The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-10-26
BY PAUL r. MALLON.
-nited Press staff Correspondent. }

0lbe0 russ SI1lI OOTTeSpVH0SntsJ
New York, Oct. 26.-New York is
probably the worlds greatest Illicit
booze clearing house.
Despite frequent raids by prohibi-
ton officials, bootleggers are using
New York as a central distributing g
point for liquor. Some of the booze
is smuggled III and some is manu-
factured here.
Bootleggers are believed to have
their agents in foreign countries
who superintend the shipping of
consignments of fine whistles, gins,
runs and brandies, which are later
sold in New York or sent to other
cities.
Synthetic gin is also on the mar
ket in large quantities. Until re-
Gently gin and in fact anything but
rye or bourbon whisky was almost
unobtainable here. Now the boot
leggers who have regular routes
like milkmen or grocery clerks viii
take your order for gin, scotch
whisky, cognac, benedictine, jamai-
ca rum or almost any kind of booze
you may name-and deliver it
promptly.
taurant owners, taxicab drivers,
housemaids, physicians, grocers,
drugstore proprietors, bell boys,
college students and janitors.
Lingerie Shop Takes Orders.
One of the United Press investi-
gators was informed by the owner
of a small lingerie shop in a resi-
dence neighbOrhood that he would
take orders for rye or bourbon
whisky and he offered to give free
samples $50 you can see it's good
stuff"
Prices are lower than in many
months because of the keen COM
petition between bootleggers and
also because there is much more
liquor in the market.
Four chief methods of dispensing
booze were found:
1. The smile doctor" A Gus
toner goes into his office with a
smile and says I'm sick" The doc
tor furnishes a prescription for a
pint. He usually has his office il
a drug store. He charges 81 for
the prescription and the druggist
charges SO for the liquor.
2. The key" club. "A club of
about 500 members is formed by
the bootlegger who rents an office
in a downtown building near where
his club members work. He gives
each club member a key to the Of
fee where the liquor is served by
a bartender. There are no dues or
initiation fees. The liquor costs
fifty cents drink
"Baby Bottle Popular.
3. The baby bottle" plan. Res
taurant owners who found it risky
serving booze themselves have hir-
ed bootleg walters who carry small
vials. The walls contain one drink.
If the waiter is caught he is ar
raigned and fined but the name Of
the restaurant is unsmirched. The
cheapest drink is 81.
f. The tea room" This is the
renovated saloon. An apartment Is
rented and drinks are served in it
TO persons in the apartment house
and neighborhOod-
Taxicab drivers in the district
work in conjunction with the tea
room proprietor TO furnish small
bottles for his passengers at twice
their value.
Dry Agent Doubts Facts.
When told of the conditions found
by the United Press, E. c. Yellow
ley, temporarily supervisor of pro-
hibition for this district, declared
he thought the facts were exagger-
ated.
Il believe there is less liquor in
New York now than sixty days ago,
Yellowley said.
81 know there are yet many
places where booze can be obtain
ed and of course we cannot hope
to stamp them all out. l do not
doubt that you know of many places
where bootleggers are operating,
but in sixty days more we will have
cut down some of them.
I'VE cannot enforce the prohibi-
ton law without honest agents.
Give us honest agents and we will
dry up the country within a short
time"