The Parker post., 1918-06-08
BOOTLEGGERS
ARE CAPTURED

The bootlegging business at Blythe
and Blythe junction suffered an aw-
full blow last Saturday when officers
took into custody "Goldie'' Joe Will
liams, "Wingie" H. A. Smith and E.
H. 'Whitey' Engen, as they were
transporting a cargo of contraband
booze toward Blythe Junction.
The arrests were made by Deputy
Sheriff Manuel Joseph of San Ber-
nardino and Deputy Sheriff Jerome
Booth of Needles. Joseph had been
in town several days, quietly sizing
up the situation, and Saturday short
ly after noon left the city just ahead
OF the bootleg special" His party
journeyed out on the Parker road
about 40 miles, where the highway
leads up through narrow canyon, a
short distance this side of the D. &
w. mine. Here they waited for the
boOtleggers, who were not long in
showing up in Williams powerful
Hudson super six, which was loaded
to the guards with couple of thous-
and dollars worth of booze, bootleg
prices. The bootleg party ran square
into the trap prepared for them, and
had no chance to escape
Guess I'm up against it," exclaim-
ed "Goldie. -
, Il guess you are, was Manuel
JOseph's rejoinder as he proceeded
TO take possession of the car and car
go, and placed 'Goldie" and Wing
lie" under arrest. No resistance was
offered. The two men were brought
here and lodged in the rat-trap, and
the officers again turned toward the
south, reaching Blythe Junction late
at night. Here it is said practically
the entire population was enjoying a
drunken orgy, which was disturbed
by the rude invasion of the law. The
officers were not long in taking
Whitley" Engen into custody. En-
gen formerly lived at Parker. where
he is said to have an unsavory repu-
tation. Smith and Engen are alleged
TO have been engaged in the illegiti-
mate liquor traffic at the junction,
while Williams is said to operate at
Blythe.
Blythe Junction for years has been
black spot on the border between
San Bernardino and Riverside coun-
ties. For years crime reigned una
bated in this No Mans Land, for this
particular place was located on a
strip of disputed territory. Finally,
about a year ago, Riverside, to set
tie the controversy, donated the land
in dispute to San BernardinO county.
A few years ago nearly every per-
son in the camp was arrested, but
were released by authorities of this
county for lack of Jurisdiction.
Blythe Junction is located in one
OF the most uninviting spots in the
southwest, at point on the Parker
cutoff line of the Santa Fe to Phoe-
nix. 1t is surrounded on one side by
an ancient lava bed and on the other
by veritable ocean of shifting sand.
It's mute past could reveal many a
tale of crime that would make the
blood of a tenderfOot run cold.
"Wingie" Smith is alleged to have
carried on his bootleg business for a
number of years, and claimed to have
protection" in the sheriff's office
His protection in this instance did
not materialize, for Sheriff McMinn
guarded closely the proposed raid.
Deputy Sheriff Joseph with Herb
Austin at the wheel, took the car and
booze into San Bernardino Sunday
evening, the car becoming the prop
Ierty of the county under it's strict
bone-dry law. Sheriff J. L. McMinn
came out Sunday and returned with
the prisoners Monday Mug
get, 31st uIt.
nAnnvnrvr, xx,o~xx