Wilmont Kreis

Book Eight: The drop-off. When bootleg liquor reached the American side, it had to be transferred to land without apprehension. A common method was scheme modified from the days of the old Underground Railroad: a tunnel from the lake or river to the basement of the house. Better suited for the small-time smuggler, sometimes only supplying their own previously legal tavern or restaurant. The tunnel originated near the water’s edge, preferably in an inconspicuous location, often a lakefront home. Once the load was safely in the tunnel the boat could disappear. Generally the entrance was through a boat house or sometimes a trap door in the yard. Many of these exist even today, either in ruins or refurbished as part of the basement party room, much like that of Jim Trombley’s present day home in THE CHIEF.(continued next week)