The Washington times., 1922-06-30
CUNNING WELL !
DEVELOPED IN
LIQUOR MAKERS
Dry Agents Need oeductive
Ability Of Sherlock Holmes
to Hunt Them.
BY Universal Service.

bplrlt WOrl0 nave HOt"hs "" O"~A'
Sans force of dry agents. The,
are In constant touch with It. Ant
they have learned from long expert
ence that the cunning of a Lupin
the keen deduction OF Holmes ant
the uncanny powers Of a medium
are vital II one must track the wary
bootlegger to his lair.
But thanks to experience the run
merchant finds little rest for thu
soul Of his foot. Almost any LITTLE
uptoward incident leads to hi
arrest, as a perusal OF record In
Commissioner Haynes office reveals
II rooster and a goat. which
have been sharing the same bacl
yard in intimate and friendly com
radship for upward Of two years
suddenly engage in deadly comba,
with the goat on the losing end
they do not attribute II to heat. De
duction assures the dry agent thai
the rooster must have imbibed ol
the same substance that encouraged
pa rabbit to attack a bulldog. And
a search of the premises revealed a
perfectly ROOd stlli.
The same theory holds good when
cattle and swine appear to be sud
denly stricken with the blind stag
gers, or birds flutter to earth &c
take a quiet nap flat Of their backs
The efficient cellar sniffers know
that someone has been careles,
with their corn mash.
Automatic Bars.
Occasionally the credultyS6f tn,
enforcement agents is taxed to tn,
utmost. 1t took them quite a whil,
once to figure why visitors to a Ger
tain saloon would invariably select
certain chairs from a row against tn,
wall and pay for the privilege OF sit
ting In them. But 1t developed tina,
each chair was an automatic bar
The mahogany ones for rye. oak fol
Scotch and white enameled ones fol
gin. A little cache under each chair
contained a number of filled glasses
There was also considerable specu
lation as to why one should pay 81
cents for a small drink from a ny
drant. that so far as the dry agents
could learn. offered nothing better
than water. After a while they go
onto. the trick and by an additiona
turn managed TO have II produc,
white whiskey.
They also encountered a bar on ar
elevator that caused them considera
BILE difficulty. They would be all ir
readiness to raid a "joint" on q Ger
tain floor when II would disa ppear
In still another place they final,
located a still under a disappearin,
staircase.
Times without number they hav,
found wooden legs followed out s,
as to carry a quart or so of moon
shine They have unearthed rum
filled candy and cigars. They hav,
found Il concealed in a cargo Of fruit
masquerading as grapefruit. The,
have unearthed stills in cemeteries
instance in a cemetery vault.
Poor Fish.
One dry agent familiar with tn,
habits of fish located q still b,
observing the peculiar antics o
small fish in a mountain stream
He knew they were drunk from
eating mash thrown into the water
But even so they admit that the,
are not getting them all and at
tribute much OF II to the modern
developments in transportation. ol
to the extreme daring of the illici,
operator.
There was a still on a little
island off the Florida coast. Agents
knew II was there. but they coulc
not locate II, try as they would
After nearly three months the,
discovered that the moonshiner,
had a complete radio transmittins
set in a tree and each time they
put out for the island the moon
sinners were advised. They were
successful only by being able on.
day to put the transmitting Sc,
out OF commission.
They can not. OF course, expect
to catch airplane bootleggers with
out being able to pursue them ir
airplanes. And they have the same
complaint to make about under
water craft, which they claim are
operating on the Great Lakes and
at certain Pacific ports.
Grape Juice" Plant.
As for sheer daring and audacity
they permitted one party Of moon
sinners TO reap a rich harvest before
finally detecting them. They moved
into a Middle Western town in tn,
guise OF capitalists and established s
grape Juice. factory. Grape juice
signs on the sides Of the building and
on. their automobile trucks was evi
dence of the business they en-
gagged In.
And II was not>until one Of the
trucks was wrecked and whiskey
spilled all over the main street thai
Federal agents decided to visit the
plant. They found ths. the factory
manufactured q small quantity. ol
grape juice, but that for every guar,
Of the notwithstanding beverage put
on the market they sold ter, gallons
OF high.proof brandy. 1t was nothing
nnore than a hiRh ola m distillerv