Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-31
LIQUOR RACE
ENDS IN TAKING
PAIR and CAR
Murphy and Mrs. Volk Arrest
ed; 10 Sacks of Whisky GO
With Auto.

bits of roadside conversation pet"een
officers and suspected whisky nne
while travelling at so miles an nour,
eliminated in a foot race in First alley
south Wednesday evening and the cap
ture of a man and woman.
The man. who gave his name as
James Murphy. q, and a woman VINO
gave her name as Carrie Wilson, 4S,
later identified as Mrs, Chris volk,
were placed under arrest by Federai
Agent Dan Corcoran and held for vlo-
,lation of the national prohibition law;
The car in which they were riding, ~
sacks of whisky and cherry VINE u a
25-35 caliber carbine rifle that were In
the car were seized.
There was liquor on the Sun River
road Wednesday night, say the offlcers.
Federal Agent Corcoran and deputy
Sheriffs Guy Palagi, Curt Dennis and
Herbert Locke were cruising along IN
Corcoran's car near Vaughn early we'd
nesday evening, as they explained. Just
to look over the tourists" They met
two cars, one a roadster, one a tw>
passenger coupe, both heading toward
Great Falls, close together n evil
IDENTIFY in a hurry. 1t looked like some
body had raised the curtain on the first
act of a rapid action play.
Corcoran swung his car around and
the triumvirate settled down for some
fast travelling. After a couple of miles
the officers car overlook the car i'm
mediately ahead of it. They pulled
alongside and called out to the driver
to stop. The car was a roadster and
a woman was driving. One man was
with her. And right now all of the of
ficers in the party will solemnly dOff
their fedoras to the woman chauffeur.
Shoots Down Steep Bank
Instead of stopping, she slowed her
car a trifle and the big car with its
quartet of officers shot ahead. The
woman turned her car sharply and it
plunged down a steep bank of several
feet. The officers listened for the
crash, but none came. The car made
the grade with a wild bounce and
dashed out onto the prairie. Cor
coran settled himself, the sheriffs
grabbed at everything in sight and the
big car went off the road in pursuit.
A narrow, rough road wound through
the prairie, paralleling at intervals
the graded highway. When Corcoran
observed that it would be impossible
for him to pass the car on the prairie
! TOcu lie pulltu JAIN outO lHt hiehndt
and was soon driving along side it with
only a few yards between the cars.
Again the officers called ont to stop
and the man in the car yelled and asked
them who they were. When the Off
GERS revealed their identity the woman
driver pushed her gasoline feed a
little deeper into the floor board. Cor
coran pushed harder Of the gas, but
found that that was all there was;
there wasn't any more"
Lose Car In Darkness.
1t was very dark and there was a
steady stream of lights on the road
and in the darkness the officers lost
sight of the car, which pulled back on
the graded road and disappeared in the
cloud of dust that hung over the road.
At one point the prairie road made a
direct cut off to the highway and
while both cars were on the prairie
road it was believed that they had
passed the coupe. At a curve in the
road about two miles west of Great
Falls Corcoran swung his car around
and blocked the road. Scarcely had he
done so when the coupe that they were
expecting rolled up at a terrific speed
and taking a wide swing on the corner
with scarcely checking the speed of his
car the driver cut around the officers,
car and kept burning the road to Great
Falls.
Followed the first gun play of the
evening. Curt Dennis whipped out his
six shooter and plugged the gas tank
of the fleeing car dead center at 100
yards in the darkness.
Bravo" yelled his comrades and
the chase was on.
The cars played tag the rest of the
way into Great Falls. cutting in and
out among the procession of cars along
the road. The roadster had made a
clean getaway, but its companion car
was paying with a fast diminishing
supply Of gasoline.
Down through the viaduct beneath
the Milwaukee railroad tracks, around
the corner and down Park Drive to
First avenue south raced the ears. The
leading car continued down First ave-
nue. south, east to Third street and
south on Third street for a half block
and plunged into the alley. Behind the
Great Falls Drug company store the
car stopped and Corcoran and his crew
were right behind. From the car
jumped a man on one side and a woman
on the other. Herb Locke, In the
front seat, leaped out and gave chase
to the man. Curt Dennis followed, and
the last lap of a fast chase, now slow
er. began. Palagi grabbed the woman
before she had taken a dozen steps.
Shot Is Unheeded
A shot was fired, but it was unheed-
ed. Corcoran assumed possession of
the car, its liquor cargo and the rifle
Palagi held the woman. Fast foot
steps on the concrete alley pavement
grew fainter to those waiting with the
cars. A triple foot race at a speed
r~ivaling collegiate records on a cinder
track, the man who had deserted the
woman and the car leading, Locke run
ming q close second and Dennis, who
got away to a bad start, a poor third.
The man, later giving his name as
Murphy, abandoned the alley, opening
a door and dashing into a building. He
slammed the door, but Locke was close
behind. In the building, which the off
GERS forgot to observe closely In their
hurry, a man and woman were stand
ing. Murphy didn't stop to introduce
himself. He pushed the woman aside,
the man stepped aside, and Murphy
proceeded through the room at a 10
flat pace. He fell and Locke was al
most in time to grab him, but the man
was up and out through a door before
the officer could get a grip on his
elusive coat tail.
Murphy Sheds His Coat