The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-01-25
Law Enforcement
and MOOshining
Lee County Man Compliments
Officers of Sumter and
Richland Counties

Sumter Daily Item:
1t is indeed gratifying 70 read in
the columns of Your paper almost
every week where the officers OF
the law have captured another
wliskey still in Sumter county.
One cannot help but feel that
the sheriff and his men are doing
everything in their power to stamp
out one Of the most he1lish and
damnable machines that was ever
manufactured for the use of man
kind
It either speaks b&3 for Sumter
and Richard counties by being
tantilized by such law breakers or
it speaks well for the rural officers.
for il seems by all newspaper re-
ports that these two counties are
capturing more stills than 3ny
other counties in the state.
If the remaining counties of the
state would follow these two that
are working to stamp the liquor out
and bring to court the lawbreakers
of this nature, there would soon
come q time when the whlSkey
dealer would have to look to other
means of making a living, and the
consumer would either do without
or go to another state for it.
Speaking from actual experience,
| know that the officers have a
time trying to ecatch the whiskey
dealerss for there arc so many peo-
Die that will. and arc waiting TO
give him a tip that the officer Is
near. d
On one occasion was with a
raiding party that captured stu
and the owner. After placing the
man in Jail he was soon asking to
put up bond which was granted.
Not more than two days afterwards
I was talking with this same man
and he told me that in less than
two hours after he was jailed,
there was at least half dozen men
Of the town that were ready to put
up bond for him, and even after
being out on bond, they went to his
home after night and tried to get
him. to leave. offering to take him
away ir their automobile to a near
by town to catclAa train, and to
furnish him money to get away on.
New this is why l say that it is
hard fer the officers to catch these
kind Of lawbreakers. When the
men of town U mean some OF
the so-called good folks) will Of
fer to assist these law breakers TO
eyade the officers, and if they are
caught. why just send word to one
of his customers and he is ready
to spend his money to save him a
chaingang sentence.
1 trust that the day is near at
hand when every citizen viii!
awaken to the sense of the duty
and help stamp out whiskey.
/ l guess that you are wondering
why 1 am speaking this particular
way IN behalf OF Sumter county.
Well. TO enlighten YOU will say
that it. is my home county, and
naturally l feel proud of it, and its
officers in the way they are dis
charging their duties rs officers Of
the law.
Some day I expect to so back to
my home in Sumte- county to live,
and / hope and trust lnat my chill
dren will be able to say after they
arc grown up that they never saw a
drop of whiskey that was manu-
factured in our county.
And there is only one way to do
this. and that is for every citizen to
refuse to buy this stuff and turn
the man up to the law that offers
it for sale, and for the courts TO
impose such a sentence that when
| he Or they are tree after serving
said sentence would be afraid TO
ever attempt such again.
Here is hoping that fate will be
indeed kind to the sheriffs and the
rural forces in bringing these law
breakers to courts, for which
crime, if convicted will not get less
than one year on the county chain
gang. regardless Of color or social
standing.
Thanking you for allowing me
this space in your columns to ex-
press myself about the whiskey
dealers. and if there are those that
resent my statement they Will find
be in Bishopville, or they can send
me a line by mail, Box No. 343.
CIV. MELLETTE.
Bishopvillc, Jan. 20.