Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-01-13
MISSISSIPPI is VERY DRY.
Prohibition Ahead In a War of Wits
With the Thirsty.


With the Thirsty.
The whisky fight along the river
boundary between Mississippi and
Louisiana is as fierce as ever and con-
tinues to claim it's quota of victims
The latest Is Frederick Bunster, who
was drowned last week while crossing
the Mississippi river in a barge from
Vicksburg to De Soto Island to get a
drink. De Soto Island is the last
stronghold of whisky on the Mississip-
pi line and is furnishing drinks for the
thirsty population of Mississippi for
fifty miles up and down the river
Vicksburg, Warren county, and
Natchez, Adams county, were the last
two counties in Mississippi to remain
wet. A large majority of the voters
in both counties favored license and 1t
was found impossible to vote them
down. UP to a few years ago county
local option prevailed in Mississippi.
One by one seventy counties voted for
prohibition and closed up their saloons.
Four remained obstinate, two on the
gulf coast tributary to New Orleans
and two on the Mississippi river.
Again and again attempts had been
made to convert this wet territory. The
Prohibitionists, who were in a large
majority in Mississippi, insisted that
vigorous action should be taken In
dealing with these obstinate counties
and proposed statewide prohibition
This was opposed for some years be-
cause it was feared that it would force
the liquor issue into state politics and
divide the Democracy. Finally II
Prohibitionists could endure no longer
the sight of the Vicksburg and Natche2
saloons. They dropped local option
and passed a statewide prohibition
law, closing the Vicksburg and Natchez
saloons.
Ever since this was done war OF
wits has been going on over the liquor
traffic. Locker clubs started up where
drinks could be had, but they were soon
closed. Then came soft drink estab-
lishments. The authorities declared
that these were mere blinds, hard
drinks being mixed with soft ones
Moreover a man could become intox-
icated with the soft drinks, containing
as they did per cent Of alcohol, If he
could consume several gallons OF the
stuff. The soft drink establishments
were closed.
Then the fight was transferred to
the express companies. jug houses
which furnished whisky by the jug OF
barrel sprang up in Louisiana, mainly
in New Orleans, which made special
ty of shipping whisky by the jug to
Mississippi. There are eighty or more
of these houses in New Orleans and
they have done a big business. Lat
terly the Mississippi authorities have
made it as hot as possible for the jug
gers" and the packages usually go in
boxes without the slightest indication
of what the boxes contain.
Some of the express companies be-
ing unwilling to cater to the whisky
business telephone and express COM
panies were established to handle IT
Thus the citizens of Matches who
wanted a drink had only to telegraph
to Ordalia, La. and the Louisiana and
Mississippi Express company, whicn
operated between these two towns op-
posite each other on the Mississippi
river, at once forwarded the liquor
But every one Of these schemes was
met by the authorities, and although
there Is still a great deal of whisky
going into prohibition Mississippi the
shipments have been made more diff
cult and the amount Of liquor con-
sumed is growing steadily less.
It is natural that the liquor men
should use the river to carry on the
business, especially as the population
is much denser on the river than back
of it. The Mississippi has been USED
for years for the purpose.
When prohibition first came into eX-
istence in Mississippi the bars Of the
river steamboats, did an immense busi-
ness, but the time between drinks was
long under this plan. The whisky fleet
then sprang into existence. The fleet
steamed up and down the river, an
choring in midstream opposite some
dry county of Mississippi or Arkansas.
Skiffs and boats of various kinds could
then be seen putting out to the whisky
fleet from every point on the river
bank.
There was a glorious drunk on the
boats and when they pulled out later
scores of them loaded with drunken
men and jugs Of whisky pulled to the
shore. The fleet was thoroughly de-
moralizng to labor wherever it went
and drew down on itself the vigorous
opposition of all the authorities.
The whisky fleet is no more, or
rather it is now anchored or stranded
at De Soto Island, opposite Vicksburg.
The vessels have anchored permanent
" and now compel the Mississippians
who want a drink 10 come to them.
Twenty five boats are at De Soto Is
land, a sandbar in the centre of the
Mississippi river which might be called
Whisky Island or Grant Island, for it
is one of rhe products of Gen. Grant, :
campaign agains: Tioksburg.
The Confederate batteries at Vicks-
burg kept vessels from ascending or
descending the river. Grant sought to
avoid these batteries by cutting ca
nal across the Louisiana point Oppo-
site the town so that vessels could go
around Vicksburg. His canal proved
a failure, but thirteen years afterward.
in 1876, the river forced it's way
through the old canal and completely
changed it's course, leaving Vicksburg
an inland town, and among other
things creating De Soto Island.
1t is here, in Madison parish, Louis
lana, that the Vicksburg saloons have
made their last stand against prohibi-
ton. There are twenty-four of them