The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-05-19
WHOLESALE RAID
ON wide OPEN" /.
ALABAMA TOWN
Thousands Of Dollars Worth
Of Liquor Confiscated By
State Law Officers.
GIRARD WAS REFUGE
OF GEORGIA DEALERS
Military Called In to Aid In
Guarding Seized Stock.
Local Officials Had Failed to
Enforce State Law.

Columbus, Ga, May 1s.--The mill
tary last night took charge of the stu
alton In Girard, Ala. where special
! deputies under NJ. s. Baughan, of At
ianta, special law agent for the at
torney-seneral Of Alabama, on We'd
nesday ratded twelve places and con-
fiscated many thousands of dollars
worth Of liquor held in violation OF
the Alabama prohibition laws. Cap
tain Dallas Smith. of Company /. sec
ond regiment, National Guard of Ala
bama. from Opelika, issued an order
placing the military in control at
$3.50 O'Clock last night
Militia On Scene.
| The Opelika company, numbering
seventy men, arrived at Girarl late
yesterday afternoon and began patrol
ing the streets They were assisted by
10b special deputies from Montgomery.
| Mobile, Birmingham, Girard and
Phoenix City, Ala, and Columbus and
Atlanta, Ga
Five freight cars were ordered by
Special Agent Baughan to carry the
confiscated liquor to some unnamed
destination, proba bly, Opel'xa. Mont
gomery or Union Springs
Word that Governor Henderson. now
at Birmingham, had declared that the
confiscated liquor could not be re-
moved from the houses In which 1t
was found without n court order met
tho response from Baughau that he
Intended moving II unless prevented
b yam injunction or other court or
der.
The raids which began at S o'clock
yesterday morning after a special
train carrying twenty-five deputies ar
rived from Montgomery. were re-
sumed this morning, and will probab-
ly continue for q week, according to
Mr.. Baughan.
Whenever contraband liquor was
found a guard of five men was left
to prevent it's being carried away 1t
was said that detectives have been
working In Girard for some time, and
that the attorney-generars men had
In Information which made much OF their
work comparatively easy.
Girard Is town Of 5000 popula-
ton, and when the crowds that filled
the streets interfered somewhat with
the raiders. the guardsmen were
brought in to assist in keeping order
and guarding the confiscated liquor.
Two other companies at Montgomery.
one at Union Springs and another at
Troy, also were ordered ready TOR
service. according to Baughan.
The raiders arrived at Cirard at
$40 O'Clock Wednesday morning and
remained in seclusion until 8 o'clock,
when they suddenly swooped down on
the suspected places Other deputies
arrived during the day. Under the
Alabama law. such raids may be made
between the hours Of 8 M. and
p. NJ The Mayor appointed several
policemen and ordered them to pro-
tect the property Of Gtrard citizens
Special Agent Baughan ordered his
men to arrest any one interfering with
them.
1t is believed that large quantity
of whiskey has been disposed OF dur
ing the past few days.
Three hundred barrels OF whiskey
were found and seized in one place in
lower Girard. In a farmhouse five
miles from Grard a stock OF liquor,
estimated by Baughan to be worth
$50, 900, was seized. Two men guard
ing tie liquor attempted to draw
pistols. but were disarmed by the
deputies. They were released. but
later eBauShan ordered their arrest.
A Widc-Open Town.
Girard has heen known as a wide
OPEN town. despite Alabama's pro-
hibition laws, which are very string
ent. 1t IL said that many thousands
of dollars worth of liquor, some plac-
ing the amount as nigh as $4,000
was carried across the State line when
Georxia's prohibition laws became ef-
fective, May I.
Following complaints made to State
ofYlcials, according to reports, the Of
ficials OF Russell County. in which
Girard Is located, were notified that
Girard must be CLEANED up" The Of
ffcers, 1t liz said, either were unable or
unwilling to do so. and the Attorney |
General. who Il armed with wide
powers under the prohibition laws, de-
cided to take hano |