The New York herald., 1922-12-10

good stuff only to the big bootleggers
who are in position to take 500 cases
every other day? Don't you know
that they hand out the poorest sort OF
stuff to the little fellows? Oh, my, yes I,
You see. my husbands been handling
nothing but the very best trade and
In the largest quantities, and
Just a minute" broke in the third
lady, "just a minute. Where do you
get off to. hurl asparagus at my
brother, and who besides you and your
husband ever said that your husband
was any more than piker like others
I might mention?"
Ladies, ladies'" begged Miss Schultz
Please, please. Let's be good fellows
Let's open little champagne"
Six Yawls Are Captured
And Houses Are Raided
But 1t wasn't necessary. The Scotch
and the punch had taken hold, The
party was split wide open. The boot
leggers' blue book will have to be re-
written. A social war is on. But Miss
Schultz, while not successful in getting
all the names and facts she longed for,
got enough to make the party, worth
while. Two days later three speedy
motorboats filled with prohibition en-
forcement agents slipped into Great
South Bay, capturing six yawls carry
ing 100 cases each.
Each yawl was returning from a
quartet of tramp steamers that were
lying out where the booze begins,
lightering off Scotch and rye to who
soever might care to buy for $35 and
$40 a case. At the same time land
forces descended upon a few private
houses, garages. fishing shacks and
barns wherein booze was wont to be
cached over night. It so happens that
whisky and no prisoners, but the sud-
denness of the descent took the breath
away from the hitherto free and easy
rum runners Of Great South Bay.
Naturally the rum runners investi-
gated. Their Investigations went as
deep as Washington. They were re-
warded by the news that Miss Schultz
was a spy for the prohibition enforce
ment agents and that she was but one
Of six or eight ladies whose business it
was to be particularly nice to the
women folk Of the rum smuggling in
terests. hoping that these women
would become confidential and spill the
celebrated beans.
Any reasonable consumer of whisky
can get all his motor truck can carry
at $50 to SIS case at almost any OF
the Great South Bay ports. For ex-
ample, you can buy good brand of
Scotch-Dewar's. Johnny Walker,
White Horse and Haig and Haig-on
the ground for $50 a case. 1t will be
delivered to you in ten case lots at
your home anywhere in New York city
for $65. But for rye-Sherwood, Hun
ter, Calvert, Atherton and the like
you will have to pay $40 case or SITS
delivered. Prices have come down a
trifie. So. too, has the quality Of the
stuff you buy, although any Of these
brands bought from these Great South
Bay dealers is non-lethal.
Prices have come down because of
the intense rivalry between the run
ners. What the business needs is or
ganization. If the gentlemen involved
could only get together under a
Board of Trade or Chamber Of Com
merce--
tits dog eat dog game out here
now" complained one Industrious
smuggler, only 1 never met a dog
that had as little sense Of sportsman
ship as a rum runner"
On one day last month there were
six large tramp steamers lying Off
Long Beach. Oak Island and Fire
Island: Also there was one Canadian
ice breaker. conscripted for the emer-
gency booze feet. Four miles off Fire
Island Light bobbed a Cuban steamship
begging for customers. She had been
there eight weeks Offering $500 cases
of atrocious stuff called Liberty rum
at $40 a case.
Not bootlegger or rum runner in
the Great South Bay sector would
buy Liberty rum even at $40 a case
for the simple reason that one case
of that would ruin the reputation Of
the business In that part of Long
Island. 1t was overnight hooch made
to sell quickly. It's makers worked on
the principle that dead men tell no
tales. When this Cuban steamer came
to a halt off Fire Island the word went
forth that she offered enterprising
smugglers a chance for a quick turn
over. The rum running yawls came
out in fleets.
Liberty Rum Fails to Find
Buyers of Fire Island
Six runners were invited aboard to
have a drink.
This is good stun" said one. How
come you're selling so cheap?"
But that is our private stock" ex-
planned the skipper OF the Cuban boat.