed aside tie straw which con.
cealed the contents, and revealed
twelve beautifully embellished ant
faultlessly labeled bottles of a familiar
and highly popular brand. Picking w
one of the bottles at random, or it
seemed to be at random, he removed
the cork and invited his guests to try
its contents, ice water and sugar hav
ing been provided in anticipation Of
this ritual. The six sampled the rye
and, finding it good, tried it a second
time just to show their appreciation
OF the real thing.
When the visitors drifted casually
out of the hotel later on, each car
ried suit case and each wore look
# Innocence that would not have de-
ccived any ferret-eyed deputy, but they
got away with the goods and a hap
found in all Alabama. But. alas, life
has its shadows as we'll as it's moon
shine, and in due course the shadows
appeared.
One Of the gentlemen decided that
night that he would take little nip
before retiring, and when he opened
the bottle he made the ghastly dis
covery that he could have gotten a
drink Just like it by going to the kit
chen sink. That bottle, and the eleven
IKE 1t. contained nothing but the stuff
that rivers are made of.
Bad news travels with proverbial
speed, and in a little while five Other
gentlemen were feverishly tearing pretty
tin foil from bottles and inserting cork
screws. When the investigation was
concluded it was revealed that the only
ilquor IN those six suitcases was in the
bottle that the. affable visitor had
drawn so casually from the first one
he opened. And he kept that bottle.
or such of 1t as remained.
One who thumps motor journal
might presume that no automobile ac.
cessory escapes exploitation, but such
conclusion would be erroneous in
these times Of drouth. Officers have
discovered attachments for cars that
never appeared in the Patent Office or
on the pages of catalogues. For in
stance. they found one car, Of the
type that is born every second, to
which had been attached two long,
wedge shaped receptaces of copper
They slipped into grooves from the
fear, the thick end being far under
the car, while the thin end was in
visible.
The fellow who owned this snug
little outfit did thriving business
in transporting liquors from the noun
tains to the city until one of the con
tainers developed a leak This leak
went undiscovered until the odor Of
the mountain dew assailed the highly
developed ofactory organs of an officer
who happened to be passing the point
where the car was parked.
The stuff has been shipped in coffins,
in bales of hay. in nail kegs. in piano
boxes and in about every other form
of container that the human mind can
suggest. But the ingenuity of the IL
licit trader has run only pace or two
ahead OF that of the officer who is on
trail, and no scheme goes unexpose
for long. Result: The stuff is scarce
and the price is so high that the man
who can't afford to buy may ret graft
fyingly dizzy just by watching the quo
tations.