Show f 2 2 f THRum Rum RumRunner Runner Tells of 1 1 Booze Flow Through Canadian Line Huts M p Engaged in Wholesale Traffic c Goes to Cr Bat Ba t yV With th Prohibition Prohibition Agents Over iv 1 1 f f i. i Conditions at Ecorse 1 1 JI R May 26 5 By A. A P. P P.- P. i rum ruin runner r who ac- ac Cg l. l W W. S. S Forman on the Ini Ino In- In 1 o of ot the tho Ecorse Mich i 1 smuggling nUng shacks described in n a sei se se- S i soC s' s of oC articles In In- tho the Dally Daily News 1 tod y made this statement to the I 4 AssocIated Press r W r fOr have been bringing whisky out r r s o 9 of these shacks and delivering it to toi i t. t Im I'm my customers in Chicago constant- constant ij 4 1 ly for two years without Interference S from from the authorities who now deny tb that t any such wholesale traffic ex- ex v t v- v lets I 1 am only one of ot the many rum rim runners from many states who j ve e been doing the same thing I 4 vv vS h have ve re seen runners there from as far faX west est as Nebraska and Oklahoma We never ne said laId or Intended to say sayS S that within the city of ot Ecorse Itself S there are four miles of these shacks i I. I That would be absurd on the face tace of ot It What Mr Formans Forman's article I S say Bay wa was was' that they extend for four miles miles' along the American shore As a matter of ot fact tact the they 55 extend farther than four ml miles es S. S HEARD ESTIMATE MADE S J ij 1 was present with Air l ir lorman iuru when a Detroit newspaper man mentioned the estimate ot of gallons of ot booze crossing the line per day Nobody least of ot all the newspaper man himself maintained that this estimate was accurate S Mr Ir Forman In his article gave the 4 t- t figure merely as an estimate OneS One S mans man's guess is as good as fis s another stands there and tallies the nobody In I 1 have cargoes as the they come shacks for been in and around these did not attempt to two years and give Mr Forman any estimate I am amI r. r inclined to think It may have ex exceeded ex- ex f I gallons gal gal- r ceded the estimate of oC days and fallen tar far farbelow Ions lons on some on others that figure below The reported statement by t the e prohibition director for Michigan S that the activities of ot the smugglers been confined to about four tour have I 5 blocks of ot shacks in Ecorse Is an ab- ab 7 f It If It were true and his men had made any effort at all to top atop the traffic not a rum runner Ecorse have escaped from could t wIth with a n cargo To leave those those- shacks r S with an automobile it Is necessary a 8 strip of ot open sandS sand ito to drive e across a. a street that and come out on a paved S ct line I h n car ar 7 ARRESTED RR STE ONLY ONCE st i f I r havo made so many trips out automobiles tr ot of these shacks with loaded with whisky that I 1 have lost count On one car I 1 ran up a miles mileage mile mile- s age of ot over between Ecorse s I and Chicago I never was arre arrested ted 1 iW- iW in j Ecorse I was caught once in a town far tar west of ot there V Mr Formans Forman's statement is correct correct cor cor- that while we were In those shacks on our recent visit buying u whisky and bringing it out of ot there for my customers in Chicago we did not see a n single federal man state stater r- r policeman or local authority lift lItt a IL 4 finger to stop us In two days and o. two nights In the shacks on the waterfront wag wa- wa I g we did not see any pro- pro 1 boats pass up or down the Mf fo lf It If the traffic is languishing as r. r 5 the te prohibition director wants us to I i elleve believe It is due to the fact that the Canadian robbing the fj r smugglers are r rum irum runners blind and we have found fo o nd other sources where we can get our supplies at a more reasonable reason- reason w t able price For instance I have to f pay PY 90 per case for tor a certain t i Scotch whisky at Sunnyside Ont and I have to pay American smugglers smug- smug h lers 5 5 per case for tor bringing It across the line making line making It 95 laid down to me on the American shore S I 1 can buy the same whisky In the I f v Bahamas for tor 18 per case case and and I Ican S can ean an bring It through too make no mistake ml take about that I AGENTS AGENTS VISIT SHACK t. t iI r I know smugglers who have been heen bringing whisky across the line Une lineS S from Canada to Ecorse ever since prohibition day and night and boast poast that they never have been arrested I introduced Mr Forman to the smuggler who said the only time the federal men ever visited his place was one time when they knew he was gone and they carted cases ot of beer and otherS other S q z away t from om h his is place This 0 S smuggler said he lie would kill the S next federal man who approached r t. t hrs his shack and they never came came back I 1 have given the name of ot f this smuggler to the Associated 1 Press tess t n Mr Forman was so amazed at 9 what he found at Ecorse that when I I suggested going further up r the theand and visiting shacks several t S mlles h. les from there he said 1 V No 0 I have seen enough Lets Let's r 1 i S pa pak pack k up our booze and get out of ot here I want to talk to some Dei De- De i troit newspaper men about this f thing I 1 could have taken him to smugglers' smugglers shacks more than four tour fourt miles mUes away I 1 would say two b t years' years experience over there that th h ri A tine lino nr or nf Et IS Is Fl nearer l I eight miles than than tou four BOOZE SLIDES ACROSS t i In winter time I 1 have stood In 10 p Ecorse and watched these fellows bring loads of ot booze across the river on ott Ice In sin boats on runners T Tie The e fact tact is that scores of ot rum ruin run- run ners Tiers myself among them have b wom out tires Ures hauling hooch out eS J of Ecorse orse shacks and along the car carline r t line ZIne there without interference Just before Mr Forman and I 1 left with our load a runner went ahead of us with cases of or beer on a truck tV In former days das the smugglers a used to carry large stocks of oC booze i. i on on hand and a runner could comer come i r f pin load UP and get out in itt a hurry Ie 1 But In Ecorse runners nowadays 5 v 1 dont don't tie up their own money mey t take talce le ft t runners runner's order and make him wait walt while they get across the river 0 and buy It if with his money That's one ope of ot the things that is driving the Chicago runners elsewhere If If It I wanted to continue doing bu business at that particular place on J S tho Canadian border I naturally 3 wouldn't take a newspaper man d down wn there ther no matter how bow well I I knew him When hen Mr Forman lorman started to prepare his articles I 1 IM M t showed him how bootleggers dl- dl t I whisky with alcohol and waI water wa- wa I tel ter because If It they didn't do It with whisky they bought ought from froni the Canadian highbinder's they wouldn't make any ny money at tt all My Chicago Chicago Chi Chi- cago customers expect me to sell th a bf Scotch fO for that c coit m mo JOS 95 5 laid at at Ecorse 0 t t. t 11 1 11 S 1 i lv v l' l c l f 51 5 1 t h fi and expect me to bring brinS' it ft mUM to them too I PROPOUNDS QUESTIONS I r will answer any question the Associated Press wants to put to me They have hav my name in confidence con con- and know where to rind find t me In return I 1 would like to asK as these questions of ot the prohibition director director director tor of ot the state of ot Michigan Have you ever been in a IL smugglers smuggler's smugglers smuggler's smugglers smuggler's smug smug- gler's shack in Ecorse or anywhere else alon along the Canadian borter- borter while the smuggler was there Have you over ever stood on Jeffer- Jeffer eon street in Ecorse and watched the rum runners come out of ot these I shacks with I of ot booze so heavy that sometimes they theIr could hardly make the grade over 01 the sidewalk Do you o know t the te e name o of the theman theman theman man working out o on your ottice who told Mr Forman that he didn't be believe be- be lieve Ue a foot fifty wall along the whole border would stop the smug smug- gling and and and incidentally told the truth If Ie yo you believed there were ere yere only four tour blocks of ot smugglers in Ecorse upon what was that belief beUer based Did you have men posted there to find out Were there any of ot your our men posted there one month ago today If If 1 you think gallons per day is a gross exaggeration Just I how many gallons do you think are I coming over the Detroit river every day and night Do you know the v name and ad address ad- ad address dress of the smuggler who lets a 15 year year old old boy bring booze across across' the theline theline theline line Where are the blind pigs that are running wild in Detroit getting etting their booze from From Chicago or some place like that |