Beverly banner. [volume] (Beverly, N.J.) 1877-1964, 1925-10-02
S3OO,OOO CARGO AND 81 men SEIZED BY
-FOUR STATE TROOPERS AT CHARLESTON
Several Beverly Farmers Implicated, Is Report
Raff's Truck Caught With Load On.

Three members of the New Jersey
State Police, under the command of
Lenutenant Nichols, seized two
cabin sea-going barge, which had
tied up at Binthff's wharf, near Char
lesion this morning.
The barge, which is of enormous
size came up the Rancocas creek late
yesterday afternoon on high tide and
it has been said that it ran ashore
three times going up. School chill
dren living near the wharf told sew
eral people that the barge was load
ed with cinders.
1t was about l o'clock this morning
when the crew of the boat, which
totaled fifty-four men prepared to UNI
load They had succeeded in trans
ferring several cases to truck and
at given signal the four officers
made their presence known. They
covered everyone on the barge and
on the wharf The presence or the
police caused scare in the bootleg
gers ranks and number threw their
weapons overheard.
Everybody stick their hands in the
air and keep them there" Heuten-
ant Nichols shouted. "You are sur
rounded and we hs~a nearly 100 men
in our party. The first man who
drops his aims or makes false
move will be bIowed apart. We
don't care who you are, we're going
: to shoot to kill and these troopers
know how to shoot. Everybody line
up here"
A few seconds later the troopers
heard splash from near the barge
and saw man swimming to the
opposite shore. They called to him
to halt but he kept right on swimming
amid rain of bullets.
An instant later thin sheet of
fame spurted out of the cabin on the
barge. The bootlegger who had set
fire to the craft Fire companies
from Bridgeboro soon extinguished,
the blaze.
The sentries, who were supposed to
have sounded the alarm, learned
what was going on and fed. Fifty
four men had been cowed by four.
With their hands held high in tho
air, the rum runners were searched
for weapons. One trooper remained
on the wharf and blocked the at
tempt of the truck drivers to flee.
The drivers of the trucks and linn
cuisines were herded on the barge.
Thirty-fve of the prisoners were
placed in motor truck and under
guard of two troopers were driven to
the Burlington Jail. Nineteen re-
manning were ordered to march off
the barge on to the wharf. They did
so.
Rumor has it that the truck be-
longing to Wilmer Raft. well-known
farmer in this vicinity, was the truck
that was being loaded. Mr.. Raft,
upon being interviewed by Banner
representative said, "If my truck is
down at the wharf loaded, it was
taken without my permission |
know nothing about it. ! was at the
Trenton Fair yesterday and did not
get home until late last might; but my
driver might have taken it to the
wharf. If he did, as | said before,
he took it without my permission.
Mr.. Raft further said that he did not
even go down to the wharf to get the
details of the catch.
Several rumors are afloat in the Vi
cinity of Bintliff's wharf, duplicating
several farmers, who it is claimed
stored the wet goods for the sum Oh
$4,000 cargo. AS far as can be
learned no arrests have been made OF
any local parties.
This spot is without a doubt the
main distributing point for a gang OF
bootleggers who have been operating
in this territory for the past year, as
trucks have been seen pulling away
from this spot at early hours OF the
morning.
II is estimated that the cargo totals
sno coees Of LIQUOR and the price
,,as been set at 100000. Ten differ