The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-05-31
SMOKE SCREENS
NO. JOKE, SAY
DRY AGENTS
Some Not Yet Recovered From
Casing" Received in Bout
With BootIeggers.
BY GEORGE FRANKLIN.

by GEUNNGE tEGANh1AENs
Use of smoke screens by rum run
ners is no filament of the magma
ton. Federal Prohibition Commits
sioner Roy Haynes has appealed to
Government chemists to determine
the character of the gas used and
explain it's lethal effects. Several of
the dry agents who ran into the
murky cloud hiding the flight or the
bootlegger's motor car recently, it IS
declared, were made sick by 1nhal1ng
the fumes, and some Of them, 1t is
understood, have not recovered from
the casing.
From the little information seep-
ing through from dry headquarters
the gas used by the bootleggers Is
made by mixing ammonia and GER
tain salts with gasoline or coal Oil
and injecting it into the motor equip
ment, where, in exploding and being
thrown out through the exhaust, lI
creates heavy and dense cloud OF
smoke, or colored gas, which hangs
low and is some time in being dis
PEELED by atmospheric action.
Device Is Ingenious.
The special appliance used in
generating and releasing the smoke
screen is described by dry agents
as perfect little piece OF me.
chanical invention. It is scien-
tifically constructed and apparently
capable Of standing long use.
Among other things 1t is pointed
out that it take up little space, can
be adjusted to any make of car, and
is comparatively inexpensive to
operate. It's action is controlled
through a set of stopcocks which
can be manipulated by the driver
Of the machine with little difficulty.
Get away from the idea that
the rum runners are bluffing with
that smoke screen" said a dry
agent today. cit is a reality, just
about as painful to encounter as
the German mustard gas. I got a
nose full Of it recently, and don't
want any more such experiences.
'Since the rum runners have
adopted wartime appliances and are
showing a willingness to use them
it strikes me the time has come
when fire should be fought with
fire. am not bloodthirsty, and
consistently advocate peaceful meas
ures where they will prevail, but
the bootlegger who thinks a smoke
is a harmless little joke has a
wrong slant on humor.
Personally, not officially you un-
derstand, I think the smoke screen
should be accepted as a call for
buckshot and plenty of it. You
need. not fear you are chasing an
innocent motorist when he envel-
ops himself in a black mist and then
Steps on the gas"
That several small cargoes Of
liquor were run up the Potomac
from Norfolk during the past few
days, prohibition enforcement agents
declare they believe to be true.
They discount the statements as to
quantity, however, declaring that
the gross amount landed in Wash.
ington for Shrine week was less
than fifty cases and that it was
largely for private consumption,
not going into the hands of pro-
'essional bootleggers.
The latter, they insist, are prac.
ically "stockless" at present. in
the face of a demand conceded to
be greatly augmented by the pres
ence of thousands of visitors in the
city who believed the bootleggers
would put through satisfactory ar
rangements to supply wet goods in
fairly liberal quantities during the
big convention.
Enforcement agents, contrary to
accepted ideas, do not always ar
rest a bootlegger when they secure
their first evidence against him,
1t is said as they consider him a
lead to other live agencies it would
be Instantaneous to eliminate.
BY this policy they are able to keep
in touch with the local "liquor
market" and get something APP
preaching a fair gauge on the
quantity of liquor being sold.
Serves AS BeIlwether.
Eventually they arrest the bell
wether, but the arrest is scheduled
to occur when it is certain all of
out and a clean sweep can be
made. While allowed to run free
he serves a valuable purpose they
declare, in opening up new leads
running two Ways-to the supply
source and the consumers.
According to estimates made by
dry agents the quantity of saleable
liquor in the city, aside from the
cheap, deadly corn whiskey stock,
held in small quantities by the shoe
string bootlegger, is smaller than at
any time within the past six
months.
Bootleggers attempting to run
into the city from adjoining States
will find not only the principal
highways under patrol by dry agents,
but practically all of the city high
way terminals under observation,
while the "round about routes are
guarded at stragetic points and un.
der patrol by agents travelling in
motor cars and afoot.