The Washington times., 1925-06-25
with The
EAlibi Artists
Cutting Speed Of Police
in Chases Just What
BootIeggers Want
Revoke Permits, Is Plea
BY DONALD McDOUGAI4.

Sister Cephaa cared for the
Alibi Mans son sick to the point
OF death In Providence Hospital
q few years ago, and when the
coroner read the cold-blooded state.
men OF how she Vas picked from
the wfeckage on the sidewalk,
crushed and dying. we stopped
taking notes. Everything was
pretty well blurred to us after
that, until we got out on the side.
walk.
The sight Of five or six boot.
leggers in the crowd that was
waiting there joIted as into q
eeIni.normal condition.
All were known to the police,
all had been making their living
the Mast several years AZ rum
runners, all were licensed drivers.
one Of them was fined $500 on q
bootieggfng charge only = year
ago.
When the verdict was, announced
they jumped Unto their cars and
hurried away.
Tomorrow morning" said De-
tective OgIe, I'm probably be
chasing one OF those crooks. =
."Too bad you can't take them
now. and save trouble
Save trouble! If / should take
those people now ia be in trOubls
for the next year and a half
answering charges Of false arrest.
I've got to take them with the
goods. In the eyes Of the law.
"a man Is bootlegger only when
he's working at Il"
We remember seeing, last spring,
a sort Of q bootleggers' Who's
Who. Il was built like q time.
table. and kept up to date by
additions and interilneatiOns.
Alphabetically arranged. II gave
name, last address and permit
number OF the rum.runner. make,
model and license number Of car
or cars used by the bOOtlegger.
One man was known to have
In his sQuadrOn fifteen high.
powered cars and as many
as regularly for work az bus
Many Officers know whole
pages of this list BY heart. They
know the territory where the
biggest operators work, and the
particular line Of goods they
t0RGCAA1A4Q AAAs
we asked an officer one day Il
he knew EO-and-so, d man we
had suspected for some tim0.
.sOh. yes" he told us. He
works in Georgetown. mainly. He
had q still over Stennty -steenth
street. but we> cleaned that Ovt
last month. His line Is mostly,
wood alcohol.
There were. at q rough guess
500 names on that social register.
All were known to be In the boot.
leg business.
By revolving the permits Of
these law.breakers more rum-run-
nera can be put out Of business
n ten DAYS than the present Wild
West method viii net In a. many
months.
DrivinR without a permit Is
easier 10 prove than runn-running.
The maximum penalty - q 5000
fine and q year In jail, In add
ton 10 the liquor penalty.
Under the n0W regulations that
can IS done. II. ID big under.
taking. but It's POSSIBLE. And It's
4 Quicker, better, safer ana cheap
81 way than Ii In use now.
TO tell the police that they
n,i,et not exceed the speed limit
n chasing q bootlegger Il to
abandon enforcement. Restricting
fhe police to q twenty.two-mile
speed while the law-brealker can
70 as fast as he likes, IL to In.
yite anarchy.
About the last thing In the
world for e community to do il
to make a high-powered car sane.
tuary for criminals. They VIII
abuse the privilege.
Today many convicted bootleg.
gers are driving around town
with authentic permits In their
pockets. That's concession enough
to them.