Bringing you news since the turn of the century
THE QUANDARY
SCH YOU OLAST IC P R L OC R 501 AL NE ESENT S WSP Mai n APE S New R port treet TEL , RI (123 EPHON GIV ) 86 E I 7-53 THE NG YO 09 U NEW LATES T S SI N CE 190 0
November 1929
Volume 7 Issue 10
Rumrunners Elude Police Yet Again William Mccoy Was Found Last Night
Thequandarynews.com
The new laws forbidding the transportation manufacturing and sale of liquor is causing many widespread problems
Skippering a boat with a full crew
Nov.8 1929 -Jacob Mitchell with The Quandary
At 1:05AM last night William Mccoy was found off the coast of Connecticut and questioned by Coast Guards. When asked
Mccoy’s boat as seen earlier today
where he was going Mccoy said he was out catching fish with his crew. Coast Guards immediately searched the boat finding no liquor. This doesn’t quite satisfy the Coast Guards; they believe Mccoy and his crew were smuggling drugs. Due to the problem of finding no fishing gear on board the boat, continued on pg. 2
William Mccoy as seen in liquor that the rumrunners were supposedly carrying. April of 1928
Many protesters say Prohibition laws should be removed, and liquor should be made legal
The QUANDARY, Providence RI | (123) 867-5309 | www.thequandary.com
THE QUANDARY !
PAGE
Many Jails are overflowing with smugglers
RUMRUNNERS ELUDE POLICE CONT.
Mccoy and his crew members, who wish to remain unidentified, have been taken to the nearby jail in Newport. Despite official’s certainty one of Mccoy’s crew speaks out “We were fishing. That’s final; if it hadn’t been for you officers we could have got ourselves some fine trout.” It has been decided that Mccoy and his crew will be kept in custody for further questioning with a court case on Nov. 14. As for now the 5 believed to be rumrunners are on probation.
2
prohibition sign
making the hundreds of smugglers reading this very paper worried and scared. I think that the country should have more confidence in U.S. citizens. We can make our own decisions about liquor consumption. Does the government not trust and believe in it’s people? Such disturbing thoughts have flooded my mind recently, and I don’t take comfort in the fact that a thief could simply give police a little money and get away unharmed. I suppose, however, that just because everyone’s doing it doesn’t make it legal, but I can’t help but gape at the heaps of money smugglers are bringing in. I don’t make much myself, and I could sure use a little extra dough, but apparently it’s not up for debate. Being an optimist I still keep hope that times will change; Meanwhile I invite you to join me in protest. Yours Truly, Mike Spurna
Advice to Mr. Ruben Hart Dear Ruben from what I can tell you and your friend used to get along quite well. You may not want Jeddy reporting everything to his father, but he feels it’s the right thing to do. I think you should try to be friends once more although you may not be in total agreement with Jeddy find a common ground. You should also be very careful about his feelings. He may have changed largely since you last got together. And lastly don’t stop trying to recover this friendship. I never apologized for something I did to a friend. Now he has past and I still feel guilty.
Dear Editor, It is my firm belief that this prohibition stuff is rubbish. Please stop wasting your time and efforts on liquor. Everyone knows that the law is outrageous and that police are easily bribed. All you’re doing is
The QUANDARY, Providence RI | (123) 867-5309 | www.thequandary.com
Sincerely, -Dear Abbey
THE QUANDARY !
Obituaries Jeddy Mckenzie died early Monday morning due to natural causes. At age 76 Jeddy has had many accomplishments during his long and successful career. His career all started in 1942 at age 25, but perhaps a much more important start occurred when Jeddy was only 12 years old. From a young age Jeddy took interest in his father’s police work. Following his father around at work and helping out gave Jeddy the jumpstart he needed to help him catch the infamous Bonnie & Clyde. At age 27 Jeddy married Martha Fabbro. Jeddy retired at age 64 and took up golfing. If there is one thing that is at all certain Jeddy Mckenzie will not be forgotten. From 1917 to 1993 Jeddy Mckenzie.
The Circus starring Charlie Chaplin
PAGE
3
Dear Abbey Dear Abbey, My name is Ruben Hart and my troubles all started when my friend Jeddy and I found a rich dead man washed up on the beach. Upon finding it I bragged to him about having seen the Black Duck for real once. He thought that he should tell his father about the Black Duck since his father is in the police force. I really didn’t want the police to know about this and I guess that sort of set him off. After looking him over I took the dead man’s pipe and tobacco pouch. A few weeks later I found out there was a ticket for a large liquor shipment in the tobacco pouch. That only made things worse. Jeddy and his big mouth went and told the police along with half of the rest of
the world about me and my fancy ticket, which was just a half of a $50 bill. It’s useless unless held up to the other half. If I do that I’d have a lot of liquor on my hands. That’s not really what I’m worried about though. Jeddy and I used to be best of friends, but now we’re getting farther and farther apart. I’ve just got no idea what to do anymore. Could you suggest a recommendation? I do want to be friends with Jeddy; I’m just not sure how to do it. Sincerely, Ruben Hart
The Circus starring Charlie Chaplin
The QUANDARY, Providence RI | (123) 867-5309 | www.thequandary.com
Lexicon Organizer Word & Page #
Part of Speech
Definition
Sentence from book
(noun, verb, adj)
Relevance or importance to topic/time period
Use the word in a new sentence. (your own!)
amendment Prohibition and 21st amendment (Gale)
noun
An item which is added to the U.S. constitution.
“...passed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution...”
The amendments were what prohibited drugs.
The Eighteenth Amendment made the manufacture sale and transportation of liquor illegal.
black duck pg6
noun
A boat that smuggled liquor during prohibition.
“There was a famous rum running boat around here named the Black Duck...”
The book is called the black duck and is about 2 kids finding it.
The Black Duck has many legends about it’s ability to escape the police.
bootleg pg.10
adjective
An illegal object (specifically drugs or computer hardware).
“It was a bootleg case, a thing we’d come across before on the beach.”
It was an adjective easily applicable to most things regarding prohibition.
The bootleg hardware gave my computer a virus.
booze pg. 5
noun
Slang for alcohol
“They’d sneak cases of booze onshore off boats that brought stuff down from Canada or up from the Bahamas.”
It was what they would call alcohol or liquor.
They sold booze at the drop downtown.
brandy pg.10
noun
A strong distilled alcoholic beverage often
“...there’d be bottles still wedged inside -‐ whiskey, vodka, brandy, even
It one of the things that prohibition had made illegal.
Brandy was quite expensive back in the day.
Lexicon Organizer made from wine.
champagne...”
case (of liquor) blackduckny.com
noun
A container that has been built to design things.
“Some had three big Liberty engines (World War I surplus) capable of attaining speeds of 40 to 50 miles an hour with 1,000 cases of liquor aboard.”
Liquor was often stored in cases.
Finally they lifted the last case of liquor off the boat.
champagne pg. 10
noun
A sparkling white when that is often attached to celebration.
“...there’d be bottles still wedged inside -‐ whiskey, vodka, brandy, even champagne...”
It one of the things that prohibition had made illegal.
You used make more as a rumrunner smuggling champagne.
contraband blackduckny.com
noun
Things that are imported or exported against the law.
“Cornell finally had his boat and 383 cases of contraband liquor as well.”
This word pertains to liquor, because liquor was illegally imported.
On their boat the coast guard found many contraband things.
darned pg. 15
verb
To repair by weaving across the hole.
“...darned her fathers socks, hung the laundry and took it down.”
You don’t hear about people darning things anymore. They just buy a new thing.
She darned the hole with an orange colored yarn.
drop pg. 6
noun
A place to get liquor from or sell liquor to.
“Was Brown’s Beach a drop for
You don’t hear the term drop a lot, but back then it was more commonly used.
The officer had been informed that the shop across the street was a drop for liquor.
liquor?”
Lexicon Organizer frills pg. 24
noun
Something that is unecissary and is added to embellish.
“...mail order frills and home
“The world of criminal gangs” computer dictionary
“A policeman guards a gangland murder scene
improvements her mother was so found of.”
I do not think that people use the term frills very often anymore.
The golden frills on my curtains add an extra finesse to my living room.
All of the groups that smuggled liquor were gangland.
He was the sad victim of a gangland murder.
gangland (murder) pbs.org
noun
hijack(ing) blackduckny.com
verb
To illegally take something.
“New words were added to the American vocabulary, such as "hijacking," "speakeasy," "home brew," "rum-‐running," and "rum row.”
It was a new word at the time.
On 9/11 a plane was hijacked and driven into the twin towers.
liquor pg.3
noun
A drink that is alcoholic.
“A rumrunner had lived in town, one of the notorious outlaws who smuggled liquor during the days of Prohibition, that was the rumor.”
It was the thing that prohibition prohibited.
The police officer told the kids to say no to liquor
Newport blackduckny.com
noun
A port city in Rhode Island.
“A patrol vessel commanded by Alex Cornell (a nautical version of Eliot Ness) spotted the rumrunner off of Newport, Rhode Island.”
It was where many events regarding prohibition and the Black Duck occurred.
He was born and raised in Newport, RI.
1929 blackduckny.com
time
The time at which the Black Duck was caught.
“In December 1929, the Black Duck, skippered by Charles Travers, and its
It is directly related to the Black Duck, because the time is
In 1929 the Black Duck was found.
in a Cleveland restaurant.”
Lexicon Organizer crew, finally ran out of luck.”
about when it was caught.
prohibit pg.3
verb
to forbid something formally (often by law)
“A rumrunner had lived in town, one of the notorious outlaws who smuggled liquor during the days of Prohibition, that was the rumor.”
The time period is considered “Prohibition”
Mrs.Holland prohibited anyone from bringing their backpacks to class.
racketeers pg.8
noun
Someone who is dishonest.
“Outside racketeers creeping in like worms to a carcass, smelling the money.”
People used fancier words back then like disgorge or cove.
He was an old fat liar; a racketeer if I ever saw one.
rumrunner pg.3
noun
Illegally transporting drugs; bootlegging.
“A rumrunner had lived in town, one of the notorious outlaws who smuggled liquor during the days of Prohibition, that was the rumor.”
Rum Runners were illegal and if there wasn’t a law against drugs rum runners wouldn’t exist.
He had sold liquor as a rum runner for years.
smuggle pg.3
verb
The illegal movement of something between countries
“A rumrunner had lived in town, one of the notorious outlaws who smuggled liquor during the days of Prohibition, that was the rumor.”
If people didn’t have to transport drugs illegally there wouldn’t be a problem.
I smuggle immigrants across the border for a living.
speakeasy blackduckny.com
noun
A liquor store that is illegal or forbidden.
“New words were added to the American vocabulary, such as "hijacking," "speakeasy," "home brew," "rum-‐running," and "rum
They were where the liquor, that the Black Duck smuggled, went to.
The place downtown was a speakeasy where you could get liquor easily.
Lexicon Organizer row.” Temperance Prohibition and 21st amendment (Gale)
noun
Restraint from alcohol.
“League members shared a broad program of progressive reform: in addition to temperance...”
Prohibition was temperance or restraint from liquor/alcohol.
Temperance made it illegal to sell manufacture or transport intoxicating liquor in the U.S.
vodka pg.10
noun
An alcoholic spirit which originated in Russia.
“...there’d be bottles still wedged inside -‐ whiskey, vodka, brandy, even champagne...”
It one of the things that prohibition had made illegal.
You could get big cases of vodka at the drop downtown.
Volstead (act) Prohibition and 21st amendment (Gale)
unknown
A law made in honor of Andrew Volstead that enforced prohibition.
“Indications were that enforcement of the Volstead Act was having the intended effect...”
Having this extra law against liquor made it even more illegal and risky to smuggle drugs.
The Volstead act was in effect from 1920 to 1933.
whiskey pg.10
noun
A distilled liquor which comes from malted grain.
“...there’d be bottles still wedged inside -‐ whiskey, vodka, brandy, even champagne...”
It one of the things that prohibition had made illegal.
Whiskey was considered intoxicating due to the amount of alcohol in it.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
"Black Duck." Flickr. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. "Commentaries." This Minnesotan Made a Career out of Prohibition Enforcement. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Film Screening: The Circus (1928) : Indybay. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Foundation, 02 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Lisle, Janet Taylor. Black Duck. New York: Sleuth/Philomel, 2006. Print. "Silent Film Screening: The Circus (1928) : Indybay." Silent "Untitled." Untitled. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. "Wandering... Can't Go Home." : Spotted. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. "William McCoy (bootlegger)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia N.p., n.d. Web. Â N.p., n.d. Web.