The Washington times., 1922-03-28
RUM RUNNERS
EMPLOY SPIES
To FOIL POLICE
Elaborate System Used on
Georgia Coast to Aid
SmuggIer Bands.

On AMMAN, Sd', NidiSh co. @
espionage system of the rum snug
glers, who run in huge quantities OF
liquor along the Georgia coast from
the British West Indies. is declared
to equal in perfection that Of the
old Russian empire.
At least this Is the view taken by
State and county agents who have
essayed to aid the Federal prohibi.
ton enforcement agents to break up
the Illicit whiskey traffic.
According to State officers. the
heather Chinee." whose ways are
tabled to be dark" and his tricks
"vain," has nothing on the Georgia
liquor runners, who SO far have man.
aged to keep a length ahead OF the
officers in pursuing the favor OF
fate in connection with the liquor
business.
They know every minute where
every officer is" is the way Chief
Chapman. OF the Chatham county
police. expressed It, land II they
don't know they hatch UP a trick to
get him somewhere else than where
they want to do business.
Twelve Men Have Wide Field.
The chief. who has a force Of
twelve men to cover a territory OF
3s5 square miles. the whole of Chat
ham county. has often found himself
run ragged by the liquor spies when
the unloading of a cargo with which
| II was feared he would interfere was
on tap, according to his accounts.
They must have barrels Of money
coming in from the trade" he said,
because I know II must cost them
enormous sums to maintain the spy
system they do. Why, they are
everywhere. Whenever they get
ready to unlSnd big cargo of liquor
| they phone in and say there Is a big
| murder, roLbeiy or other desperate
crime going on. needing the attention
of a large number Of officers. OF
| course. we don't know; IL may be
| so, and We have to investigate.
often, when we get to the ioca-
ton given, all is as peaceful as
heaven. Later we learn that about
that time a big liquor cargo was be-
| ing unloaded in the opposite direc-
| ton to that we were In. 1t Is impos-
sible to brar.i these bogus calls as
fakes until investigated. The names
of some of the people giving them.
always by hearsay,' would surprise
you"
Police Chief Fooled.
Neither the chief OF police nor
Sheriff Dixon, Of Chatham county,
have been immune from such tricks
Of the smugT.ers. Not long ago. &C.
cording to the sheriff. the chief OF po-
lice phoned HIM that he had a posi-
tive tip that a large automobile Of
liquor could be caught at a certain
place at a certain time. This tip
came from what he considered re-
liable sources. Acting on 1t, the
| sheriff took nearly all his available
men, the police chief nearly all his.
any they rang n a large number OF
Federal agents. Arriving at the
| place designated, they threw a cor
| don around the entire section, pa
trolled the roads for hours and final
| ly went horie without a single auto
mobile having turned up. Next morn
| ing they leaned that while there q
ship unloaded several thousand
cases of standard whiskies and
liquors at one Of the wharves in Sa-
| vannah.
One Of the humorous features Of
the Illicit liquor trade is the "profes-
sional" jealousy existing between the
liquor runners and the little fellow"
who distills his own in the Chatham
county swamps and retails 1t around
himself or through personal agents.
| According to the State and county
officers the rum runners" violently
resent the activities Of the moon
sinner and never lose an opportunity
to tip off the officers to the location
of a still in the swamps.