The state was legally dry, and sheriffs could take money to look the other way. I remember going to a wedding in Greenwood, MS. I was directed to an old fashioned gas station, and told to ask about buying some bourbon. The old guy said, sure son, what do you need. He pulled open a door behind the counter, and I could see the whole back room was racks of booze. The federal tax was paid in LA, the sheriff took his payment, and everyone was happy. We ate fried fish and partied that night in an old fashioned speak easy on the "other side of town."