Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1919-04-04
.PROHIRITIoNISTS SIDE
Blame "Wets" For Search of Coffin
at Roanoke Virginia

| |
J. Sidney Peters, Prohibition Com
missioner of Virginia, alleges tha
many CT the most notorious ":oia
t;cnc of the prohibit'n law h:,v
been my women, and The unusual par
of the affair is that me railroad
have allowed men to enter train an
tc DC the tnin..s complained Of with
oG5 asceltainlng that tEcv w1re to::
fide officers. Rev. NJ. Peters s0e
me- ag.ee that The men in his c:nplo.
nave lone the things complained Of
cut they have been active in mak.n.
life burden for tn" bottle GERS
male and female.
Within ;he last few weeks .,'an
known Virginia man was rcturnin:
frcrl visit North. and whcr hi
train entered Virginia he was awli
ened by officers, who demand'c ::
know if he had any liquor. This
gentleman is understood to hav: Fee
4 compliant with the officers BY
ing thai suct. conduct would t. IL y
brng the law and the department in
20 disrepute. DR.. Peters, on recc.v-
ing the complaint, at once admoTisEed
his men to De careful, to procee witt.
due regard - the law and to be a;
al! times courteous to persons who
were believed to have !iqurr: IN their
rn'1Ns.ou.
According to the prohibitionists.
several days ago some person played
joke on the Federal officers at
Roanoke, tipping them off that GER
tain coffin coming to that city might
contain liquor. The officer; obtain
ed warrant, according to the cur
rent story, and when the coffin
reached that city it was opened.
Only the remains Of a departed c!t,-
zen were found. That is one of the
cases that has come to the surface ir
the last week, the belief Being that
the liquor men and the bootlcggcrs
desired to humliate the officers.
Innumcrable cases Of women COM
ing to this city with water-bags
strapped to their bodies and con-
cca:ed :, lie. :'sir clot': rg nave been
reported. tie women y .c indignant
wien arrested. AS matter of fact,
ihcre are agents of the prohibition
department at several places where
liquor is sold who are tipping the
officers here. The prices obtained
ftr li1ucr furnish The motive for t'tn
v.clatiors. rut the losses of the boo
leggcrs in the .sst few weeks ha.c
consumes their ;.rofts many times.
GrerEyr I'avis as inforT,,! IL
PA.c.s That he "liicc:s in his depar:-
ment must enforce the law impair
TALLY in all cases; that they must not
exceed the bounds of propriety lest
they bring the law and the good
name of the State into disrepute, and
that in dealing with women they
must he tactful and considerate. The
Governor, however, insists that the
law must at all times be enforced.
Several months ago the officers Of
nne of the railroads entering here
refused to let recognized prohibition
officers enter the trains for the pnr
pose Of making search, and the mys-
ter; row is that Sr@h searches are
being permitted on trains by the all
road officials when they do M kn'w
who are the men making tho search.
Officers here are working witt care
and discretion, there being scw days
w;ier they do not go on the tr4'1S
and walk away with several suit
eases ard handbags containing liq-
uors, the owners refusing = lay
claim to them. Trunks, to, arr he
ing seized by the officers at the sta
t;ors ard there are few coEr.a'rt +,
bu: he officers occasionally make
mistakes in seiZing trunks,
Summed up, the whole cituatIon
i is this, according to the best infer
nation obtainable. The officers are
enforcing the law rigidly, theY are
making the delivery of liqnct diff
cult and costly, ard their activities
have 20 reduced the volume of brsi-
ress al:I the losses Of the boctIcggers
have been so heavy that thcy' are
sore DIR. Peters says there is &C be
no lc: up in the enforcement OF the
law. He has been directed to enforce
| il and ne proposes to carry out hi;
orders at all ilazards-Ba yn!"rr'