The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-01-27
WHY DID LANGFORD
WANT TO RIDE?

Manning Roberts, in whose car
Clarence Langford appeared at the
railroad restaurant Saturday night,
says that LangfOrd came to him at
the union station a few minutes after
II o'clock, as he and other taxi
drivers waited for Sunny jim. Lang
ford asked where another driver was,
and on being told he wasn't there
said, 81 want to ride"
"Well," said Roberts. "have you any
money!"
"Plenty of it," said Langford.
Roberts told Langford he could ride
in his car, and at Langford's request
took him out to Perry Edwards place
some miles from town. Langford
went in, stayed several minutes and
when he came out Roberts brought
him back to town, going down to the
union station. where they were seen,
as related by the Star, about mid
night. Two or three boys went out
to Edwards place with them. Roberts,
however, says the Star erred in saying
Earl McRae was in the party.
The question is, what did Langford
go out to Perry Edwards place for?
Perry Edwards is a colored man.,
who has made a good reputation and a
good living farming. Why does a
young man of Clarence Langford's
reputation go to his house at mid
night?
Why is it that high-powered auto
mobiles so often traverse the five
miles of rough road that lie between
the city and Perry Edwards home?
There have been many reports re-
Gently that Perry Edwards. famous as
a cook and a raiser of corn, has COM
bined the two talents in a way not
smiled on by Uncle Sam. There has
appeared on the market recently a
brand of moonshine that seems to
have been concocted by person who
is somewhat of an artist. Thatistosay,
you can drink it without holding your
nose.
We don't know, of course, that
Clarence Langford killed J. J. Guthrie
But if he did, or if he didn't, why did
he scoot so swiftly for Perry Edwards
place? Did his shaken nerves need a
bracer? Did any of the money taken
from Guthrie's pocket before his body
had begun to grow cold find it's way
into the pocket of Perry Edwards
These are things the officers of the
law should find out if it be humanity
possible to do it.
Hhe murder of Mr.. Guthrie should
Waken our county up to the evil OF
mConshine liquor. For if it hadn't
been for "shine" Guthrie would not
have been killed. The case has reekeC
with the stencil of moonshine at every
phase.
The people of Marion and every
other county in Florida make more OF
less of a joke of Shine" One reason
CT this is that they do not see any
where rear so much of it, nor it's eff
fects, as they did of legitimate liquor
when the saloons were open. Blu
what there is of it is far more deadly
than the booze that was sold over tn.
bar.
What should we do? Reopen tn,
saloons? We can't do it, and if w,
did it would be swapping a witch 70,
the entire old devil?
All we need to do is to awaken tn,
public conscience. If it doesn't wake
its sin be on its own head
Moonshine whisky is one of tn
worst of poisons. We have lived il
what was considered the paradise o
moonshiners, and we know for
fact that no moonshiner would drinl
his own brew if he could buy even tn
worst of liquor from a licensed still
1t ruins the stomach; it first democrat
ICES and finally paralyzes the brain
You can see its effects here in tn
few men who, thanks to the he-Borgia
that secretly sell the stuff, have be
come chronic drinkers of it. TAX
an old soak who has been drinking
ever since he was old enough to vote
and it makes little difference He Wi
die soon anyhow. and if he can fac
the idea of disgrace to his family. an
his own tortured brain writhing ami
the fiery serpents of a drunkard'