The Washington times., 1922-12-19

BY WILLIAM J. Mcf.ULTY.
Copyright 1see. by Cosmopolitan News
Service.)
ST JOHNS. New Brunswick,
Dec. l9.-The Canadian bootlegging
fraternity have enriched themselves
practically overnight by manufac-
turing and peddling poison whisky
which they smuggied into the
United States. where high prices
are obtained. The average cost Of
manufacturing bottle Of whiskey
in bulk IL from five to twenty
cents. fluctuating with conditions.
For instance. when manufactured
at a still the cost is usually about
fifteen cents per bottle. u When
merely mixed by hand, the cost ID
to 10 cents. y -
The minimum price Of bottle
Of whisky to the ultimate consumer
is six dollars. and to the trade the
minimum price is three dollars.
Compute for yourself the immense
profit in the bootlegging traffic.
And only the small fry in the boot
leggers have gone to Jail or ever
will be incarcerated.
Some Fabulous Profits.
In some cases the whiskey is sold
for SO and SIS per bottle, which
leaves a fabulous profit for the
bootleggers. Instances Of the stuff
being sold at s1b per bottle are
many. There is no standard price
among b0otleggers. Get what you
can" is the rule. And at getting
what he can. the average bootleg
ger Is stellar light.
| Three years ago druggist was
In financial distress In st. Johns.
He, had a small business and cred
itors were bounding him to the
court OF bankruptcy. He started
bootlegging and specialized in ship
ments to the United States. At
present he Is rated as a millionaire.
His business Is on a very sound
financial basis, and he is a politi-
cal power.
Was $is Clerk. ~
The recognized king Of bootleg
gers Is st. Johns man who four
years ago was clerk in a small
| grocery store at $l2 a week. He
entered the bootlegging traffic. and
today is the most feared man In
The business. He is at the head
/ OF one OF the groups which is prob
iably the most poweffbl bootiegsing
group shipping liquor into the
United States; Contrast his -penuri-
Gus condition Of four years ago
with his opulency Of today, He
owns ten houses and five farms.
has more war bonds than any other
man in st. Johns. and has the
| largest cash account in one OF the
/ st. Johns banks. He has never
less than $4,000 in cash in this
bank.
/, He has four automobiles. for one
| OF which he paid $1,000, he bought
] antique furniture for his home at
/ a cost OF $1,000. and a talking ma
| chine at $500. His wife has three
| sealskin coats. one Of which cost
| $4,000, and. was a Christmas gift
| from her husband. This bootleRger
| employs fifty men steadily In his
| operations. He has six telephones
| in his home which he uses as his
| headquarters. He has q private
secretary and chauffeur. and his
wife has two servants. III
Teamster Makes Fsetune.
Another bootlegger who lives In
st. Johns and operates from there
in his shipments to the United
States, was a teamster three years
ago. He did not own more than
the clothes on his back. After two
months of bootlegging into the
United States he bought q house
outright, paying cash. Now he has
two automobiles, owns a stable OF
fast horses, has 100000 in bonds
and $25.000 in real estate. Quite
q stake for q man who can hardly
read or write.
One bootlegging group shipping to
the United States pays the manager
q salary Of $4,000 per year. Prof,
|lts or this group, after one year of
operation, were $100,00 There are
hundreds Of bootleggers who are
waxing wealthy on poison whiskey
manufactured in Canada and sold
lin the United States a. real
whiskey. Even the employees Of the
different groups and individuals
own cars and houses.
For handling q shipment OF $16.-
600 in poison whiskey (this ID the
sale price and not the cost, price,
from New Brunswick to point on
the Hudson about twenty miles
from Manhattan, from whence II
was distributed into varied Yections
of New York city. . confidential
agent of the king Of bootleggers
was rewarded with bonus OF
$4,000. The king Of bootleggers. by
the way, has q propensity Tor en-
gaging broken-down baseballists and
/ prizefishters as his aides-decamp.
| Wage Bitter Fcuds.
| with the enormous profits &C.
cruing to the bootleggers, It is but
natural that they quarrel over the
kspoils. Eeuds are bitterly waged
between the different cliques, and
often there is bloodshed and even
murder. Within the past year, two
murders In Canada and At least
fifty In the United States are di.
rectly traceable to bootlegging
feuds with their origin In Canada.
There may be honor among thieves,
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