Evening star., 1923-04-26
LAUD STAR EXPOSE
OF POISON LIQUOR
Service Done Public by Print
ing of Facts, Say Sullivan
and Wheeler.

Prohibition leaders and police Of
fcials Joined today in comm endation
Of The Star for its expose yesterday
OF the poisonous liquor being sold by
Washington bootleggers. The opinion
was generally expressed that a. public
duty has been done in making known
the facts regarding the liquor situ
alton in the Capital. and that If by
reason Of the publication of the facts
one person Is saved from death or
serious illness a good Job will have
been done.
Chief Of Police Sullivan and Wayne
B. Wheeler. general counsel Of the Anti
Saloon League, praised The Star today.
Maj. Sullivan said the police are making
every effort to stop the sale of liquor
in Washington and are particularly
vigorous in preventing the activities
OF bootleggers whose products are
known to be poisonous. While the
expose of the situation WAS being
made it became known that one boot
logger yesterday received a shipment
of $4,000 worth of liquors which he
said came from Peru. but which prob
ably was manufactured in the District
of Columbia.
Service 10 the Public.
THE Star is performing a public
service in bringing out the facts con-
cerDing the poisonous liquor situation
in Washing Ston," Mr.. Wheeler said.
The person who drinks liquor un-
der existing conditions Is gambling
with his health and with his life.
In addition he is violating the law
by purchasing liquor from 4 boot
logger. The present situation re-
veals two points: That fewer are
drinking liquor. but that a greater
proportion of those who drink are
killed by it. In 1917 81 persons per
100000 of population within the reg
istration area died from alcoholism.
In 1921 the percentage was Is per
100000 showing that fewer people
are using the stuff that Is many times
more deadly than tho liquor sold be-
fore prohibition"
Mr.. Wheeler added that he knew of
no evidence of wood alcohol sold for
liquor in Washington. although he
had seen countless cases of wood al
cohol poisoning on the Bowery in New
York city. Wood alcohol, he declared.
makes the drinker crazy drunk, some
times kills him. and not infrequently
blinds him for life.
Corn whisky Chief Il. ID. c.
While corn whisky is manufactured
in Washington. the chief source Of
supply for the corn sold here is the
nearby Maryland neighborhood.
Some whisky Is also manufactured
in Virginia and sold in Washington.
but the bulk of the corn whisky
comes from Maryland. The truth of
the assertion that the mash Is mix
ed with 1ye to make 1T work quicker
has been proven repeatedly by pro-
hibition officers, according to Lieut..
o. T. Davis, in charge of the vice
squad. Raiders have found cans Of
lye piled high around a r1ided still,
and have smelled the lye in the mash
found at the scene Of the raid. Lye
in corn whisky also makes its pres
ence known by beads of white in the
clear, watery huid, inocous looking.
but packing the kick Of q x-fnch
gun, and not infreQuently carrying
death to the drinker.
The oid-time bead on rye whisky,
obtained when the bottle was shaken,
1s now simulated in the grain alco-
hol-ceramel product sold by WASH
ington bootleggers by the addition
of q tiny bit Of soap, q little larger
than a pin-head. Thorough shaking
Of the bottle will reveal the soapy
character Of the bead" on the al
legged rye" sold here.