Rum Across the Border: the Prohibition Era in Northern New York

Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1979. First Edition. 12mo with red cloth boards and black/gold spine title; 172 p; illustrations; 20cm Near fine with small dent on lower edge of front board; ink inscription on front endpaper; else tight, clean and bright. Hardcover. ISBN: 0815601522

"I attempt here to describe life in the Prohibition era through the eyes of the participants. Over the last dozen years I have interviewed customs officers, border patrolmen, bootleggers, lawyers, and civilians of the era. Their recollections provide authenticity to an incredible period, and they make this book an oral history of the 1920s and early 1930s. A sense of urgency spurred my efforts because several of the people I interviewed have since died, and all who grew up during the Prohibition years are now at least in their sixties." --Author.Contents: The Stories They Tell. How it Came About. Heyday of the Bootlegger. Life of a Border Officer. Officer Confronts Bootlegger. Confusion in the Countryside. A Case Goes to Court. The End of an Experiment. Sources.

// Prohibition, Prohibition New York (State), Smuggling, Smuggling New York State