According to stories of fishermen and yachtsmen, “rum-runners” are plying a regular trade between the Vineyard and the mainland. Island fishermen go so far as to give the name of the boat, whose home port is not known, which they say is engaged in the illicit traffic and has been seen repeatedly under suspicious circumstances.

Summer residents on the sound side of the island tell of hearing whistles coming in irregular sequence after dark, as if signaling were going on. Old timers cannot remember anything of this nature before, and they infer that the signaling has to do with the moonshine business. If the nocturnal tootings are correctly designated, it would seem that something larger than catboats or motor craft must trade.