Rafer Dooley

Before Prohibition, robbery, gambling, extortion, rackets, and pimping were the chief criminal trades. But none of them had as much potential as bootlegging, which is why most of the underworld wanted to get involved in the production and sale of liquor during Prohibition. The cities were where the biggest bootleg operations were. Rival gangs fought over territory in which to distribute the illegal beverage. Expanding the business was a matter of "rubbing out" the boss of the rival gang. In the following selection, up-andcoming hood "Barefoot" Rafer Dooley recalls how dangerous it was in the big cities. Although it seemed like a romantic lifestyle, it was also a dangerous one for anybody who showed weakness.

Icome from Tennessee. I run away from home with my older brother Ben. My folks were ignorant, illiterate hillbillies, but they tried to push...