Palatka daily news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1919-1994, 1922-02-22
Enforcement at a Great
Disadvantage, Says
Haynes
NNERS DESPERATE
Do Not Hesitate to Use
Guns in Repelling
Arrest
(By Associated Press)

Washington, Feb. 22.-Federal
prohibition agents in Georgia are
waging an unequal war on rum run
ners operating along the coast, ac-
! cording to report to Commission
er Haynes from General Agent Mack
Overpeck and Federal Prohibition
Agent W. P. Flinchum at Savannah.
The report describes the condition
of the illicit liquor traffic along the
Georgia coast and the dangers en-
countered by prohibition agents in
combating the rum smugglers, who
are declared to be heavily armed and
quick on the trigger.
at is reported here through what
we consider reliable information"
the report said, "that at least once
or twice week boats coming from
Bimini island or elsewhere, carrying
from 20 0to $500 cases of liquor are
unloaded on an island in some one
of the numerous rivers leading from
the Atlantic in toward Savannah.
The apprehension of those cargoes of
liquor is made extremely difficult
from the fact that any one of the
many islands may be used as a base,
from which to unload and distribute
the cargoes.
Revenue Officers Attacked.
"It is an acknowledged under
standing that the crews of these
boats will make a stubborn resist
ance against apprehension. Proof of
this was shown in one instance not
long ago, when Captain Charles H. |
Nesle on board the Champ was shot
three times when at the wheel. His |
crew at this time was composed of |
Prohibition Agents Frederick King i
and c. w. Austin. The Champ still
shows the holes made by bullets
from high-power rifles in the hands
If the whisky runners.
another favorite method of the
'unners in distributing their liquor
i:rect from the large boats is to un-
Dad at the mouth of the harbor or
'ivers into smaller boats plying up
he rivers to some of the numerous
andings and unloading the liquor on
automobiles which carry the goods
o. it's destination to Savannah under (
over of night. II
Savannah Distributing Point.
at may be remarked at this time '
hat Savannah is more of a distribut-
ng point than a consumer, and by
topping the distribution from there t
! will have a marked effect upon 6
rohibition at other places. t
"There are three or four main +
Dads leading from Savannah to the C
anding places mentioned above. 6
hese landings and roads will have S
De "dICileu WucIl HuOEHldIlOH ID |
eceived that a boat loaded with
quor has cleared port, and whose
estimation is thought to be Savan-
ah. 1t is said that when boats clear W
Bimini they are given port of en- d
y as of Canada. i,
Should Protect Agents. I;
1--WE think it cannot be expressed O.
20 strongely that the agents should :
: protected in chasin gthe whisky h
boats, as they always have W
Ill crews of men and will not stop n
any means whereby they may n
AXE their escape. They have very ri
boats, making it hard
II the agents to come alongside. g
nd observing an order not to shoot cs
lless in case of self-defense, or if Il
ley are not attacked first, all they T
IN do is to let the faster boats and m
ews escape. -.--, Il
"The agents boats equipped with b
machine gun or riot guns in the II