Whispering Wires: The Tragic Tale of an American Bootlegger - Softcover

Metcalfe, Philip

3.78

18 ratings by Goodreads

9781592992522: Whispering Wires: The Tragic Tale of an American Bootlegger

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1592992528 ISBN 13: 9781592992522

Publisher: Inkwater Pr, 2007

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Philip Metcalfe has described his role as an author as that of "a painter who endows a lost world with the personality and the dailiness it once possessed." In Whispering Wires, Metcalfe tells the story of Roy Olmstead, one of the principal bootleggers in Prohibition-era Seattle, and the first major federal court case concerning the use of wiretaps. He writes, "Set into motion then was a constellation of conditions that no one could have foretold. Prohibition had produced a shadow universe governed by an aberrant moral algebra." This historical narrative follows the city officials, Prohibition agents, and rumrunners who chased, evaded, and double-crossed each other during one of Seattle's most thrilling eras.Praise for Whispering Wires: "A riveting account of the shadowy world of Prohibition bootleggers, smugglers, enforcement agents, and federal bureaucrats ... this path-breaking work of scholarship has the feel of an action movie while documenting the legacy of corruption and betrayal left by both sides in the notorious liquor wars." - David A. Horowitz, Ph.D., Professor of History, Portland State University, and author, America's Political Class Under Fire: The 20th Century's Great Culture War."...A lively story with plenty of lessons for today about the difficulty of legislating morality and the legal snarls that arise when technology (wiretapping in this case) outruns legal precedent ... Historians, law enforcement scholars, and Seattle residents will all find Whispering Wires a fascinating addition to their libraries." - Carl Abbott, Ph.D., Professor of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University "Metcalfe succeeds brilliantly in evoking the personalities of bootleggers and rumrunners and the local and federal officials who pursued them ... a must read for anyone who wants to understand the triumphs and tragedies of these complex lives." - Nancy Bristow, Ph.D., Professor of History, University of Puget Sound "...One of the most engaging stories yet of America's 'Noble Experiment' of alcohol prohibition ... well-researched and well-written history, but also a highly entertaining tale of one of the most fascinating periods in American history." - William L. White, Author, Slaying the Dragon: The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America

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