Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-20


quently railroad employees were bribed.
Shipped as BaIed Hay.
For example. carload of baled hay
would be shipped from Buffalo to De-
troit via Canada. the shortest route
Before the car left American territory
it was inspected and sealed by customs
authorities.
Somewhere in Canada the car would
be switched to a Sidetrack, the hay re-
moved,l and beer or whisky substituted.
Then fraudulent seals would be placed
on the car. cleverly counterfeiting the
originals. The car would rumble into
Detroit as hay" 1t would not be Sus-
pected by customs officials and would be
spotted on a siding of the consignee,
masquerading as hay and feed mer-
chant.
Sometimes carloads of whisky were
consigned to Mexico" but reached
their real destination here. One car
discovered by the agents contained
5000 900 worth of wines and whisky. 1t
was billed as gears"
Other cars, billed as beans" or the
like, got to Chicago, Louisville, Indian
aroliS, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
An investigation at Buffalo revealed
that as many as SO cars of liquor daily
entered the United States. About 1000
freight cars pass through Canada in
transit from one United States city to
another daily.
Unload in One Minute.
The other method OF smuggling liquor
has been by boat and automobile. Swift
speed boats have darted across the river
in less than three minutes and have
unloaded liquor cargoes in less than
another minute, armed men keeping
any innocent citizens in the vicinity at
bay until the liquor was safely en- route
to its storage place.
Another plan was to run automobiles
over the ferries These cars had no
springs or cushioning, but contained
hollow compartments, false tops and
fake gasoline tanks, where dozens OF
bottles could be concealed.
Small quantities of a bottle to
dozen bottles have been brought over
the ferries on the person, concealed I'M
derneath clothing, but this is a negligi-
BILE source of supply 1t may become
important in the future if other routes
are kept closed by the dry army mobil-
lied here. 1t only costs nickel to
cross the river on the ferry.
In chasing speed boats over the river
Government patrolmen have recently
been impeded by other speed boats
CIOnSluS IIlclI PAIN VI JI1OHlllB up
heavy waves, making hot pursuit diff
cult. II these other boats were chased
they were found to be empty. They
were conveys.
The rum runners have spies all along
the border, and by judicious bribery
were able in the past to slip across the
river at certain points unmolested.
Flash Signals Across River.
Signals flashed from down-river is
lands or the main land would notify
the "pullerS" on the Canadian shore
when to begin their dash for the docks
or lighthouses on the American side.
Indictment of 20 customs border patrol
men for accepting brides and Of three
others for perjury, plus transfers OF
men, has broken up such easy routes,
for the present at least.
On shore the rum runners had other
devices. One was the use of chemicals,
which, when introduced by valve into
the exhaust pipes of liquor carrying au
tomobiles, threw out a heavy smoke
screen, under cover of which they es-
capped pursuit. Offlcers speeding after
such cars have plunged wildly into 8
ditch when running suddenly into dense
clouds Of smoke, which blinded them.
Use of moving vans TO take cargoes
of beer, whisky and wine, concealed IN
der furniture, to Cleveland and points
East, and to Chicago and points West,
has been frequent. Even hearses have
been used to transport liquor. Laundry
wagons and trucks disguised as United
States mail cars are also utilized.
The alley breweries and distilleries
also show similar ingenuity. One alco-
hol distilling plant found in q three
story building here this Spring was dis
guised as a garage. Although sur
rounded by the raiders, six men work
ing on the night shift of the diStillery
escaped by crawling through a tunnel
under an alley with an outlet in an
other garage.
Made 1880 Gallons Weekly.
The plant was one of the most elab-
crate ever found in Michigan, and had
been in operation night and day for a
year and half, distilling alcohol from
molasses. Its capacity was $500 gallons
a week. Much of the alcohol ultimately
found its way labeled as Canadian
whisky" to consumers throughout the
country.
But the Federal enforcement officers
also have tricks to play. Coming here
from cities as distant as Seattle they
are able to gain entrance to blind pigs.
One method sometimes used is to find
d. HAL WllIAllS 10 lIllIOQuCe LDem as MS
friends. The man already having en-
tree, the officers have no trouble Raids
follow. From The arrested proprietors
and bartenders information concerning
the source Of their liquor supply is OBJ
tanned, which is the important point,
and the wholesale liquor depots, the
distilleries and breweries begin to yield
before the axes of the agents
Neither side heretofore has lacked in
reSourcefulneSs, but the Government
forces have been undermined and I'M
derequipped in the past. Now Wash
lngton is throwing an army of men
here, together with large part of its
dry navy.
The winner Of the battle to be fought
here will be largely determined by who
has the best bag of tricks.
(Copyright, 1929. by North American News-
paper Alliance.)