The Washington times., 1923-07-24
INSIDE STORY Of
RUM TRADE BY
| BOOTLEGGER
Former Wholesale Whiskey
Runner Says Dangers of
"Game" Are Too Many.


thrills experienced in the business,
and at least one Washington boot
logger, who for more than a year
carried on wholesale operations, has
gone into a legitimate business. In
the latter he is meeting with marked
success Here is his story as he re-
lated it today:
"Bootiegging has become so split
up that it does not pay any more.
A year ago it reached the peak, but
since then, while the quantity of
bootleg liquor has not materially de-
creased, so many are supplying 1t
that the days of the big orders and
big profit are past. Scores of men
have learned how to make synthetic
whiskey, brandy, gin and rum, and
they are putting it over in quaint
ties to meet the demand of the
smaller buyers.
When I started to bootlegging
you could sell in five and ten case
lots. You had to provide real liquor
This you got from two sources.
'One of them was the heldover
stocks of former wholesale liquor
dealers. There were good many
of them who believed that prohibit
ton, when it went into effect, would
be knocked out inside of a couple
of years and they took the chance
of storing stocks in private ware.
houses. They knew the wholesale
trade in given territories. When it
became evident prohibition was here
to stay some of these statesmen got
together and decided to help out"
the wholesale liquor dealers. They
knew them personally and put a
proposition to them to take over
their liquor stocks at prices ranging
from $50 to $50 a case.
Builds Up Trade.
The next step was to get list
of customers from the wholesale
dealers, all of whom knew many
individuals who formerly bought in
one to ten case lots. They called
on them and made the sale. After
"a while they picked up, through
these buyers, bootlegging connec-
tions they could depend on. I got
in that way and for fifteen months
sold only pre-prohibition liquor to
my customers. 1t was all fine
stock and I got from 500 to $125
q case for it, making $50 case
on the sales.
After that I picked up connec.
tons with whiskey runners on the
Jersey shore. Ny main supply
came through Perth Amboy where
I frequently went to stock up. L
could buy for less and my custom
ers took what / gave them without
complaining
But there are overhead expenses
the average person knows nothing
about. 1t is not-so much what you
have to split with others that counts
a IaSCoS Of onaf1o,. IT, to-
I came to be spotted. It was known
did a big business and brought in
my own liquor from Perth Amboy.
This led to my meeting with whiskey
bandits several times on the road.
once they got me for sixty cases
of Scotch. Another time 1 lost fifty
cases of brandy and gin. Then they
got me with a car loaded with
champagne. Those losses eat heavily
into former profits. I never did a
book business and consequently lost
nothing on bad accounts. But I
began to find old customers were
buying synthetic liquors and in
broken-case lots. That hit hard. At
last it appeared that to remain in
the business 1 would have to go
after bottle trade and there is moth
ing in that.
Synthetic Makers Pikers.
The synthetic makers, with first
cost which does not exceed $115
bottle, can afford to sell it at SO
to $12 a bottle and most of them
are satisfied if they make two such
sales day. They are mere pikers.
Take it from me, there is nothing
in bootlegging unless you can stick
to the case business and put over
100 cases week. Make $50 a case
and the business pays. That looks
like making money fast, but against
that consider you can only stay in
the business a short time before
you are caught and if it is known
you are one of the big operators
and fines piled up will shrink the
profits like baby's all-wool vest in
O Chinese laundry. Then there is
always the element of danger to be
considered. I got through without
any gun fights, but l always kept
my car armed and planned to shoot
If I had to.
why didn't I shoot the bandits?
Because on one occasion l was
carrying one of them with me as
helper, and he stripped the car
ing in restaurant. On another
occasion, the first, a flivver ran
into me. 1t looked like an acct
dent. ! wanted to avoid trouble
and investigation. 1 started to talk
with the flivVer driver and the
next thing knew I was covered
from behind and saw my whiskey
transferred to a car parked in the
shadows of the road.
The next time they simply
Jumped on me before / could draw
a gun. The bandits can get Won
nine times out of ten, for thew
know all about you and are set to
pick you UP right where thew want
you. Then the odds against Won are
about four to one. Once with mo
they were six to one But sunnoso
you shoot up some of the bandits
What are you up against? You
save your bootleg. The courts hold
you are in the same class as the
bandits you shot, and there Won
are. You cannot plead self-defense
very well.
Since / quit bootlegging / start
ed to live again. Now / am build
ing up a legitimate business.