APARTMENT OF KING OF WASHINGTON SOCIETY BOOTLEGGERS RAIDED
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On December 21, 1922, the Washington bureau of the New York Tribune reported that the apartment of the "alleged king of Washington's 'society bootleggers'" was raided last evening by an Internal Revenue agent along with police.
Five hundred quarts of liquor were seized at the apartment of Raymond "Razor" Gray, a 28 year old college student.
Along with the booze, a "long list" of alleged patrons which includes the names of congressmen, lawyers, business men and society leaders was confiscated.
The report states that Mr. Gray was the subject of a "trap" set by authorities with the assistance of "a local society woman" sympathetic with the "drys."
JFK+50 NOTE
According to the National Museum of American History, prohibition did not stop Americans from drinking as "expanding violent, organized crime (and) illegal sources of production and distribution" made alcohol easily accessible from 1920-1933.
SOURCE
"Elite of Capital Found On Bootlegger's Books," The New York Tribune, December 22, 1922, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
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