The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-02-06
SPECTACULAR ARREST or MOON.
SINNERS OVER IN PUTNAM

Diiuu anu White mOOnSnIu6TS no
more than negroes fail to escape the
penalty of the law.
/ So far as our information extends
Pntnam is the only county in the
state where these distilling outfits
operated by others than negroes have
not been successfully '.camoflauged. .
The PaIatka Times-EeraId gives the
following graphic account of the
arrest Of two popular young men,
supposed to have been engaged in
"moonshining:
Zone of the most important arrests
ever made in this section for moon.
shining" was recorded this week WREN
Sheriff Hagan succeeded in bringing
to justice Tom Blount and Mead
Blount, two well known and popular
young men of the WeIaka section, as
alleged "moonshiners.
1.-THE Blounts had been suspected
of violating the prohibition laws, and
had been watched for the past four
months by Sheriff Hagan. However,
| it was difficult to secure sufficient ev-
idence to warrant an arrest. The
Sheriff, however, carefully laid his
plans and awaited his opportunity,
which came when the Blounts began
making daily autoing trips to Jack
sonville-it later developing that each
trip meant an auto load of booze, ;"
which was sold at high price to par.
ties in Jacksonville.
Last Tuesday night the Sheriff
took his two detuties, officer Cannon
and Baker, to Dunn's Creek to guard
the bridge and arrest the Blounts
when they crossed with their load of
"moonshine" About o'clock Wed.
nesday morning the Blount boys
drove up and were about to stop to
pay the usual toll, when they saw the
officers. Immediately they put on full
speed and their big Studebaked car
was soon making sixty miles or more.
Sheriff Hagan was notified by phone
of the getaway. Knowing the route
the Blounts would take, Mr.. Hagan
'phoned deputy Green, at Hastings,
and the officers in Jacksonville to be
on the look out for the men, He then
got his car and went to East Palatka,
arriving there in time to see the
Blount car dash down the brick road
at 70-mile rate of speed The sheriff
continued on to Dunn's Creek, picked
up the deputies, and then went two
miles north of Welaka.
They arrived at the house about
break of day. and noticed fire near
the river They met Fir. Arid, bro.
ther-in-law of the BIounts, and asked
him the cause of the fire He replied
that the pumping house had burned
Not satisfied, however, the sheriff
went down to the burning building
and saw something like % barrels Of
corn mash and part of the still there.
He also found several jugs, kegs and
bottles floating down the river After
fully convincing themselves of the
real cause of the fire, the party start
ed for Palatka
In the meantime Mrs. Hagan had
phoned Mr. Owen at Satsuma to stop,
the sheriff as he passed as she had
just received a message from dep
uty Green at Hastings calling for the
sheriff Immediately to go to Hastings.
The party then started for Hastings
at increased speed. At Orange Mills
they found the wrecked car of the
Blounts in ditch by the side of the
road. Officer Cannon remained with
the car to see about its load of booze,
while sheriff Hagan continued on to
Hastings, where he secured the Blount
boys; Mead Blount being severely in
jured when the car left the road and
turned turtle.
Leaving with the prisoners. sher-
if Hagan and deputy Green returned
to the wrecked auto and picked up.
deputy Cannon, who had located
about thirty gallons of booze. Then
the party returned Palatka, where
the prisoners were placed in jail; and
the injuries of young Blount were
given medical attention.
"The case was tried before county
nudge Calnol1n Wednesday, aftnruaou
at 3 o'clock. The two men pied guilty,
and each was fined $500 and costs
of the court. s265O. The fines were
paid promptly-in fact. it was stated
that they had friends who stood ready
to pay regardless of the amount as
sessed.
1T was reported at Hastings that
Tom Blount called his wife over the