Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1919-04-11
FRIDAY. APRIL IL, 1919
FISHERS HILL TRAGEDY.

The Fishers Hill tragedy still
continues to be a subject of COM
ment in papers, both within and
without the State. The guilt or
Innocence OF the officers will be
investigated BY the courts.
The crux Of the unfortunate
affair is whether the bootleggers
shot first, or whether the officers
opened the battle, and whether
after the summons to surrender
the resistance was such as to en-
danger the lives of the officers.
TIL obtain convincing evidence
as to the true conditions will be
difficult. Other questions, and
other issues will be forced INFO
this trial. The prohibition law
will be violently assaulted and
every thing possible to arouse a
sentiment against that law will
be done.
The resistance of tine law has
caused drastic measures to be III
augurated.
On Que side. is the State Of
Virginia determined to cnfo, &C
its laws on tile other, is a nun
Der of outlaws, who in order to
make money, have set the laws at
defiance and offer armed resist
ance to their executions. TO ell
force tile laws. the civil officers
have proved inadeluat for it
is a we'll known fact that car
after car loaded with wlliskey, in
violation Of law, has passed
through this Valley. 1t is also
known that certain parties have
brought loads to this town, that
the liquor has been concealed uu-
til sold, and the guilty persons,
whose names are known, have
not been arrested. While this is,
to some extent a matter of Sus-
picion. very few persons doubt
the correctness Of the susp. Clons,
and the names of the suspected
parties are often mentioned. The
evidence is not sufficient to ena.
be the officers to arrest them
aud have small fines imposed up.
on them. The penalty for VIC.
1ation of the law is not sufficient.
1t seems foolish for lawless boot
leggers WHO coue into a county,
fully armed, in violation Of law,
to resist the officers of the law,
to be subjected to a fine that is
scarcely one-ffth the profits on a
single car of whiskey.
The great question at issue is
Shall the State Of Virginia en-
force it's laws by such means as
tile lawless set OF whiSkey i'm
p0rters renders necessary
These gangs have determined
te set at naught the laws Of the
State by armed resistance. Shall
this great commonwealth cover
before the law breakers support
ed by the wlliskey interests :?
Shall she be forced to repeal the
laws enacted for the protection
of every man, woman and child
in her charge ? In this contest,
what is the position of every
true, law-abiding citizen Of the
State ? Shall we support the
State, or support the gang Of
outlaws WHO set the la VS. enacted
for our protection at naught
While there is said to be a
division of sentiment, we cannot
believe that the good citizens of
the State will arrav themselves
against the State and take sides
with the whiskey interests that
ae IN aking a dying effort to
continue a business that has
caused murders without number
and the impoverisllment of
thousands of innocent women
and children.
Let the la VS. be rigjdl5 enferc-
ed, peaceably if possible, and if
these measures are not possible,
by such means as tile whiekey
Coubinati renders necessary.
Army officers in Washington
received a hard jolt when the