The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1923-04-27
BOOZE SUPPLY :.
/. FALLING OFF
Many Snail Distil.ers QRit In
Washington and Ty-rell
BY w. O. SAuNDE3S

Jitncy drivers ii Tyrrc!l and
Washington Counties say that
there has been a fifty per cent
falling elf in the amo!nt Of
Illicit booze manufactures: in
those coartics III recent
months.
If you want first hand information
concerning the state of the liquor
traffic, ask the jitney drivers. Men
and boys who operate automobiles for
hire have to know the ropes; Il large
number of them in fact are iii league
with ,tEr distillcrs and one hears of
a jitney driver occasionally who takes
toll from both distillers and prohibit
ton agents.
J. S. Basnight, who operates fleet
of cars between Mackeys and Column
bia. making the twenty-four miles
trip each way several times, day,
SAYS many of the small distillers have
gone out of business in recent months,
finding the business unsafe and not
as profitable as imagined. Fact is,
SAYS Mr.. Basnight. there was time
when they made so much liquor in
Tyrrell and Washington that they
couldn't find market for it all. They,
began cutting prices and it, got<so the
business wasn't worth the risk for
lot of the fellows.
"Then too, folks aint drinking as
much as they did at the start. when
prohibition first hit 'em everybody
got awful thirsty ana would drink
any old thing and pay any sort OF
price for it. They drank more than
they did when they got it easy. n lot
of 'em have found out drinking so
much aint good for them; n fellow
gets a notion to lay off the stun a
week or two and finds that he feels
so much better without it that he
lust swears off easy and just don't
want to go back to it."
A young negro who operates AN
automobile for hire out of Columbia
tells much the same story, but does
| not think over-production' and dimin'
ished consumption has anything to
do with the falling off in manufac'
turps. "Onc thing" says the colored
hoy, "a lot of 'cm has got caught
and that has skccrcd a lot of 'cnI
off Another thing. de kind o folks
who make de stuff aint crazy Dou'
work no how an maxim liquor back
in de swamps in the winter time amt
no soft Job. / spcckS most OF en-
ouits in winter time kaSc II amt soil
in winter time dcy has to have mo
far 10 keep dcy selves warm as wei
as keep de- mash bilin: dat means mo
smoke: mo- smoke brings mo law
Officers
ANYWAY. it seems to be a fact tha
less liuuor is being made in sec
ton that has long been notorious 1o'
moonshinc whiSkcy. For the frs
time in several years / slept a
,NIackcys one night this week withou
bcing disturbed during the night b!
thc shouts of drunken reisterers.
spcnt a good part of day and nigh
in Columbia and never saw Sisi
nf drink or drunkenness. Betwecl
Columbia and Mackcys | did observe
man sneak bill into Il mail boz
bv the side of the road and whiSk on
n bottle of something that looked llk'
''.white mleY. He concealed the
bottle quickly under his coat,
Turning to Joe Basnight. who wa
driving the car l was in. said: Il
that the way liquor is purveyed Il
these parts now!'
what you mean asked Joe.
I told him | referred to the MAJ
putting money in Il mail box and TAX
ing out Il bottle
Il aint seen thing said Joe.