prohibition-era
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Too Close to Home
How’s that for a headline? ‘SCARFACE AL’ SURRENDERS On March 21, 1930, this headline topped most newspapers. After all, Al Capone was “Public Enemy Number 1.” Not that there weren’t other big name gangsters: Bugsy Siegel (New York), Nucky Johnson (New Jersey), Harry Rosen (Philly)… And the one that worried Rose (and Harold) the most: Tom…
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Ha ha. That’s punny!
I have to think the writer of this article was pleased with himself for coming up with the headline. The story has little bearing on Rose, other than being in the news on March 7, 1930. But, I’m certain she and Harold had a good chuckle from it.
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Bootlegging
verbbootlegged; bootlegsa: to carry (alcoholic liquor) on one’s person illegallyb: to manufacture, sell, or transport for sale (alcoholic liquor) illegallyc: to produce, reproduce, or distribute illicitly or without authorization I had the chance to pitch my story to some friends the other day. But as soon as bootlegging was mentioned, a listener said, “Oh! So…
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Prescription Required
A few blog posts ago, I joked about putting a little whiskey in my tea to help fight a cold I was battling. Truth is, people have been using alcohol as medicine since the Middle Ages: a drop of gin was believed to ward off the plague; a glug of wine could defend the body…
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Location, Location, Location
Perhaps you’re wondering why I’ve chosen rural Nebraska just on the outskirts of Omaha as the setting for my story. Well, apart from my obvious family connection to the area, it has a great bootlegging history, and that history is partially the cause for this WIP in the first place. Long before Rose or Harold…