The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-03-24
NORFOLK CAPITALISTS
BACKED THIS BIG STILL
So Say Men Caught with Prize Outfits on Church
es Island but Commissioner Wilson Lets Man
Who Knows Go Under $500 Bond

lle IeledSe Ol w dltcT jones'
under a $500 cash bond by order
of U. S. Commissioner Tully B.
Wilson of this city may have
lost an opportunity to the Fed
eral authorities to uncover one
of the most formidable moon
shining and bootlegging opera
tions ever attempted in North
eastern North Carolina and bring
to book some Of the men higher
up in this profitable game.
Tn raid in house on Church ISL
and, Currituck County, last week rev.
enue officers captured one of the most
elaborate out fits ever found in this
state. It was pretentious outfit built
thruOut of copper and designed to de-
liver a daily output of n hundred
gallons of pure whiskey. The still was
being installed and was not ready for
operation. Three young white men
were found in the house with the dis
tillery. They were Walter Jones. a
man about 3S years old: Chas. McDon-
ald 2S years old. and VIM. Wilson. 32
years old, all of Norfolk They were
arrested and brought to Elizabeth City
10 stand trial Mt the April term of Fed
eral Court. At the preliminary hear
ing last week their bonds were fixed at
$500 each. \
But Commissioner Wilson reduced
Jones' bond to $500 this week: Jones
forked over the cash and left town.
There is no evidence that Jones was
either a moonshiner or bootlegger.
He claimed to have been a navy yard
mechanic and he was on Church Island
to install the big distillery for Norfolk
parties. Mcdonald and Wilson were
young men he claimed to have brought
to the island with him as helpers. The
three Of them landed on the island one
night and were under arrest the next
afternoon before they had gotten lay
of the land or done very much on the
job Jones says he took the job be-
cause he had been out of work for
weeks and had to do something. Me-
Donald and Wilson tell the same tale,
only adding that they didn't know what
they were supposed to do on Church
Island till they got there. The three
of them talked freely in the presence
of the writer Monday night and de-
clared that prominent Norfolk business
men were the financial hackers of the
Church Island project and would see
them out of their dilemma or they
would know the reason why. And sure
enough, Jones received $500 from some
source Tuesday morning and left town.
He left Mcdonald and Wilson in Jail,
a sore pair. But they will get out too
if there is anything to the story, be-
cause the men higher up are not going
to leave them here to turn states evil
dence. Mcdonald says he will tell ev-
erything he knows if the parties who
got him into the mess don't get him
out. But it is evident that the man
who knew most was the first one out.
Ex.Service Men.
Both Mcdonald and Wilson are ex-
service men. Mcdonald is clean cut,
address and some education. He has
a wife and two children. He relates
an enviable war record He says he
volunteered in August 1917 and went
over seas three weeks after his enlist
ment. with the Oath Aerial Squadron
He says he served on Eve fronts, in
Guiding the Argonne, the Verdun Sector
and Toul Sector. After the war he
was with the Army of Occupation from
Nov. IS, 1918 to April 16, 1919. He
says he has two medals to show for his
personal bravery in action.
Wilson, four years older than Nc
Donald claims to have been volun-
teer, but never went overseas.
Tell One on Pugh.
In his cell in the county Jail here
Monday night Jones talked freely of
himself and of his arrest. He says
that the revenue officers treated them
fine and advised them to employ c. r.
Pugh for their attorney, telling them
that Pugh stood in with the Judge and
could get them off.
Asked what revenue officer told him
that Pugh stood in with the Judge and
could get him off, Jones said the officer
who told him that was Deputy Il. c.
Babb, whose headquarters are at Eliza
beth City. Mr.. Babb denies emphati-
cally that he told Jones any such thing.
1t would be interesting to know
whether Mr.. Pugh has an arrangement
with Revenue Officers to pimp or tout
for his law business? Mr.. Pugh is him.
self Federal employe in the depart
ment of the U. S. Collector of Internal
Revenue, but no one in Elizabeth City
unless it is Mr.. Babb-ever heard Of
c. X. Pugh standing in with Judge
Henry g. Connor or being in a posi-
ton to influence Federal Court deci-
sions by reason of the Federal job he
holds. Anyway, Mr.. Pugh didn't get a
retainer in the case of Jones. Pugh
was out of town when the men were
landed in jail here and they got another
lawyer, W. l.. Cohoon in fact.