Whispering Wires

Whispering Wires; The Tragic Tale of an American Bootlegger, Philip Metcalfe, Portland, OR, 2007, Inkwater Press


Prohibition is an era cloaked in mystery to most Americans. The utterance of the word calls to mind the squealing tires of high-powered cars driven by bootleggers, Thompson machine guns, and gangsters like Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, and John Dillinger. Coincidentally, the majority of Prohibition stories as related in popular media through movies and television surround events in New York and Chicago.

Philip Metcalfe has given us a look at Prohibition on the West Coast. His book Whispering Wires tells the intriguing tale of Seattle, Washington bootlegger Roy Olmstead, the Seattle politicians and law enforcement officials who protected him, and the Federal officials who ended his career as a bootlegger.

Metcalfe begins his tale with the tail end of Olmstead’s career as a policeman. He explains how rampant graft and corruption pervaded the entire Seattle police force and later was used by Olmstead to ensure the continued flow of alcohol from Canada into Seattle and various other outlets in Washington and Oregon.

All goes relatively smoothly until Federal Assistant Prohibition Director William Whitney gets involved. Whitney is certainly no angel. Abundant evidence is presented that he fabricated and planted evidence, used excessive force, and in other ways used illegal methods to pursue the numerous bootleggers in Seattle.

For a while Olmstead is able to use his connections in the Seattle government and police force to stave off Whitney. It is only after Al Hubbard, one of Olmstead’s trusted confidants, becomes an undercover Federal agent that Whitney is able to put an end to the Olmstead ring.

Along the way the case became the first to present evidence based on wiretaps. It was a new technology and a new means of investigation so there was some question as to the legality of this method. With support from a key judge Whitney and his cohorts manage to use this new technology in their efforts and usher in a new era in law enforcement.

Metcalfe uses a variety of documents to tell the story. Through a succession of anecdotes he tells a good story in a fascinating way. He manages to draw together a wealth of information, draw it together into a coherent tale while retaining the readers’ interest with fascinating anecdotes that give a picture of life in Seattle under Prohibition.

He also draws attention to the “bizarre moral algebra” presented by corrupt police departments attempting to enforce laws their superiors do not believe in.

Whispering Wires is a great read whether you are a fan of true crime novels, gangster stories, or history. It is a book with something fascinating on every page.

You can purchase a copy from http://www.inkwaterpress.com/whisperingwires/