South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-02-17
PIRATE HAUNTS NOW
SHELTER RUM RING
OF BAHAMA BANKS
Gun Cay, Little Coral Island
Starting Point of Many
Whisky-Laden Craft.


MIAMI BEACH. Fla. Feb. Is
on the photographic charts OF the
Atlantic coast is a broad dotted sec
ton marked Grand Bahama
Banks" There has always been
money in those banks. but never
have they yielded better profit than
since Jan. 16 1919. From the DAYS
OF Sir Francis Drake Sir Edward
Morgan, and the buccaneers, past
the times Of Tench. Blackbird.
Caesar and the pirates Of the CARR
bean. 90 the gun running days Of
Dynamite Johnny O'Brien. those
coral isicts, Gays and reefs have
yielded treasure. Today they shell
ter the secrets Of the rum RUNNERS.
dealers I'm liquid gold and fire. prod
ucts Of Scotch distNleries and Cuban
cane fields For the center OF the
supply and the great distributing
point for much Of the liquor which
IS reaching the United states is
among the Gays Of the Grand Ba
hama Banks
Fifty Miles From Florida.
Gun Cay is the rum RUNNERS
rendezvous. Port Royal, the old
pirate capital. i'm its palmiest days
never piled more profitable trade
in Spanish treasure snatched from
sunken gaueons. This liquor dis
tributing center is coral island lit
tie more than a mile long and 100
yards wide
Less than so miles off the Florida
coast. its low lying rocks would be
undistinguishabl 90 the landsman
from any distance were Il not for a
squat red lighthouse which marks
the channel I'm the reef. Approach
ing 60 from the Florida side, It seems
deserted. for its one house faces the
bread Atlantic 20 the eastward.
soon. however, the tips Of slender
topmasts show above the green
palms and undcrbrush, and as the
questiug vessel swings past the mar
row barrier in the reef with the surf
breaking close TO port and starboard,
the rum runners fleet Is revealed
at anchor.
Case Goods Galore.
Seldom are there less than ten or
dozen craft swinging lazily with
the tide Schooners. sloops yawls.
and motor craft there are. and mo-
tor craft there are. and sometimes
a dingy steam tramp with smoke
curing slowly from her funnel shows
that shipments direct from the
banks Of Thames and Clyde are not
lacking The decks OF many are
piled high with cases bearing names
now less familiar IN the United
States than of yore The square
bottles Of Gordon. the weu-remem-
bered signature az Peter Dawson.
the pinch bottles and five stars Of
Haig and HaiE. show that the Brit
ish stills still find "a market across
the Atlantic.
on some vessels. q Carelessly flung
scrap Of dinCy canvas wells the
name and port on bow and counter.
but others Gaunt both with appar-
ent uncoucern. For they are peace
fuI freight carriers. oStersihly about
their lawful occasions. There Is
small doubt. however. that no craft
approaches unseen and the crews
lo-line about the decks ina apparent
uncCuCern as -hc visiting craft
winds among the fleet are said
never 10 move far from "a rifle hid
den from view behind "A gunwale.
Like Pirate Crews.
And the crews capt. Kidd or
Blackboard or old Capt Waiting
never had crews who better looked
their parts.
Carihs from the isles. negroes from
Jamaic1. mixed bloods and hard
faced white men from every port Of
the Caribbean. they ION about the
decks. bearded and unkempt. They
wear the same white cotton trousers
rolled 20 the knees. the same broad
hats and bandarras and the same
vivid shirts as their brethren ~ the
freebooung days only the gold
earrings and the cut,asses and pistols
in their belts are lacking These
have been replaced 10 is said, by
those who have dealt with them
have been replaced 10y good gold
coin. and more modern weapons.
Activity at Night
II Gun Cay IS peaceful and lazy
during the day 10 is active at night
10 is said with dusk silent craft.
with portfolios covered and ex-
hausts mufaed slide i'm the direction
of the squat lighthouse IL Is equally
dangerous 90 inquire too closely into
the identity and desuna tiou OF these
ships without lights as 10 was 10
make searching Inquiries Of strangers
!n Leadvilie in the COS.
They come and they go. none
knows whence or whittier. But they
bring good gold with them and take
gooOd Scotch away sooner or later
their careocs are sold hy stealth in
ports from Baltimore 90 Galveston.
Florida alone has 1900 miles OF
coast lire with hidden harbors
galore And there are less than a
score OF prohibition enforcement Of
Bcers 20 watch this coast
II Gun CAY IS the wholesale CEN