The role of women in the era of Prohibition

They traded five times the quantities of a man, with great profits

wkel0000 99479048 1 1312x819 ALCOHOL, Woman, smuggling, black market, illegal distillery, nicknames, Prohibition

After the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920, America is entering its era Prohibition of liquor. Constitutional law outlawed the manufacture, trafficking, importation, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages, and for 13 years, until 1933, Americans could enjoy their favorite alcohol only secretly in the underground "secret" bars that opened. one after another at that time.

On January 16, 1920, the Volstead Act became the "death" deed of free movement of alcohol. So, very quickly the black market It was especially prosperous, considering that everything that is forbidden becomes even more attractive, crime began to rise alarmingly, while organized gangs began to gain more and more political influence.

shutterstock785840218 ALCOHOL, Woman, smuggling, black market, illegal distillery, nicknames, Prohibition

The illegal distilleries and bars, due to "constipation" policing, multiplied at a rapid pace, with alcohol smuggling outlets reaching 30.000 - about twice as many as before the Prohibition era.

With corruption in the police force hitting almost red, as the "cheeses" for low-paid police officers were many (it is no coincidence that Al Capone has almost half of the Chicago police in his "payroll") and doctors to They make money by prescribing whiskey for medical reasons - in this case it was legally sold by pharmacies - the illegal alcohol traffickers in the eyes of the ordinary citizens of the country became a kind of popular hero.

Through their activities they offered jobs to many people, in a period of high unemployment during the Great Depression of the "Crash". Throughout the Prohibition period, the state lost about $ 500 million a year, as the places where alcohol was made and sold were not only illegal and secretive but also innumerable.

The popular heroes

shutterstock314930246 ALCOHOL, Woman, smuggling, black market, illegal distillery, nicknames, Prohibition

It is certainly interesting and many questions that the fact that among the leading traffickers in illicit alcohol during the ban are several Women, "Competing", in fact, with great success top criminals of the time.

The reason why the profession flourished in the profession is the fact that several American states had enacted laws that made it illegal for women police officers to physically search women, while it was considered highly offensive to charge a woman with such a serious crime as Alcohol trafficking was introduced at the time.

In fact, an article in the Hamilton Evening Journal in 1924 states, according to a police officer from Ohio, that a woman threatened police officers who were conducting checks that if anyone touched her, they would resort to the law against them.

Federal officials, in fact, believed that women bootleggers (as they called traffickers alcohol) were much more than men, having sold up to five times the amount trafficked by their male "colleagues", while a female agent reported that female bootleggers were more difficult to detect and apprehend than men.

shutterstock249571717 ALCOHOL, Woman, smuggling, black market, illegal distillery, nicknames, Prohibition

The unions smuggling, so, they took full advantage of these "windows" of the law, recruiting women into their ranks. And if they did not do so in order to turn them into traffickers, they hired them as drivers of their cars to reduce checks, as the police were less likely to stop and look for a car driven by a woman.

According to The Boston Daily Globe, as reported by the Huffinghton Post, "no self-respecting federal agent stopped cars driven by women."

Big profits as opposed to light penalties

But why should a woman enter the world of smuggling and risk being brought to justice at any time?

In 1925, a woman in Milwaukee admitted to earning $ 30.000 a year (in today's estimate, estimate about $ 350.000!), While the only penalty for her offense was a $ 200 fine and one month in prison. At the same time, a Denver court sentenced a 22-year-old bootlegger to attend church every Sunday for two years, while the US president pardoned a female bootlegger from Michigan. Similarly, the governor of Ohio reduced their prison sentence to just five days.

Female bootleggers tended to maintain a low profile, while being less likely to become reactionary, and in any clash with police it was almost unlikely that they would be targeted.

The most famous bootleggers of Prohibition

shutterstock91955396 ALCOHOL, Woman, smuggling, black market, illegal distillery, nicknames, Prohibition

According to journalist Jack O'Donnell and his descriptions of women bootleggers, there was a great deal of diversity - coming from all walks of life, from slums in East New York and luxury homes in California to the pine hills. of Tennessee and the vast plains of Texas.

Most of them were quite apt nicknames such as "Henhouse Bootlegger", popularly known as Esther Clark from Kansas, who stored alcohol in chicken, "Moonhsine Mary" who was convicted of killing a man (killed him for circulating bad liqueur) and Texas Guinan or otherwise "Queen of the Night Clubs".

The "queen" of the area was Maggie Baily, from Clovertown, Kentucky, who entered the world of alcohol smuggling at the age of 17. Nicknamed the "Queen of the Mountain Bootleggers", she lived quite simply and calmly and often offered food to families in need. That was the reason why the courts treated her relatively kindly.

Stella Beloumant was the leading bootlegger in Elko, Nevada. To understand how important her case was, just consider that the Attorney General of the USA, two agents from the Office of Prohibition, as well as the sheriff of the area were recruited for her arrest! In fact, during her arrest, a huge amount of illegal alcohol was confiscated.

Source