New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-09-06
NEW BRITAIN DAILY HERALD THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER laa
|SPEAkEASY IN
new POSITION
INST hy ii Protection OF
Out BusiDa0

PhiIadeiphia. Sept. 8 tUP)-rhe
rise Of gang rule IN Philadelphia has
Dlsced tie dmati speakeasy propris-
tsv In Ai@lcuit position. He. has .
choice nov betxsen paying out most
Of his profits for protection or going
out Of bustnsss.
The result 10 that many OF the
speakeasies are passing from the
control Of independent owners INTO
enc hands Of the liquor syndicate
that IL only too glad to eliminate
the middieman and thus increase its
own earnings.
Expiains situation
The former owner OF q modest
speakeasy on Walnut street explain
ed the situation.
"A member of one of the two big
gangs came into my place about two
months ago." he said, land demand
ed $500. ! had 10 give It to him for
otherwise my place would have
been held up every night or 20 until
there would have been no stock left.
Two nights later = member OF
the rival gang came in and said he
would guarantee to protect me
against hold-ups II would give
him $500. told him ! had just
paid out $500 for 4 months protec-
ton against stick-ups and hi jack
ing and that couldn't afford to pay
out any more.
Ian right the gangster said,
then I'll stick up your joint right
now
Il had to give him the $500 or
lose all my stock. shakedowns like
that are what drive US out of bust
ness"
Philadelphia bootleggers concen-
trate on Two brands of liquor-alco-
hol and sweat whisky. The lat
ter u tho recent discovery Of a
bootlesger here and Is now the most
widely sold brand in the east.
Sweat" whisky il made by obtain
ing charred barrels in which bona
fide liquor has been aged in Canada
or Cuba. Into these barrels is pour
ed the raw corn and rye whisky
which the bootleggers make. The
kegs are then placed in steam
room and the flavor of the real
liquor that the barrels formerly con-
tained is "sweated" into the raw rye
and corn. The genuine flavor makes
it. possible to sell $3.50 whisky for
SO and $12 quart.
Trade OH Big scale
The alcohol trade Is carried on
on a bigger scale. and shipments are
made to all sections OF the country.
Even before prohibition Philadel-
phia was the center of the indus
trial alcohol industry and now, Off
cials say. the city's liquor ring sup
plies the necessary ingredient for
large part Of the nations gin.
Most of the alcohol plants-thert
are supposed to be at leafs eight
large ones here-run as peri um'
factories. and the alcohol which Us
shipped out on trains is labelled
either perfume or paint" The
large volume of alcohol that moves
out Of Philadelphia each week
makes it imperative that the liquor
syndicate have small army OF
guards. That is where the gangsters
come in. They hire themselves out
to the syndicate to see that the
liquor shipment reaches its destina-
ton.
When one gang is in the hire OF
the syndicate. the rival group will
turn hijackers and stick-up men to
earn its living. Thus there Is a
constant warfarc-a battle which II
likely to flare into murder at any
minute.
Many persons who have investi-
gated the Philadelphia liquor ring
enormously link it with Scarface Al
Capone's gang in Chicago. Phila-
delphia gangsters say they have no
connection with Capone. Their ar
sument, which is as follows, sounds
sincere and logical:
Gangs either fight or ignore each
other. We don't retail stuff in Ca
pones' territory. although We will
make wholesale shipments of alco-
hol. But We do that for everybody.
and all OF them pay the same price.
So long as the boys in Chicago let
us alone, we are willing to mind our
own business"
It Is q Business
The thing that must be remem :
bered about bootlegging in Philadel-
phia is that it is u business. There
are no mock heroics. no conferences
around a suffering candle-none
of the scenes with which movie au-
diences have grown familiar. The
work IL done openly. expenses are
budgeted and q set profit must be
made each month.
True. the gangster-guards carry
| pump guns. but they have them for
the same reason that a travelling
salesman has a fountain pen-be-
cause it is needed in the business
And II someone is murdered no"
and then 1t IL usually the result OF