King of the Bootleggers

I am learning so much about Cincinnati history by watching the documentary series Prohibition by Ken Burns on PBS. Tonight they aired the second episode and I was amazed at how much Cincinnati was at the center of bootlegging activities during prohibition in the United States. Much of this was due to it's location.
At the top of the bootlegging food chain was a man by the name of George Remus. Remus found loopholes in the law whereby he could buy distilleries and pharmacies to sell liquor to himself under government licenses for medicinal purposes. Remus would then hijack his own liquor so he could sell it illegally. Remus moved to Cincinnati where 80 percent of America's bonded whiskey was located, and bought up most of the whiskey manufacturers. In less than three years Remus made $40 million, with the help of his trusted number two man George Conners. He owned many of America's most famous distilleries, including the Fleischmann Distillery, which he bought for $197,000, a price which included 3,100 gallons of whiskey.
Remus was eventually arrested for bootlegging and spent two years in prison. While he was in prison, his wife began an affair with a prohibition agent. The two began to hide Remus' money and liquidate his assets. After his release from prison, Remus shot and killed his wife. He was acquitted of the charges on an insanity plea. Remus later moved to Covington, Kentucky right across the river from Cincinnati and lived a quiet life until his death.
You can learn more about the amazing rise and fall of Remus and Cincinnati's prohibition days at:
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/ourhistory/2011/08/01/king-of-the-bootleggers/
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Prohibition

Thanks for your prayers. The donor event at our subdivision in Oxford, Ohio went very well today. It was a time to celebrate what God has done so far and a time to look forward to future of the Reckford Woods subdivision. I am also glad to help tell the Habitat story and to spend time with Partner Families. It was a great time for me to do both this afternoon.

I just finished watching the first episode of the new Ken Burns PBS documentary Prohibition. I found it fascinating. I love history and there is no one like Burns to really help bring it alive. This first episode set the context for the social, cultural, religious, and political environment that led to the passage of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
I was surprised to learn that Ohio was such a key state in the temperance movement and Cincinnati was a major battleground for protests and conflict between the "drys" who supported prohibition and the "wets" who did not. I had known that it was in many ways a movement led by Christian women, but I had no idea how much it was linked to the women's suffrage movement.
One fact that absolutely amazed me was that by 1830, the average American over 15 years old consumed nearly seven gallons of pure alcohol a year - three times as much as people drink today. This first episode gave startling facts about saloons and bars that were both community centers in many cities and a source of all kinds of vice. Corrupt politicians looked the other way because they financially benefited from the saloons and the brothels that often accompanied them. Beer barons bought elections and controlled entire communities with their wealth and influence.
The dry movement also had some less than pure motives and practices. Prohibitionists spread false information about the impact of alcohol on the body. They also destroyed property by walking into saloons and smashing bottles of alcohol. As World War I began, they used anti-German sentiment in America to fuel the cause of prohibition.
I am looking forward to the next two episodes of this documentary. I am always grateful for programs like this that both entertain and educate. If you want to know more about this program, check out this website:
http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/
Thanks for being a part of my journey!

Gotta love Sesame Street's GLEEful letter G skit