The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1923-04-13
BIGGEST LIQUOR CASE
RESULTS IN CONVICTION
IG. Barnes Defended by Sunday School Super
intendent and Bible Class Teacher,
Couldn't Get By Federal Court Jury

ttN
- Federal Court here and the
b;cecst liquor case to come to
rial i'll Northeastern North
caroliua. came to 4 concluSlonI
Thursday when a Jury found
Iii Barnes OF CurritucI Coun-
- Guilty OF diStilling, trans
nor,iuu and otherwise traf-
icking in Illicit liquor. the eN-
t~rmr icnaltv for which is two
wears in Federal pcnitcntiary.
When Prohibition Officers raidcd
Barnes place on New Bridge Creek
b.,vr,n Snowdcn and MoyOck. March
81 -b,v found the largest collection
-. stills il has beer their pleasure to
r,.,,, in this section of the state.
Hive stills with 4 combined capacity
If seven or eight hundred gallons per
d,y were seized. and with them four
mon !. q. Barnes. the head of the
srrerpri>c was absent at the time.
and his lI-ycar-old son assumed COM
nIs,c responsibility for the stills.
Tire, other men were with him.
Four men were captured in the raid
,rl brought to Elizabeth City. They
were :. f.. Barnes. II year old son
of j. G.. EarncS. owner of the raldcd
nr,uli>cS: ]. VI. Batcman. Il SOn-ln-
law nf the elder Barnes; J. q. Hall.
and t;corgr Henry A>kaw. the later
negro. When brought before the
T.. y, Commissioner in Elizabeth City
their bonds were fixed ut $500 each.
Young Barnes exhibited Sl.lOO IN
cash and put up 5000 for the bonds of
himself and IN" two other white men,
leaving the negro to be Jailed.
That night. ]. G.. Barnes came TO
town to put up bond for the negro.
and II was then that officers nabbcd
him and put him under $1,000 bond.
The case against the four men who
were first arrested was before the
cuuy, when this newspaper went to
prp>>. but there was Il possibility of
= not coming To trial. There WAS
r--le inclination To punish these four
men. as it appeared that the elder
Barnes was wholly responsible and
The men were employees. There was
4 sentiment that il Barnes were pun
i>hcd. the others could be held under
suspended sentence. Prohibition Of
firrr> have been having trouble with
Barnes in Virginia. and had made II
hot for him there. before he began
onnra,ion of his still in Currituck
County Il few months ago.
The raid WAS conducted by Deputy
Marshall J. W. Wilcox of this city:
7. J. Maxcy. Assistant Chief of Dlvi-
SION Five of Nirgihia: General Agents
Harrington. Jenkins. Burgess. Houch-
in, and Griffin. The stills were SAID
by one Of the agents TO be worth
more than 5000.
Making $4,000 a Month
An idea of the immense profits that
ii" di>,illcr< were getting out of the
business i given by officers who base
their estimate on young Barnes
>.a',mcnt that the whiSkcy brought
f'v" dollars Il gallon when taken to
Norfolk by auto truck. At an aver
~" output of 6nU gallons a week. the
stills would bring in &12.000 IL month.
A. .bc time Of the raid. 40 gallons OF
liquor. and 2.2OO pounds of sugar
were seized. Part of the equipment
WIS described aS follows:
TN" five horsepower steam boiler;
nn~ copper coil; 800 gallons mash.
'wp luH-gallon steam wood stills. So
fcrm"u'iug barrels. 1OO-gallOn doub-
lcr. na" lOO-ga!"n flake stand. 4oO
pounds rye meal. 200 pounds sugar.
and numerous jugs. tunnels buckets
AID topI>.'
Defended by Sunday School Super
intendent and Teacher.
Barnes defense WAS conducted i'll
rrrr"l Cnurs here by l.. +. Aydsett.
Superintendent Of Blackwell Memo
rial Sunday School. and e. X. Pugh.
Soma.u" ,rarhrr of the Mems Bible
rIa>, az City Road Methodist Church
Baru'- might have gotten of Win
a..--r.,L like some of the other ot-
f"u..r- in police court fared tins
wrna. al, m" evidence was 50 strong
ml with 81 jury culled from other
ca,>.< 'han liquor bib5crS. he stood
r0.rr >h"w.
WI" TWO mi<trial< resulted Ill
co@g' ..rc his week. the juries aS Il
Sa9.. have been called out OF the
ordinary" Tn" lawyers have earn
"d r...- fees. for bootlcggCrs have
had Jew cpmrauious i'll the jury box