The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-08-11

buDDOScu W uaNC n JllotHh Sato
hole and to have ..bsen Immediately
shot in the eye and killed. Right
afterward the good geople Of Jackson
burned down the shacks, and there
have not been any trough blind tigers
since the Pickett murder.
There is much to keep the officers
of the law busy:in a prohibition city.
Early in June last there were thirty
five arrests in one day in Jackson. A
report made June 9th shows that the
Jackson police made S62 arrests dur
ing less than half of the year. This
was said to be a record-breaker, with
the busy season yet to come. At this
rate il Is calculated in Jackson that
there will be a total of 1900 arrests for
the year. The high record in the past
has been l,400.
Six Vicksburg men went to Jack
son, and finding it necessary to spend
the night in the latter city, decided
to get up a poker game. They were
of the belief that without drinkables
there could be no real poker party.
They interviewed the powers that be
in the hotel as to the securing of wet"
supplies. Sure, We kin get it fer you,
boss, and in thirty minutes too" But
we wish one hundred and forty four
bottles of beer. Where can you get
that amountof beer in Jackson in. 81
minutes? Leave it to me boss" said
the factotum. Within the time limit
through the lobby of the Hotel
came two negroes bearing OF their
shoulders two gunny sacks filled with
rafting bottles. The travelling men
and other hotel guests were much
amused.
The writer was dining with Mayor
CroWder one evening and asked him
p~ointblank, with the license of an old
friend, if hereally believed he, the city
officials, etc., and the Law Enforce
ment League had closed up the blind
tigers of the city. Mayor Crowder
was firm III his statements that whis-
key couldn't easily be bought in Jack
son, mol beer either-when the writer
at that moment had in his pocket the
Photographic films of twelve blind
tigers which be had tested that very
afternoon. Another friend contra
dicted the mayor, and said to the wri-
ter, II will come to your hotel in the
morning and take you to any number
of places within one hundred and fifty
to two hundred and fifty yards of that
hotel where We can buy anything we
wish"
The mayor made a wager that this
couldn't be done. 1t wasn't done, as
the keepers of all the places visited
recognized the writer as the person
who had photographed their establish
ments the afternoon before, and only
let him have beer. On; the way back
to the hotel, the other friend said that
he would drop out at a certain place
and get the liquor. The friend did SO
and arrived at the hotel loaded with
wiskey and beer. When told where
the purchase had been made, the
mayor, who had convicted the pro.
prietor to remain away from Jackson,
sent the policeman to see what the
man meant by returning to the city.
But no such person as the man in
question was found at the place, 30 the
policeman reported!
AS Jackson has had the "dry" law
in effect for about fifteen or so years,
the peoples sentiment, so to speak,
has been better educated, and the pro-
bibition law in that city, it is only
fair to say, is better upheld than in
any other town or city in Georgia, Ala
bama, Mississippi, or the two Carroll
nos visited by the writer; but, unfortu
nately, that is not saying a great deal.
While the writer took no sides in this
matter, here Is the result of his find
ings in Jackson: That the only posi-
BILE thing that prohibition has accom-
plished there is the removal of the
mental suggestion to the man or youth
from the sight of an open bar. 1t has
to an extent removed temptation from
the weak, but as for preventing what
the law was passed 10 prevent, it is
perfectly absured to claim that it has
done anything of the sort. Now, to
offset this gain to the community,
there has been caused ceaseless strife
among differing friends, prohibition
has split communities up into fac
tions which denounce each other in
unme assured terms, ministers of the
gospel denounce, in the press and from
the pulpit, honest men who believe
that prohibition cannot prevent what
it was intended to prevent. In Jack.
son, as in other larger cities of the
''dry" belt, the prohibitionists have q
newspaper, the S%earchlight, which
in one of it's recent issues contains 9
number of not very temperate articles,
squibs and 81 on, regarding citizens OF
Jackson who do not agree with the