Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1920-05-07
FOUR BROTHERS
ARE ARRESTED
Pressleys Are Gathered in BY
Officers in Spectacular Fashion.
Bill Smith and Ed. Adams
Again in Limelight.

In a spectacular raid last Sunday
morning, deputy sheriffs Sam Priveti
and Bert Shumate, assisted by county
policeman w. E. Tabor and j. A. To.
Dor, arrested three brothers, Joshua
Thomas and. Joe PRESLEY and their
nephew, Jim Presley, citizens of
Black Wolfe, w. Va, and captured
ut the same time twenty gallons of
moonshine liquor, which the brothers
and their nephew, and another broth
er who escaped. were transporting tn
Bill Smith, the well known Pocahon-
tas bootlegger, and blockade runner.
The arrests were effected in the
mountains of Abbs Valley, and were
carried out in typical detective style.
Officer Privett arrested Bill Smith
sometime ago, and demanded of him
the source of the liquor supply that
has worried the officers of Pocahon.
tas since the liberation of Ed. Adams
from the county road force. Smith
was persuaded to "squeal" and told
the officers where the liquor was com
ing from, who was bringing it to
town and the road they Travelled
smith had an appointment Satur-
day night to meet the PRESLEY broth
ers at lone spot in the mountains
OF Abbs Valley and receive the liquor
and pay them for it. The officers also
had been apprised by Smith of his
intentions, and made their way to
the point in the mountains where the
Pressleys would pass, and waited for
them. Soon Smith came along i'm his
car. He was arrested and held at n
safe distance. The two deputy sherifrs
and j. A. Tabor secreted themselves
at the end of u mountain path. and
waited until two o'clock in the morn
ing, when n rustling of the brush was
heard and soon five men on as MANY
horses made their appearance COM
ing down the mountain path, and
parting the brush and small trees as
they came. When they had gotten
within few feet of the officers they
sprang from behind tree and cover
ed them with their revolvers. One of
the PRESLEY brothers, said to have
been riding race horse, made his
escape, and another, Joshua, wheeled
his horse and started back up the
mountain, but bullet from Bert
Shumate's gun whistled by Joshua's
ear and he fell from his mount like
the bullet had pierced his vitals. They
were made safe for travel, the liquor
stored in car, and the journey to
Taewell was commenced, the outfit
arriving here about ten o'clock Sun
day morning. The brigade included
four good horses, three of which will
become the property of the State, as
the officers arrested three of the men
with liquor in sacks across the backs
Of tho animals. One horse carried
two five gallon kegs, the other two
horses the balance of the twenty gal
Ions. The men were placed in coun-
ty jail here and will be tried at this
term of court. The horses are in
charge of the Sheriff and will be sold
to the highest bidder
Bill Smith, referred to above, will
of course appear here this term Of
court as witness, in which role he
is an expert. He is also familiar with
acting the part of defendant in this
court. Ed. Adams. who was convicted
here recently and given term on the
county roads, and fined heavily, is
somewhere in West Virginia, and
stands a good chance of re-joining
Capt. Patterson's road force if he
returns to the jurisdiction of the old
Commonwealth. He is. charged with
transporting sixteen gallons of liquor
from Bluefield to Pocahontas in his
automobile.