Prohibition and 3.2

During the prohibition years, the people, of Aroostook County, never at a loss for ingenuity, came up with their own brew--3.2. A very mild form of home brewed alcohol, it required more consumption to achieve the same results as the stronger stuff. It was, of course, cheaper and therefore more available. Many of the Indians who came over from New Brunswick to pick potatoes were hooked on it, and spent much of their hard earned money getting 'plastered' instead of buying food.

The Indians were not alone. Two people I knew very well were very much affected by it. One was Tillie's step-father, and the other was Jud who lived in a very small cottage on the hill, across from Frank and Betty's future home.

Tillie's step-father , Totter, was a large, beer-bellied, jovial man--when he was sober-- most of the time. When he was 'under the effects', as they used to say, he changed into a woman-battering, ugly person to avoid if you valued your life. I hadn't known this until Tillie came to our door late one evening, asking if she could stay overnight with me. She had returned home from a movie late, Totter was drunk, and Tillie's mother and sisters had retreated to the cellar while Totter rampaged, so in desperation she came to us. She begged me not to "say anything" to anyone as her folks would be too embarrassed. The next day she returned home, and life went on as usual--until the next time. But we became her refuge. Her mother and sisters used the cellar, which had a lock on the door.

Jud was the opposite of Totter. A small, wizened little man, he kept mostly to himself. I don't know what he did for work, but he apparently got paid on Saturday, for that was his day to get 'plastered'. He would go into town, get his 3.2, and then stagger home late in the evening. Sometimes he made it home, but often he didn't quite make it. He would get to the intersection across from Pansy's house (she was my piano teacher) and decide to lie down on the grassy mound on the corner. There he would sing Irish songs or just lie there and snore until morning. It was directly in our path home when Tillie and I went to a movie, and we were so used to his doing this we actually thought he was funny. I would report to dad that Jud was on the corner again, and dad would go and take Jud home.

At home I was carefully warned against the effects of alcohol--along with all the many warnings I received about the effects of tobacco, drugs, and even coffee . The only coffee I drank before the age of fourteen was the cup I sneaked at the church suppers. (Today I heard on the medical news that a cup of coffee a day is good for your heart! Who knew?) Anyway, Totter and Jud were the perfect 'show and tell' for keeping on the 'straight and narrow.'