Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-15
Hertz's Patrons
Prominent Men
Continued from Pase One

| when I've served out the sentence
Of the court I'm going to conduct my
business along perfectly legitimate lines.
OF course. this smuggling game has III
attractions like everything else that's
full Of adventure. I suppose l was
dragged into It by reason Of having e1
ported large amount OF barreled liquor
to Nassau before the advent Of prohi
bition.
Nassau-Wet and Wonderful
"There were quite few wholesalers
who did this. and an import company
was organized and incorporated and
shares were dispersed. I had an in
terest which ! held until l got in this
trouble. and then I disposed Of It.
Nassau is a wonderful place. 1T
IL composed Of three things--rich white
residents, Negroes and whisky. with the
whisky very much in the majority.
warehouses that cost hundreds OF
structed down there to house the hun
dreds OF. thousands Of cases Of Scotch
liquors and fine wines brought there via
J Kingston. Jamaica. and they are all
under the control Of one man, a fellow
by the name of Murphy. He owns and
controls the destiny of the liquor situa-
tion on this island. He took the city
over when 1t was reeking in debt and
showed It how to get on It's feet. This
was accomplished by the imposition Of
an incoming and outgoing dut- on
| liquor.
"Now they have the finest automobile
roads in the world and everything up to
the minute in building way, all
brought about by the flooding of Amer.
lea with whisky from Nassau. When
we first organized down there we had
our stuff stored out in the open, with
guards around it, and warehouse that
cost $3.50. 600 was erected.
my trip there was one OF the best
I've ever had. You know I picked up
400 cases of Scotch down there at S14
case at one time, and 1t was the best
Scotch in the market, too. 1t seems a
fellow had contracted for Il and failed
TO make good with that cash and.
carry plan they have in vogue, and I
being there with the ready cash was
able to close the deal and ship 1t home.
1t got home all right. and today it's re.
posing in the vaults of the custom
house. because they grabbed it together
with other stuff that l was bringing in"
The Whisky Market
"Scotch whisky brings from S16 to
$50 the case on the island. Good Ameri.
can whisky can be bought for from
about SIS up to $50. Gin-good gin
Gordon gin--can be bought from $14
to $40 case. There is a slight duty
imposed on this and then you add $40 a
case carrying charges to the States. To
this you add S. more a case represent.
ing money that is passed out here and
there to assure its safety en- route, and
also after it lands.
They stopped me and they stopped
me good, because I'm never going to
start again. but they haven't stopped
the smugglifg and they're not going to
stop it. The whisky is leaving the island
every day, and it's coming to the
States. Little of it is coming in this
particular direction, and that reaching
here no doubt is being brought over
land. "Of course the fishermen along the
coast will take chance. Any Of the
pound boats will run the risk and bring
It in. and they can carry as much as
ten cases time and they are always
paid at least $40 u case to bring it in.
You know it takes a fisherman a long
time to make 500 fishing.
There Is no doubt at all about boats
lying offshOre loaded with contraband
liquor which they sell over the side at
so much case, never less than $40,
and it's another cash and carry propo-
sition.
These vessels are rather large. car
rying not fewer than 5000 cases, and
you can figure that it's quite a profit
able proposition to have feet Of boats
of this type working.
II know Of one syndicate that con.
trolled the Henry l.. Marshall, which
you will remember was grabbed, and
some other boats, and they cleaned up
millions by simply peddling the stuff
from Savannah clear up the coast. They
say I was a big time smuggler. but
was nothing but a piker compared with
those fellows.
Smuggling No Sinecure
"The thinking public of the United
States probably have some idea of the
conditions surrounding this smuggling
game, but if they think it's a sinecure
they should give it try. l know.
Believe me, I've been through it. and l
don't want any part in 1t again. Uncle
Sam is alert. He may have some in
his employ who can be reached, but
there are still few honest ones left,
and they're the fellows you've got to
be lccry of.
Can you imagine that fool captain.
Nippel, of the ThOmaston. coming up
to the port of Camden in the dead OF
night. unloading n thousand cases Of
perfectly good Scotch whisky, getting
out again and then stopping at quaran-
tine: Don't speak Of him having
brains. because he hasn't any. Trying
ia be over -officious put me in the Jug
and cost me not only the cargo he
brought here. but the money l spent to
get 1t. as we'll as the money it cost me
to redeem his boat, go bail for him and
the other members of the crew and take
care of their families. too. Oh, this
smuggling game is lovely proposition.
It's good thing to steer clear of.
Certainly it promises huge returns. and
there are many getting away with it.
But they may get n break just like l
got, and then it's jail.
However. ] am frank enough to say
that they will keep on doing 1t and
will continue to do it until the coast Of
the United States is patrolled in such
a way as to prevent it. At present they
can't stop it, because there are too many
open spots that make nice landing
places. and those engaged in the
smuggling game know the exact lay of
each Of these spots.
''If they would promise me share
in the United States Treasury |
wouldn't take a chance again. 1t was
rosy picture. 1t looked good, and It
got better every day until wOrrimen,
set in, and from that time on until
came into this jail ] never had a
moments contentment.
''Sorry For BOOkbinder'