Evening star., 1923-09-10
WOMAN DEF|ANTLy
LEADS RUM GANG
Grows Rich in Huge Bootleg
ging Syndicate Unearthed
in New England.
Special Dlspa tch to The Star.

special Dlspatch 10 The Star.
PORTLAND, Me-, September TO-
Prohibition enforcement agents,
working upon leads furnished by St
John, New Brunswick, uncovered the
largest known bootlegging syndicate
operating out of eastern Canada. with
ramifications extending all over the
United States. at whose head IS a
young, beautiful and stylish woman.
The astonishing career of this
Young woman, better known as
Minnie" who left her position as an
assistant to the chief of a Canadian
bootlegging syndicate to form an or
ganization OF her own, is like a tale
torn from the most lurid fiction.
From her headquarters in a farm
house on the bay of Fundy, about
fifty miles from the Maine line,
Minnie" first established relations
with bootleggers in Boston and New
York Gradually she widened her
scope of operations to include cities
in New York and New Jersey, as
well as throughout New England.
start of Operations.
Evidence unearthed in the investi-
cation has also disclosed special activ-
tiles with connection in Philadelphia
and Chicago. Minnie" started her
operations with her own motor car
as sole means of transportation of
Canadian whisky. Having smuggled
for the gang which previously en-
ployed her, the woman was in a po-
sition to. sell goods and secure future
orders advantageously. Later she
purchased schooner for $4,000. This
schooner, "a two-masted vessel, built
prior to the war, was out of commits
sion in bay of Fundy harbor for
more than a year.
Then the smuggling of thousands
of cases of Scotch from overseas was
started Today there are eleven
schooners under the command Of this
woman. one of which was recently at
tackled by hi-jackerS off the Massa-
chusetts coast.
In all cases dressed lumber, which
at one time was the property of the
British government, has been loaded
on the vessels that cleared for the
West indies as is customary, since
the fishing alibi has been dis
continued.
Battles TheiVing Crew.
The young woman always has
played a triumphant with enforce
ment agents on both sides of the line
and this must account for the fact
that not one of her shipmates had
been molested by the minions of the
schooner was out but a few hours,
when the crew seized the vessel and
attacked minnie" But the gang
leader locked herself in her cabin,
and defied the men to break the door.
Two Of the attackers. who essayed
to smash the door received bullet
wounds in the arms. The captain
vas also implicated in the conspiracy
TO steal the vessel and cargo.
All Of the men broke into one of
the cases and drank from the bottles.
The woman crept out of the cabin
early in the morning and found the
schooner drifting aimlessly about the
Maine coast. Five drunken men were
lying on the deck. Each was ap-
parently unable to move hand or
foot Minnie" took the wheel just
in time to prevent the schooner from
drifting on ledge. Although she
knew nothing at all of navigation.
the fair whisky smuggler succeeded
in bringing the vessel safely into
Boston harbor, ostensibly lumber
laden.
Women are playing a very prom
inent role in the manufacturing and
smuggling for United States con-
sumption, according to ASprohibition
officers During the past two years
hundreds of women Of all ages are
said to have been enriching them
selves.