Bootlegger

(Names have been changed, RHB)

Bootlegger

Ron Hendrick who lives on Halsey Avenue was a well-known bootlegger, selling moonshine, and he was extremely hard to catch. So I made up my mind I was going to catch him. So I observed - I parked a cruiser, an unmarked cruiser, off in the distance where I could see the house - and watched the house for a while. 

And a cab would come in and people would get out, go back to the cab in a short amount of time and pull out. So, the second or third cab, I knew the guy that was in the car, in the cab, so I stopped the cab, questioned the guy in the back, and he said, yeah, he’d bought liquor there, just now, that he ought to turn Ron in because the last liquor he’d bought there made him real sick. So, I got enough information to get a search warrant. Search warrants are very hard to get. 

So, the guy’d told me, says he’s got the moonshine hid in a half a gallon jar behind a broom sittin’ near the refrigerator in the kitchen. So, we looked everywhere before I went to that broom because I didn’t want the guy to deduct it, that somebody had told me where he kept his moonshine. He’d identify that guy and he’s liable to give him a hard time because he was a pretty notorious person. So, I looked behind the broom at that point and didn’t see it. I said oh no … then I got the broom, pulled it out and there sat a half-gallon of moonshine. So, we arrested Ron for selling un-taxed liquor. And, had put the evidence in the evidence room. 

Well, before trial come, the evidence room was cleaned out, and not knowing that case had not been to trial, my evidence was poured out. But, it wasn’t two months later Ron died. But, I was devastated when I found out they’d poured my evidence out. I was the only one who’d ever gotten enough information to get a search warrant and find anything there.

His son, Matt Hendrick, used to be a moonshine runner. And Matt was traveling in a ’58 Chevrolet convertible one night. I was parked on Tusculum Boulevard in a ’65 Ford, hot as a fire-cracker. And, Matt come through and I saw him in my headlights, and he was loaded, sittin’ down heavy in the back. So, I pulled out after him and Matt took off. And, he took chances that I couldn’t take. 

Finally, he went over to turn right on Taylor Lane, went up toward the Foundry, and he was going so fast he was bottoming out, he’d go up to here and come down and sparks would fly from under the car. And I thought well this is too wild for me, so I backed off and went and got a warrant for him for reckless driving. And, I was waiting for him to come home, sitting up the street a little bit. He come home, why I called for back-up. 

We went in to serve the warrant, and I told them to wait until I got behind the house and knock on the door. And they knocked on the door and I saw Matt come easing out the back door and went in a cellar, a trap door in a floor. He pulled it down and it had a little hole in it. And, uh, I went in the back door and said, Matt come out. Well, he had his finger stuck up through that little hole holding the door down. So, I put some pressure on that finger with my foot and he turned it loose. And we got him in the police headquarters and I was questioning him, “Matt you got another load by me didn’t you?” He grinned real big. And, he later was involved in a wreck and, did a lot of brain damage. 

He was fast, a good driver, but too fast and wild, and he started burglarizing places. To start with he had a beautiful wife and fine family and he just let that go and become a thug. But after he had his wreck and brain damage and started burglarizing places and you could always get a confession out of him if you’d say “Matt, that was the slickest job I ever saw. That’s the slickest job you’ve ever done.” And he’d light up and say yeah that was pretty slick wasn’t it. And we’d discuss it a while, and then I’d get my confession and go to court. 

And, the last time I saw Matt and talk to him was at the White Store. It was Christmas, and he asked me if I could give him some money, so I gave him $5.00, and he almost went into tears and said, “you’d do that for me?” I said yeah, Matt, you’re alright. And, he, he never did quit his criminal ways. I’m not sure if he’s dead or still alive.