The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-01-09
GIBBONS TELLS
OF REVELRIES
journal Man Pictures Orgies Of Liquor
Traffickers in the Bahama
Islands.
(By ROY olReoNs.)

ten gain from the rum traffic between
the British Bahamas and the south
eastern coast of the United states is
squandered in drinking. gambling and
debauchery.
While investigating rum running for
NEA service i was invited to fire
dance that group OF rum runners
pulled off in celebration of the sue
cessful finish Of big booze DEAL
Once the fire dance was a religious
ceremony But in the hands OF the rum
runners It has become the most in
decent and disgusting orgy debased
human minds could conceive.
The liquor smugglers and trafficlS-
ers invited to the fire dance met in
the negro quarter OF Nassau and were
driven In carriages to a clearing about
six miles from town where the actors
about 25 native men and the same
number OF women--were gathered
Tom-Tom Beats and Dance Begins.
The rum runners presented each OF
the natives with several shillings. then
piled them with liquor, and finally
gave the signal to an old man with
a tom-tom. The great bonfire. gather
ed together. was lighted.
BongI The dancers leaped forward.
They jumped. bent, twisted, squirmed.
The audience cheered them on, yelling
coarse jests.
More shillings. more whiskey. The
dancers began a sing song wall that
rose to wild shrieks. The audience
Joined In their shouts, and passed the
bottles round and round.
Far into the night the revelry pro-
ceeded, until the dancers, exhausted by
their fiendish exertions or overcome
by drunken stupor. fell senseless on
the ground.
Then tho carriage drivers sought out
the rum runners. half dragged. half
carried Them to their vehicles, loaded
them aboard and hauled them back to
town.
Some night boy. some night" one
OF them chortled TO me. poking me
jocularly in the ribs
Too Disguised to speak, turned my
back on him and started away.
Whisl<ey Revelry Leads to Arrest.
1t was rum-runners' revelry that got
me inside the Nassau prison. / had
spent the evening with several liquor
traffickers whose tongues lossened
with much liquor, were telling secrets
OF the trade.
They took special delight innarrat-
ing how they cleared in ballast for
Canada, got liquor outside the BAHIA
man three-mile limit and then deliv
cred 1t in New York or other harbors
or how they cleared with liquor for
Canada, but delivered it to American
boats outside tho 12-mile limit. They
talked OF millionaires whose private
yachts met them
In this party was a young fellow
In Nassau on business and not con-
nected with the rum traffic and my
SELF He was considerably the worse
for drink. so / escorted him to within
block OF his lodgings.
had gone only half block myself.
when heard cries for help. and look
ing back saw my casual acquaintance
being borne 10 the ground by three
men. a.
Rushes TO Save His Companion.
"A hold-up" was the thought that
flashed through my mind.
Casting discretion to the winds. I
rushed to the rescue.
LET him go!" 1 yelled, breathless.
and kicked one OF the attackers, who
was wearing overalls.
A blow in the eye felled me. Then
a whistle shrieked In a few seconds
small army bore down on us. When /
got to my feet ! found they were ma
tive police. though they were dressed
exactly like stevedores,
In court the next day each OF us
was fined five shillings
Asterward. revealed my true iden- |
tity to several Bahaman officials. One |
of these said 20 me:
Prohibition in the United States Is !
spelling the moral ruination OF many |
OF the natives in Nassau. This was a
law-aoiding community before the
rum-runners infested It, / wish the
United States would keep its scum at
horne"
And he was right. For rum running
from the Bahamas IS purely an Amer
lean industry. financed by American
money and carried on by the scum of
American coast seaports and barr
rooms
Ask any official in Nassau and he
VIII blame Americans for debauching
the natives MY own experiences and |
observations, during two weeks assoc
citation with liquor smugglers and
traffickers, convinces me this is true.
They are men without honor either
In dealing with others or in dealing
among themselves Captain Lansing of
he Little Cricket told me. for exam
pie. how the American rum-runners
had swindled some British liquor deal
srs out II $4,000 by paying them in
Did Confederate currency The Amer