The New York herald., 1922-09-04
REPAIR STATIONS DOT
RUM runners ROUTE
Mechanic Tells of Snug Har-
bors Oh Motor Trail
From Canada.
HID CARS AND LIQUOR
Averaged 500 a Week Plus
Drinks, but Quit Because
OF Danger.
RECRUITS HAND PICKED
Taken to Plattsburg to Learn
How to Serve in the Boot
Logging War.
RECRUITS HAND PICKED

Nhob ibi Whiohl lloli W &NtW
York city over the good State roads
through the Adirondacks. chain of
service stations and bottleggers snug
harbors has been established. This,
on the authority Of tourist who told
a reporter for THE New York HERALD
yesterday the remarkable story OF a
chauffeur who. for few weeks, was
the chief of one Of the these rum
runners retreats.
The chauffeur telling the story gave
1t as his opinion that there were
twenty such places between Rouses
Point and New York He said that
last March he lost his job. He. had
been driver for doctor in Brooklyn.
After three weeks or dleness he was
accosted by man he afterward came
to know as a bootlegger. He was asked
various questions regarding his knowl
edge of automotive mechanics and, be-
ing satisfactory, was hired.
This bootlegger," said the chauf-
feur, says he has job for me at SIS
week and what / can make on my
nerve. told him ! wasn't driving
booze cars. not because was too good.
but because / didn't want to take the
chance of going to JAIL He says there
was nothing like that to it. but that
il I'll ride up to Plattsburg with him
he'll show me something
Tried and Tested.
He didn't just pick me up colo That
is, he didn't take me as a stranger.
was out of work and friend Of mine
who Is something in politics tipped him
off that l was all right. I'm 40 years
old and have known automobiles for
twelve years I was gas engine builder
before l took up driving cars.
I'VE go 10 Plattsburg. where am in
troduced to a man who said he wanted
me to take charge of a repair station
about thirty mites south. We go down
there next day. 1t was on the main
road to Chestertown. l was surprised
when the car he takes me in stops at
point in the woods several miles
from any camp or settlement. He must
have noticed that l was surprised for
he grinned and said:
"'We'll leave the car here with Frank
fthat was the name of the third man
on the party) and I'll show you the
station 1t was late In the afternoon
and was wondering what sort OF game
this was going to be. We walk about
Atty yards down the road and push
through the bushes to the left. You
could have knocked me cold with
straw. On the wood side of the bushes
there was good soil road completely
hidden from the main highway
"A quarter of mile down that road
was camp. II looked like any or
dinary Adirondack camp except that the
soil road seemed bit out of place.
There were three buildings to the camp
or three camps In the group which ever
way you want to put 1t. One was q
garage. In II were two cars-big ones.
One was a sleeping shack well fitted up.
The third was combination machine
shop and sort OF store room.
Cars coming In here.i says the man
20 me, don't come I'm as we did. They
leave the main road about a quarter
of a mile up and come through the
woods where the trees aren't close to-
gether and where the ground is pretty
firm and even. 1t wouldn't do to have
the road too easily found
Sing Sing Workers.
MY job was to live there in the
camp and take care of chased rum run
ners. Two other men came to keep me
company and help. / was supposed to
be in charge but they were a couple
OF tough eggs to boss. One had done
stretch In Sing Sing and the other
should have been doing one. Tough,
that's what they were.
The next afternoon rum runner
drives in pretty excited Some sheriffs
were chasing him I'm car because he
had hit somebody about forty miles
north.
Get my car out of sight and hide
the BOOZE he said. Tt'll be worth
money to you to hurry. Maybe they
won't find me here. but IL they do |
don't want them to get the booze too
1--WE didn't take the booze out OF the
car---that is, not all Of It. We only took
few quarts Tor our personal use. But
we dragged the car back into the woods
behind bunch OF bushes and we laid
low watching the road. Pretty soon the
Sheriff's car went busting by.
THANK God for that says the rum
runner. Can you put me up for two or
three days?'
I'VE put him up at fifteen bucks a
day. besides drinking his liquor. not all
of 1t of course, and charging him twenty
moro for cleaning the carburetor. which
didn't need cleaning.
I'VE must have had six or eight boot
leggers to take caro- OF during the fol-
lowing six days. We didn't take care OF
anybody but bootleggers, because nobody
but bootleggers knew we were there.
Then | was transferred to place near
Chestertown. the same sort of rescue
station for bootleggers. ] stayed there
month and then got Job driving for
private party. The job got now pays
me $50 a week I made an average OF
$40 In the rum runner station. but there
was too much chance. You didn't know
when the shooting might start and I'm
not daredevil any more.
II don't know now many such places
there are along the road between Rouses
Point and New York. They never told
me. But heard there were twenty"
nxArn NAy vxx a " -