The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1926-02-03
"RUM-RUNNING IN
WASHINGTON"
~ DONALD MeDOUGAL
- y A>A$AtnA $A~ ANA - - - 49, -
(Movfe and Stage Rights Reserved1
CHAPTER XXI
Copyright 1926

I
From what / could see of the
Horseleigh plant at Cockleyville
the next morning, the place was
about the size of the Dean Estate
at the corner of Connecticut Ave-
nue. and Florida Avenue here.
The whole property, including
some IL or Is buildings, was
guarded by one lone Waterman.
It didn't look to me as though the
authorities cared very much
whether the stuff was carried off
or not, but, even at that, / didn't
feel any TOO cheerful when we
drove away from there. Lem was
pretty gIum for a few miles, too.
It was penitentiary job we
were planning.
Jaw. what's the odds?s he broke
out. We're risking the penitent-
larry to get out of this business, and
we risk the penitentiary just as
much if we stay in. Amt no use
worrying about it.
ITS our own fault we're in It.
Sure it is-but that don't help
none.,'
For a month after my foot was
turned over for duty. work was
continual. Every night our trips
were as regular and unevent1m as
a milk route. The Maryland authorl-
ties paid no attention whatever 70
ms. and the District bothered US
little more. We laughed at the
revenue agents--tne police were the
onlv ones we cared about, and even
they didn't bother us enough 70
worry over.
Police Busy Elsewhere
A series of burgIaries and hold
ups kept their attention pretty
well away from us. remember
the case of one burglar who hao
been working almost every nlgnl
for eighteen months and had store \
something like 100000 worth @
goods. The growing traffic prob
lem. too, helped to keep police at
tention away from us. And the
| few hours they had left over IRON
! these occupations were spent II
/ bringing drunks into court WASH
inston had a two years start II
/ prohibition over other cities. ana TN
number of drunk cases was pro
( portionately higher.
That made things lot easie
for us, and we didn't bother Y
carry our stuff in touring cars an!
more. We used trucks in trains
of three. with one block car t
each train. A truck load averages
about $4,000 delivered and 40 pc
| cent of that was profit.
When the month was up we toun'
that we had under.estimated tn
cost of robbing the warehouse. w
couldn't do it the way we ha'
figured on. A string OF tWelv
trucks running through the street
Iwould be bound to attract atIen
ton and IL we should give them
five minutes Roadway the opera
ton would be spread out over al
hour with increasing chance OF dc
lection. We weren't afraid OF tn
VoIstead end of tit was the hurt
lary feature that had US worried.
We postponed the job for an
other two weeks and had the
trucks painted in imitation OF u.
s. Army vehicles. And We ar
ranged for the drivers 10 dress
as much like soldiers as possible
with khaki shirts and leggings
YOU couldn't tell the difference at
night unless you were an expert.
We didn't let the drivers know
we were burglarizing the place. ]
they had known they probahl
would have burglarized us. The.
thought we were distillery official
smuggling the stuff away 70
illegal sale.
AS the 5th of April crept towar
us-the date set for the Job--w
grew pretty nervous. The neare
the thing came to US. the cIeare
we could see the rocks that we wer
Ill. ely to crash on. We were takin,
some desperate chances in pulling
that iob--but we were taking ~aes
perate chances in not pulling it. too
1t was the only way out that WI
could see. How long could we con
tinue Bookkeeping without a sill
that would land us in the peniten
tiary? Lem might possibly go bacl
to farm work-the only occupation
that he knew besides rum.Vunning
But for me there was no way on
but the back door of that distillery
Eileen Getting Along Well
Eileen was out of danger-sh,
would soon leave the hospital, DR.
Stephens told me-but it would b,
a long while before she would hav,
strength enough to care for tn,
house and look out for sonny. Il
weuld be unsafe to leave her b.