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RUM RUNNING
ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LAW by Hugh H. Corkum
The exciting personal story of a former rum-runner and flamboyant police chief. This book is about the personal experience of Hugh H. Corkum from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. He lived fully and dangerously. He was 15 and the family's bread-winner when he signed on with a notorious rum runner. For a wide-eyed boy - the strongest thing he drank was ginger ale - it was a stirring initiation under the captain who was mean, tricky, and really dirty when drinking. The ship was a hard-looking tub, sadly neglected, and the crew seemed to match.
The first stops were the taverns of St. Pierre and here we begin to learn that alcohol is not just the subject of the book, but an active character whose influence is felt everywhere. It is a world where "rum dumb" scared men rub shoulders with "respectable" family men, while gangster-style lookouts shine their binoculars with hundred-dollar bills. A touch cook, staring down the barrel of a gun, expressed this philosophy: "You only have to die once."
Ultimately, this book is about the reformation of one man's character. The author's police career - he quit running after 10 years and his third arrest - was an exercise in the careful handling of people, without backing down in tough confrontations. He saw action on both sides of the law and writes with a keen understanding of people, having seen them in the best and worst of lights.
Soft cover published by Lancelot Press first in 1989. This book is fifth printing 1990. Soft cover 169 pages.
Book # 6013 ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LAW by Hugh H. Corkum $12.95 plus $ 8.00 shipping within North America. Former owner’s name on first page. Shows minor shelf and handling wear.
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