Evening star., 1932-06-12
Continued From First Page)


the rum runners; and some who have
been rum runners are patrons OF the
sport of kings Big Bill Dwyer owns
three race tracks. including the Mount
Royal Jockey Club in Montreal. Canada.
Big Bill, reputed partner OF the no
torious Owen Madden. is an influential
man in New York. He is man OF
peace and silence when business is
involved. He went to the Federal
prison in Atlanta without uttering
word in his own defense Had he taken
the stand, the names Of political pro-
tectors and silent partners might have
been disclosed
The use to which the rum smugglers
put their radio stations is one OF the
most conscienceless sides of boot
Logging They use the call letters of
licensed stations to get in touch with
the ships of the outlaw navy.
The radio communications between
the land and the ships are most fire.
quent during foggy weather, time
when passenger ships and freighters at
sea and airplanes and dirigibles in the
heavens are dependent on the COM
mercial radio stations and the United
States Navy stations for their bearings
weather conditions and other intelli-
gence for their safety.
In the three years ended May l. 1892
more than 100 radio stations of snug
glerS were located en- the Atlantic Coast
by Federal agents, under the jurisdic-
ton of W. L. Terrell, director of radio
of the United States Department OF
Commerce The total number of rum
smuggling stations is not officially
known, because this branch of goveln-
ment, like the Coast Guard. is INSULT
ciently manned, and for the same rea-
son. The smuggling syndicates. how
ever, are never short of funds, and as
fast as one radio station Is diSmantled
another raises its antennae in some
other secluded spot,
Used Mobile Stations.
Foggy weather is the safest for
smugglers as it is the most hazardous
for ships engaged in passenger traffic
and other legitimate enterprises. When
the fog is thickest the land stations
of the smugglers communicate most
frequently with their ships. using the
call letters of licensed stations. The
smuggling wireless operators are deaf
to pleas to get off the air lest lives OF
innocent people be lost, for the land
ing of smuggled drugs and liquors is
of greater consequence to them than
human lives.
After the Government developed a
system of detecting the precise place
where a fixed land station was con-
cealed. which led to its destruction,
the rum syndicates equipped speed
cars with powerful transmitting and
receiving sets. Some of these mobile
radio stations have been trapped by
q secret method.
The men in active charge Of detect
ing the Illicit radio stations are Arthur
Batcheller, United States travelling
supervisor of radio, and his assistant,
Emery H. Lee. On the top floor of
the old Subtreasury Building most OF
the work is done. At a desk sits For
est F. Redfern. assistant radio inspec-
tor. recording the code messages pass
ing between the ships and the radio
stations on shore The codes used by
the Smugglers are elaborate. but all
are decipherable; and in this room, in
the heart of the worlds financial CEN
ter. was evolved the secret method OF
trapping the radio stations as they sped
through country roads faster than an
express train.
This much of it, known to every
radio engineer, although it Is a mys-
terry to the average person. may be
told" said Acting Supervisor Lee.
THE smuggler's use of call letters of
licensed stations is not deceptive, as
the characteristics of all stations are
known. The counterfeit is recognized
Immediately. Then, toe. if we had any
doubt. a telephone call would tell us if
licensed station sent out particular
message. The extensive use of the mo-
bile stations is recent. The difference
in the intensity of transmission betrays
the mobile station The obvious part
of the plan is to get the approximate
bearings of the different locations at
which the automobile stopped to per-
nit the transmission of message. A
check on the distance Travelled is de-
termined by the variance in intensity
in transmitting from the different
points. A road map of the locality and
little detective work does the rest
The crews of rum ships are lured
not only by high wages, but by the
promise to smuggle them into the
country after making three voyages.
ashore with the contraband liquor
have been subsequently apprehended
and deported.
Packages" Identified.
When the rum ships first began U.s.
ing the wireless Government officials
were perplexed by the frequent mes
sages referring to packages. The first
message transmitted to rum ship ad
vises it when and where the launches
and other small boats of the syndicate
will take off the cargo But invariably
the next message reads: Get the pack
ages ashore first" 1t was months be-
fore other elaborately coded messages
revealed that packages" were con-
tainers of narcotics
An idea of the value of drugs may
be had from figures given by the Gov
ernment after seizure on a New York
steamship pier on April "a, 1881. Sew
enteen boxes, each about four feet
square and averaging 800 to 400 pounds.
or narcotics were impounded. Federal
officials appraised these drugs at more
than s3,000,00o in the legitimate trade
and at S10.000,00o or more if sold as
dope. But the amount of narcotics
smuggled bv the rum syndicate. like
SO many other details of the alcoholic
beverage industry is not known.
A sacrosanct lot, by and large, are
these managers of rum syndicates.
When special agents Of the Govern
ment, working on bootlegging leads for
low wages resist great temptations in
working UP cases, they feel amply re-
warded when their labors end in con-
victionS But they are often denied
these rewards. Sometimes the cases are
thrown. There are various ways of de-
feating juctice in this way. A favorite
way. under some prosecutors, is to as
sign the case to an incompetent as
siStant.
Conspired in Bank.
Bankers. on occasion. are allies of
the rum syndicate. One, a presiden.
of a national bank, surrendered the
room of his board of directors to the
managers of a rum syndicate to COM
plete their OrganiZatiOn And so II
happened that gangsters and the bet
ter element of the politico-criminal
underworld, all dressed like the mil.
lionaires they we're, sat around the
mahogany. hallowed by directors of a
national bank. and perfected their con-
sp.racy. The plot completed, the banker
patron of gangsters journeyed to Mon
treal to assure the Canadian distillers
that the new r1lrn -r1lnnino syndicate