Speakeasies
were formed in the 1920's as a means to get around
the everyday hassle of law enforcement watching for
people to violate the 18th Amendment. As a result
of Prohibition, the speakeasy was an established institution.
For every legitimate saloon that closed as a result
of the new law, a half dozen underground palaces sprung
up. These speakeasies were one of the many ways that
people during the 1920's and early 1930's obtained
illegal alcohol. By the middle of the decade there
were thought to be 100,000 speakeasies in New York
City alone. Patrons often said you could get a glass
of liquor at any building on 52nd Street between Fifth
and Sixth Avenues in New York City--if you knew where
the speakeasies were and if you had the password to
get in. Federal agents also reported that this area
was on of the "wettest" in the country. (Crime and
Punishments166)
Although
speakeasies were illegal there were many benefits
to those who took the risks of ownership. A speakeasy
could net its owner a lot of money, but it also took
money to make a profit. One of New York's proprietors
estimated his operation costs at abour $1370 per month.
Of this sum, $400 was graft money to Federal Prohibition
Agents, police officers, and the New York District
Attorney. In addition, the cop on the beat would get
an extra $40 to turn his back whenever beer was being
delivered. The alternative to these payments was to
have an elaborate and expensive system for concealing
the evidence whenever there was a raid. At Manhatten's
"21" Club there were four alarm buttons at various
points in the vestibules. If a raid prevented one
of them from being pushed, the doorman could reach
for another. There were also five separate liqour
caches, reachable only through secret doors, and the
switches were instantly short circuited whenever an
alarm button was pressed. These safety features were
an expensive alternative to paying off public officials!
In
addition to speakeasies, the American populus also
came up with innovative ways to circumvent the law.
They used hip flasks, false books, coconut shells,
hot water bottles and garden hoses to transport illegal
liqour. People also stored the contraband in prams
with babies perched on top and in carpenter's aprons
with big fat pockets. One man was even caught hustling
liqour over the border in two boxes of eggs: He had
drained the eggs of their original content and refilled
them with liqour.
Many
average American's became criminals during the age
of Prohibition. They found innovative new ways to
drink, produce and transport liquor. Prohibition,
truly a noble experiment in intent, became a dismal
failure for the populus did not support it nor did
the government adequaltely enforce it.
Nowadays,
speakeasies often refer to private dining restaurants
that are not well known in public. In a recent publication
"World Food Hong Kong" by Lonely Planet,
the term speakeasies is first used. Guests of a speakeasy
need to reserve the table in advance and the menu
of the day is selected by the chef. Speakeasies have
become a unique dining culture in Hong Kong and there
are more than 50 speakeasies in Hong Kong.
Source:
"Crimes and Punishments." Time-Life Books Alexandria,
Virginia. 1991
"This Fabulous Century." Time-Life Books Alexandria,
Virginia. 1991 .
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