The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1922-10-16

Rv ~knockover king" I mean those
men who. instead OF buying their
liquor In Vancouver and smuggling
n across the line. let tho other Eel
low 20 20 this expense and danger
and then steal his cargo from him
BY means OF stealth or violence.
~Kncckover kings" may be
placed under three general heads
First. and most numerous Of all.
are the law.enforcement officers
federal agents. deputy sheriffs
and policemen who steal part OF
each legal liquor seizure that
they make. so general l. this
practice. I might add. that In all
my long experience In the indus
try 1 have yet TO learn Of single
seizure Of any sire that ever
reached the authorities without y
large percentage being knocked
over by the raiding officers All
the bootiegEers ret lot Of kick
out Of reading the newspaper nc.
count Of any liquor seizure. Tho
newspaper win say that IS cases
were seixed. well say. We. being
In direct touch with the unfor.
tunate importer, know that there
were really $50 cases In the car
70. hut what can we do. We
Just keep our mouths shnt--and
watch the Officers 20 out and sell
their loot in competition s8ainst
us.
The next class Of 'knockover
kings" Il also made up Of iaw-en
forccment officers. These are tbs
men who make raids on their own
hook. but who don't even pretend
that there's anything legal about II
They simply get hold Of our liquor
and tell US to beat Il and forge
about II.
Such raids as this. OF course. ars
never reported In the newspapers
Tho bootiegEers. naturally enough
are willing TO swallow their LOSSES
and keep their mouths shut. as b.
doing 20. they make prosecution I'm
possible.
Tho third class Of '-<nockovel
kings" Is the most vicious OF all
These men are bootieggers them
selves. who use the knowledge they
have gained thru their business con
necffons to victimize their friends
As rule they are mon who have
been led astray by women. who havs
sucked them clean. and they turn q
the knockovcr game IN a desperate
effort TO recoup.
say desperate--and I mean II
Because this class Of ~knockovci
king never lasts long. They are be
tween two fires. you see.
There may be certain feeling
Of friendlineSs between the legitI-
mate bootIegEer and the isw-en-
forrement offieer--becanse earh
realizes that it's all sort Of
game and Il appeals to their
sporting instincts. As witness
this, I have frequently known q
boetisgger TO insist on treating
his captors 10 q fine dinner. with
liquid trimmings after they have
raided his czche-just 10 show
them that there aren't any hard
feelings.
1st no one has anything but con
tempt for the double-crosser.
The law-enforcement officers, en-
tirely aside from ethical reasons
have no use for the 'knockovei
kings" because tho latter are con
tinually getting the officers Ell
Dutch" by using their names wher
they make their raids. Lots o
deputy sherIffs are blamed by boot
leggers today for stealing iIquo
that they've never even seen. Tn,
"knockover kings wearing deput,
sheriffs' badges and calling eacl
other by the actual names OF certain
deputies. manage TO convince thel
victims that they are really officer
--and then this rnisinforrnation find
IT'S way TO Sheriff Matt starwich
and tho officers who were imperson
ated are called up on the carpe,
Which really isn't right--because tn
officers are guilty OF enough STUFF
without being blamed for what the,
didn't do.
The legitimate bootloggers, on tn
other hand. have even less Use 70
the "knockover kings" than have tn
officers. First. OF course. no on
enjoys losing cargo for which n
paid eight or nins grand" "a grand
IL $1,000. But that isn't the wors
Of IL. Tho "knockover kings" no
content with theft, proceed to rulI
the market for US by undcrsellinr
As the liquor didn't cost them a cen
they can naturally afford 20 do fhi
and II makes our regular custom
crs think that we're holding then
up. whereas. as matter OF fact
we're making a much smaller prof
than the "knockover kings"
But. as I said before. the knock
over king" OF this class doesn't las
very long as rule.
Here Is one instance where the
Iaw-enforcement officers and the
boOtleggers work hand In hand
In protecting the 18th amend
ment. The boofIeggers. Of course,
have secret service" which Is
far more efficient than any
branch Of the law enforcement
arm Of the government. And
this secret service" works IN
close cooperation with tho Off
GERS. 1t Is rarely very long be-
fore the bootleggcrs manage 10
get the goods" on tho KNOCK.
over king"--then the federal
agents, the shcriff's office or the
police are tipped off: there ~
raid-and the officers get credit
for another clever piece Of de-
fecfivo work.
The ''knockover kings" among tn,
1awenforccment officers themscIve,
do not run tho same rfsk---as the,