I can't be sure, but I think it might be a reference to the
Baumes Laws of
New York State in the late '20s making it illegal to possess
much of the
heavy artillery associated with gangsters. (I think it
eventually included
pistols as well.)
Whether a "Baumes Rush" meant cops planting a gun or pointing
a gun at
someone, I can only guess. (I'm not there in the novel yet,
but I hope to
read this one with all the rest of you.)
I'm not sure how much of "bum's rush" is available as a pun,
but I imagine
that's a part of the reference as well.
--Joe Kraus
Northwestern University
Dep't of English
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