Evening star., 1924-05-05
Outrunning Rum-Runners
Guard
and His Rabbit Foot'-The Fisherman and His
Golf Cap-One Side of the Picture
In Five Parts-Part l.

| in fact, and great applause. But the
rummies taken are but drop in the
bucket compared to those who escape
and land their cargoes ashore.
Our Old Man has many scalps hang
ing to his belt. Rummies have come
to know and fear him. He likes to
work rabbits foot on em" and
make up in strategy what he lacks
in speed. Take the small boat game,
for instance. The Seminole caught a
fine speed boat the other day, they
say. A boat was making out from
shore toward Rum Row and the Semi
mole put a shot across her bow that
made her heave to in a hurry. The
cutter came up alongside and the
small boats skipper was questioned.
No liquor aboard The fellow said
he was out fishing. But he had no
bait and no tackle and no fish. He
in the face denying-that he even
knew what Rum Row looked like.
He was wearing a brand-new golf
cap. 1t was so new, in fact, that
the tissue paper was still in the
crown. One Of the Seminole's Off
GERS, handling the cap, thought the
visor was very stiff. He slit it open
with knife and there were fourteen
one -hundred-doll bills neatly slowed
away between the lining and the card
board.
So the fisherman was held aboard
1t is no crime and no transgression
Of the nations maritime laws to sew
fourteen one hundred dollar bills in
a new golf cap, nor is it a misde
meanor to proceed in the direction
or Rum Row and say you are fish
ing. But it looks bad. And every
body knew the man was bootlegger
and on his way to buy a cargo of
liquor from the fleet Why let him
get away with it? He was given a
comfortable berth up forward and
the Seminole had a beautiful new
speed boat to use in her cruise.
Seized Boats Aid Hunt.
1t takes thief to catch thief,
or d rum-runners boat TO catch
rum-runner's boat A speed boat
cruising around Rum Row doesn't
look suspicious to a rum-runner, so
it's simply a matter Of sneaking up
on your quarry in a borrowed boat,
flashing the revenue flag on him and
hauling him alongside to wait for
the cutter to come up. The Seminole,
a few days after this capture. caught
another fisherman. He had 10000 in
his pockets. The table in the cap
tains cabin was overlooking with
money. 1t took hours to count. And
while the two fishermen stayed up
forward, the Seminole continued her
cruise, equipped with two very fine
speed boats, which she used to catch
the rurnmieS
That is what the Old Man calls
working the rabbits foot on EN-
and it has proved highly successful
OF course a United States commits
sioner may not see fit TO hold such
men as these fishermen, but their
cases are suspicious enough to war
rant investigation, and as the Semi
mole cannot put into port during her
patrol nor is it feasible to tow the
boats while on chase, there's nothing
to do but use them.
rs there much rum-running going
on these days." the Old Man is asked.
Yes. there's plenty" He bases his
calculation on the boats that get
away from him. some of them loaded
to the gunwales with liquor, and
on what he hears from other boats
on the rum patrol. Two hundred
miles of coast. most of it excellently
adapted for rum-running and fifty
liquor-laden ships lying from ten to
twenty miles off the coast, while hun
dreds of speedy power boats go back
and forth-yes, there's lots of rum
running. Is there much help from
shore? Not SOS you'd notice it, the
Old Man thinks, and this reminds the
writer of a story he had heard that
morning. The story was given him
by "a New York newspaper man. and
the writer gave II 10 the captain as
ii was told to him.
My bootlegger," the man said. lis
q decent sort of chap. you know,
and we've become quite friendly. |
wanted to write a story from the
rum-runner's point OF view about
bringing this liquor in shore so my
bootlegger said he would take me
with him on one of his trips up the
Connecticut coast. He kept me wait
ing around for a week or so. but one
day he telephoned me at my hotel and
told me to be ready within half an
hour He called for me in big auto
mobile and we drove up the Connecti
cut coast to a village. We had din
ner at the hotel and after the meal
three of my bootlegger's friends
joined up and we played stud poker
until IL o'clock that night. Then one
of the bootleggers said it was time
the boats were coming in and we went
down to the dock A truck was
drawn up and two motor boats We're
chugging up the harbor They tied
up alongside, the liquor was unloaded
and put in the truck and we drove
away and back to New York. There
was nothing to 1t. No story to write"
That gave 4 picture of one side of
the case The Old Man filed his pipe.
looked at the barometer, and allowed
he'd show us the other side, provided
the weather got better.