Show I I PROHIBITION IN VERSION The Ingenious Devices Whereby Dealers and Drinkers Evade the Law In Burlington the landlord at the hotel at which I stopped told me in answer to questions that just as much vrkuky was sold in that place as ever He took me to a saloon and said Here I will show you how it i is done here He said Go up to thA bar and put on a knowing look and ask for some Lenghya bitters or beef tease v6aI did so I saw no bottles except of bitters and mineral waters and pop etc asked for a drop ol bitters The barkeeper took me all in with a quick glance and dropping a few drops into a tumbler placed it on the counter Then he set an empty tumbler tum-bler and motioning to tee usual waterpitcher said Pour your own water It was an innocent looking crock erj pitcher on a little rubber mat in tba centre of the counter but when I tipped it up I found it halffull of whisky The last place in the room anybody would think of looking for it My friend then took me upon the principal street of tho city called Church street and at three drugstores drug-stores we were given whisky in response re-sponse to a wink when asked what sirup we wanted In two stores the whisky was produced pro-duced from a bottle under the counter coun-ter and the other was drawn from a i iucet uniform with the sirup cocks and labeled l dont care or something some-thing of that sort In one evening I counted six drunken men pass my hotel andone night the young men 01 the university in the place bad a banquet which towards the small hours became a regular Bacchanalian orgy and several were put to bed drunk In St Albans I was told a saloonkeeper saloon-keeper sells liquor in two four and six drink flasks labeled as though sod in Fiattsburg tacross the lake in New York state with day and months written on the labels For instance every flask sold by him today to-day is labeled Sold by J C Cram ley Plattsburg N Y on the 25th day of July 1881 But it was in a large town south of there that 1 was shown the sharpest practice in ways that are dark and tricks that are for the benefit of the bibulous A gentleman whom I questioned about the working of the liquor law told me jast as I was told in all other parts of the state that there was no trouble in procuring whisky He said I am in a very funny secret which is shared by most of our citizens who like a little stimulant occasionally oc-casionally Come with me He took me to a cress street and we entered a ream which appeared to be a cigar store with confectionary etc We took seats at the rear and my friend told me to keep my eyea openWithin twenty minutes I saw tenor ten-or twelve gentlemen come in some ia pairs some single some in little parties go to the water cooler take a drink buy a cigar and go out My friend finally asked me if I had seen any liquor soldand Isaid No Nevertheless said he every gentleman gen-tleman who came in here took a good square drink of whisky and paid for it Well said I the drink must have been in the cooler or the cigare II know it was not in the cigar for most of them were lighted before the purchaser left It must be in the coolerWell Well go and draw come said heI v I went to the cooler held the glass under the nozzle and pressed down I the button I was rewarded for my exertions by a flow of clear cold water that soon filled the tumbler I ttae puzzled and my friend and the proprietor greatly enjoyed it My friend took the empty glassand drew from the same faucet half a glass of whisky If I was puzzled before I was now thunderstruck aDd after laughing at me awhile the trick was explained It was simple Press down the button and water runs press up with the thumb from below while you appear to press down with toe forefinger and you get whisky open the cooler and you find in it ice water The whisky cornea from a cask in a hidden closet up stairs and flows through a small pipe which de sends in the partition and passes from the wall into the bottom of the cooler and connects with the faucet Before we left the party five cr six gentlemen came in and I was told hatjthey were all town and country officials and one of them was a justice jus-tice before whom many of the cases I of drunkenness and violation of the liquor law were tried A gentleman tVid me that at St ohnsbury ho saw a poor fellow sent to the work house for liquor selling and drunkennesa by a justice and prosecuting attorney who were both staving to overcome an allnight de mucb and who were taking a drink together within five minutes after be officer went out with his prisoner |