The Washington herald., 1921-11-24
Records of Dry War Shat
tered by 4 Raids in Ar
lington County, Va.
HITS SOURCE OF
CAPITAL TRAFFIC
Constable of Miners Hill,
Near Alexandria, With
Prisoners Taken.

In Arlington County. Va, by Inter-
nal Revenue operatives yesterday.
resulting in the arrest Of fourteen
persons. the slight injury of two
of the officers, and the seizure of
nearly 10000 gallons of corn whisky
and mash, is believed to have cur
tailed one of the main sources of
the liquor traffic In this city.
The seizures at the four places
the Carter farm, about one mile
north OF Alexandria: the Isaac
Gardner residence. at Halls HILL
the Tucker farm, near East Falls
Church, and the Banton farm ad-
Joining the Tucker estate-netted
the largest amount of whisky and
mash ever taken in this section of
the country by one group of op-
eratives.
Among those arrested on a charge
of operating an Illicit still was
Unstable John +. Payne. AZ years
old, of Miners Hill, Va. the lessee
of the Tucker farm. who was In
the vicinity of the still at the time
the Federal agents arrived.
Thirteen Others Held.
Others arrested on charges of op-
Grating an Illicit still were:
Wexford Miller. IL years old, re-
siding at the Carter farm.
Lawrence Butler. colored. 81 years
old, of Penrose. Va.
c. F. Davis, 81 years old. and
Floyd Davis. 80 years old, both OF
Green Valley. Va.
TaI1 \
of Penrose, Va.
Norman Harrell. - years old, oi
Crowns Bend, Wa.
Harry f.. Payne. 3s years old, OF
Miners Hill, Va.
II. F. Burke. SO years old, OF
fuckers Farm, Va.
J. w. Banton. IS years old, OF
Miner esHill. Va.
Those arrested on charge O,
being In possession of still and
having mash prepared for distilla
tion were:
c. c. Clement, so years old: Leroy
Clement. so years old; II. Clement
% years old, and Isaac Gardner, rs
years old, all colored. of Hal
Hill, Va.
Overpowered in Fight,
Threats of gunplay and bodily in.
jury were made upon the Internal
Revenue peratives-Linton Evans
Milton Ecksten and R. F. Lipscomb
of the general prohibition forces
as they surrounded the home OF
Norman Harrell, on the Tucker
farm. who is charged with being
the operator of the 3O0-gallon still
Of ~ -.
other building on the premises, the
operatives say.
After surrounding the house anc
gaining entrance with drawn re.
volvers and army rifles, the agent.
and county authorities. who as,
sisted. proceeded to place Harrel
under arrest.
Officers Ecksten and lipscomb
the first to approach the man, were
struck with a blunt instrument ant
were bowled to the floor. Recov.
ering quickly, they, in compan,
with Officer Evans and some of tn,
deputies. overpowered the mar
after considerable struggle.
Having arrested the alleged op.
orator Of the still. the raidins
party, accompanied by their pris
oner, went to the nearby house il
the cellar of which the still ant
more than thirty barrels of masi
in the process of fermentation wer,
found.
Constable's Brother Taken.
Harry Payne, a brother to Con.
stable Payne, was engaged in tn,
actual operation of the huge steam.
a
the county officer, who was also
placed under arrest, was taken into
custody in the yard adjoining the
house in which the still was found
The Federal agents and their
deputies began the mammoth raid
shortly after noon yesterday, and
until a late hour last night were
busily engaged in conveying pris-
oners to the Arlington County Jail
at Clarendon, and destroying the
whisky and mash.
One of the principal difficulties
experienced by the raiders was the
speed with which they were forced
to operate, owing. to the fact that
the news of their activities spread
rapidly over the countryside.
One of the alleged operators, j.
W. Banton, had been notified, &C.
cording to the officers, but declared
that they would not visit his place
after night fall" When the raider,
arrived he was running his still al
top speed.
Authorities Not Told.
Fearing that his weIl-laid plans
which had been in the making for
the past month. would 60 astray,
officer Evans, who was in charge OF
the raid, refused to consult tho Ar
lington county authorities, with the
exception Of seveRl picked depu-
ties-C. Owen, w. F. Gray and
Bruce Smoot.
Lawrence Butler. welfred Miller
c. F. Davis, Floyd Davis and Will
liam Coleman, the fve persons ar
rested at the Carter farm, were re-
leased on $1,000 bond each. The
other prisoners were still confined
in the Jail at an early hour this
morning.
The first place visited by the
raiders was the Carter farm, on
which a 75-gallon still was found
Coeftnwal ~ Poaa TIraa