The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1921-07-02
PROHI AGENTS RAID
ORLEANS BREWERIES
Large Quantities of Beer Seized
Said to Contain Illegal Per
Cent of Alcohol.

New Orleans, June 25.-Swooping
down on six breweries late today,
prohibition agents placed under seiz-
ure thousands of cases and barrels OF
beer said to contain more than the
prescribed alcoholic content.
The foray. according to prohibi-
tion officials, was the biggest prohi-
bition raid in the history Of
the country.
The following quantities OF beer
we're seized:-
4,451 cases; 1,O4O barrels; 5ss
casks, containing nine dozen bottles
each; and quantity of half barrels
and loose bottles.
The plants raided were those of
the Standard, Dixie, American, Co
lumbia, National and Union Brew
ing Companies.
Approximately thirty prohibition
and internal revenue agents parti-
cipated in n,the raids, which were con-
Quoted simultaneously. The agents
were divided into squads of fve and
at the appointed time the six squads
entered as many breweries. They
encountered no opposition.
Jesse Johnson, federal prohibition
director for Louisiana, tonight is
sued statement declaring that as
soon as evidence is collected he will
institutute proceedings to cancel the
breweries' permits.
All beer discovered in the brew
cries was checked up and placed
under lock and key, brewery officials
accepting responsibility for it's keep
ing. Trucks containing beer were
taken to the custom house and the
beer was stored in the prohibition
store room.
: Practically all of the prohibition
agents participating in the raids are
men sent here from Little Rock,
Southwestern prohibition district
headquarters, especially for this pur-
pose. Assistant Supervising Agent
w. 3. Smith, of Texarkana, accom-
panied the men here.
"All breweries manufacturing ce-
real beverages" says the statement
issued by Jesse Johnson, federal pro-
hibition lirector, "hold permit from
the government through my office to
manufacture cereal beverages con-
tanning less than one-half of one per
cent alcohol, commonly called near
beer / hold their bonds ranging
from $4,000 to $4,000, for faith
full compliance of the terms of the
permit, the law and regulations.
"Breweries in New Orleans have
grossly violated these permits from
time to time and especially within
the past few weeks. Official tests
were made of their output some days
ago and I received reports today
from Washington.
Report of the raids made today
have not been submitted to. my Of
ice yet. AS soon as the evidences is
shall institute proceeding
to cancel at least six permits Of New
Orleans breweries."
Formal charges of violating the
.Volstead act will be lodged against
officials of the breweries as soon as
the evidence is placed in the hands
of the United States district attorney
Theodore Jaques. prohibition en-
forcement officers said.
The raids came as complete sur
prise, the general belief having been
that July Is was the earliest date
on which prohibition activities
would be resumed upon a big scale.
Throngs, however, witnessed the
closing events of the raids, but they
were nothing to the throngs which
fought for places in scores of saloons
after the tip" got out A poll of
twenty cafes in the business section
showed that in less than an hour, all
had sold their last bottle of the
good beer" which recently had lent
them an atmosphere of preprohibi-
tion days.