Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-08-10
LIQUOR RUNNE rs
PREyED UPON BY
MODE I'm PIRATES
official Reports of Piracy
Are Infrequent Because
SmuggIers Are Law
Breakers Themselves.

sociated Press) When Bobby
HES himself to the hayloft or
crawls under the house and in
wide eyed wonder peruses q pa
er-backed chronicle of Morgan,
Captain Kidd, and other gentry
who roamed the seas under the
Jolly Roger, he usually expresses
regret that he did not live a CEN
fury or two ago so he could have
Joined the Adventures.
The boy may not know it, but
the sea rovers are on the job
again and the escapades of liquor
pirates off the southeastern coast
of Florida and in the Bahamas,
if recorded in a book. might cause
Bobby to regard Morgan, Kidd
and company with less awe. Nor
gan and Kidd were forced to de-
pend upon sails for motive power
but the modern pirate has gaso-
line motor and puts to sea in a
boat that will move faster than
any sailing vessel ever built.
He overhauls a liquor runner,
holds it up, steals all, or as much
of its cargo as his vessel will
carry, waves his hand to the
luckless owner and disappears 10
hand his loot at some unfrequent-
ed cave on the Florida coast.
Others have landed on small keys
in 1.-THE Bahamas, where cargoes
Of liquor for rum runners have
been assembled, and raided the
warehouses.
Stories Leak Out
Official reports of piracy have
not been frequent. The liquor
smugglers who have been held up
at sea charge the occurrence to
profit and loss and make no COM
plant because they are law
breakers, themselves. The )'-ates
naturally do not tell about their
operations but numerous stories
Of holdups and robberies leak out
through underground sources and
there is every indication that pro-
hibition officers are not the only
people the liquor runners are
constantly on the lookout for.
Hanford Mobely, IS, held in
Jail at West Palm Beach as one
of the four men charged with
thes robbery of the Bank of Stu
art, at Stuart, Fla, several
months ago. also has a piracy
charge hanging over him. Just
what part he is believed to have
taken in sea hold-up the fed
eral authorities have not stated
but they have announced that if
Mobely was granted his liberty on
bail, or was acquitted Of the rob-
berry charge, he would be arrested
Immediately on federal warrant
charging piracy.
The most recent case Of alleged
piracy to be made public Off
cially resulted in the shooting to
death of George Edgecomb, ne
gro master of the British schoon-
er, William II. Albury, at Cat
Key, in the Bahamas short dis
lance from here, and the theft of
between $4,000 and $4,000 from
the vessel. The robbery occurred
July 20. The Albury. according
to British officials, has been en-
gagged in the rum carrying, trade
between the Bahamas ana ia
maica. Dody Carey, cashier
aboard the Albury, was sent to
Miami by the British commits
sioner at Bimini, to tell the story
OF the holdup to the British vice.
consul and state and federal offi-
Gals here.
Wanted to Buy Liquor
The Albury was at anchor at
Cat Key. Carey said. when an
auxiliary schooner, said to be the
Falson, appeared. Three men
were aboard the Falcon and after
anchoripg they boarded the AL.
bury and informed Captain Edge
comb they wished to purchase a
cargo of liquor. They were en-
tertained by Edgecomb during the
forenoon while the crew piled
$1,000 worth of liquor on deck TO
be transferred to the Falcon, ac-
cording to the account.
At noon the Albury's crew ex-
cept Edgecomb and Carey went
below. Carey was working on his
books in his stateroom when one
of the visitors appeared, pointed
pistol at him and ordered him
to hand over what cash he had,
Carey gave him more than $4,000
The other visitors in the mean.
time had gone below and covered
the Albury's crew with pistols
Edgecomb was pacing the deck
within view Of the cabin when
one of the men saw him. The
master was ordered to enter but
seeing the pistol turned his back
A shot was fired and the captain
fell dead.
The crew of the Albury then
was locked in the cabin and the
visitors departed. The prisoners
Carey said, regained their liberty
within a few moments.
The Falcon, which had beer
absent from Miami several DAYS
having been loaned by its owner
to man said to have recently
been released from the Florida
penitentiary, was found at he,
-mooring in the harbor here the
next morning, having entered
port sometime during the night.
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