The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1918-03-29
BOOZE PEDDLERS
become DANGEROUS
Practice OF Gangs Make
Arrests Hazardous
For Officers.
Commercial AppeaD

Commercial AppeaD
Hunting Memphis booze smugglers
is becoming even more thrilling than
mailing the bucolle moonshiner in his
mountain lair. The odds that there
will be lot OF action and that a
quantity of hot lead will be spilled
are much in favor of the local ven
ture.
Time was, a year ago, when boot
leggers or the runners who bring
booze in to them from points in wet
states, never dreamed of showing
fight. All that is changed now. for
from the revolvers with which they
were armed year ago the United
States marshals now have graduated
automatic shotguns and far-shoot-
o. ing heavy caliber rifles. And they
have been forced to 1t in defense of
their lives.
Gradually, week by week, the gang
Acrs who sell booze have become
more dangerous. Perhaps IL is a psy-
Geological change due to their con-
slant infraction of the law, to asso-
citation with the class of dare-devils
involved in the nefarious traffic. To
the fact that frequently when caught
the booze-runners are half wild from
copious use of their own bottled
goods.
Another thing has made the work
of the rum raiders more precarious.
OF the booze-running gangs, two
are especially dangerous. About
year ago one OF these outfits ceased
buying shorty" with the incident
trouble and risk of getting it into
Memphis. and started taking It away
from others about the time they got
IL here.
Two notable instances when this
gang impersonated United States
marshals and bagged large quantities
of booze have become known, besides
countless incidents in which a single
automobile load Of booze has been
taken from more peaceful logger. '
Last fall a smuggler, well-Enown
about the poolrooms. undertook To
run the lines with a boatload Of odd
Prentiss." and had it on the river
bank below Memphis one night. when
the pseudo raiders rushed the camp.
fNing the night air with shots and
yells in which the pames of various
deputies of Marshal Trezevant's staff
figured strongly. The real owners
of the whisky fled panic-stricken and
% holder spirits took the shipment,
35 cases in all, away at their leisure,
TO peddle it to the trade
Another night more recently %
suitcases of liquor were taken from
an Illinois Central passenger train be-
tween the Poplar Stree station and
under the noses of policemen by per-
sons claiming to be United States
marshals. The booze never got to
the custom house, however and Mar
shall Irrelevant was much mystified
by the occurrence. A rigid search,
however, (failed to disclose their
identity.
And so il is that smugglers who
go to Cairo Charlottesville or Paducah
for their supplies have come to in
clude firearms in their wardrobe. The
raiders rarely are able to take the
booze runners now without more or
less shooting. Patrolman Broad
foot was killed trying to take a
negro on suspicion that he was
Spotlegger. United States marshals
have had narrow escapes in two in
stances recently on the Macon Road.
One night last week the report be-
came current about town near mid
night that Chief Deputy Marshal
smith and c. S. RUTLAND had been
killed i'm Nonconnah bottoms. More
than SO telephone calls were received
by The Commercial Appeal about the
matter. II was but a rumor of
course. but it indicates the belief
current in Memphis night-life that
hunting bootleggers is not without
fits risk.
That same night a notorious oper-
ator. in local booze channels slipped
through the Gordon of raiders with a
boatload of whiskey from Caruthers-
Vile, it was reported the next day.
There were 200 cases in the lot 1t
seemed. And SO South Memphis,
which for two nights was like Sahara,
has shortly again.
M Mil NWry