Imperial Valley press., 1925-12-16
BY VID LARSEN
(NEA Service Writer)

san FRANCISCO, Dee. 16.-He
| walked into Il cellar where eight
men were plotting his death and
| walked out again with smoking
, revolver in each hand. He order
dered that eight graves be dug.
This is the sort of brave fel-
! low that is Colonel Sam Johnson,
| who now is chasing bootleggers all
over Northern California and Ne
vada. Of course, the cellar MUIR
! der incident happened in Russia
when Colonel johnson was Vladl-
vostok 8 chief of police. But john
son, while maintaining that ms
Russian direct action methods were
very effective, ism t killing Ameri
can bootleggers with revolvers.
-. Not So Elusive Here
"In fact it was harder to catch
| murderers in Vladivostok than it is
to nab bootleggers here, SAYS
Johnson. Bootleggers, who are
fined only $40 or so aren't SO elus-
i've as murderers who know they
| will be hanged 10 minutes after
thew are caught
When Colonel Johnson took
charge in Vladivostok he opened
graveyard. "Sam Johnson s grave
ward, they called it. Two years
later when Johnson left town the
graveyard was filled with the ODD
les Of spies murderers bandits and
) robbers.
owe II have to open graveyard
here before III have absolute pro-
hibition,' says Johnson $50 long
as anyone can buv n still nj Sec
ond hand store for S. we II never
have absolute prohibition in Ameri-
ca
Looks Like Chief
Johnson, n Russian baron, the
"most decorated man in the army. -
champion rifle and revolver shot of
the world, soldier of fortune and
champion 25.mile swimmer, gives
every appearance of military
chief as he sits in his office direct
ing the war against bootleggers.
On the walls aro maps. "bootleg.
ging highways we'll marked. pin
prieks showing the movements of
rum boats, splashes of red showing
the particularly wet spots of the
west and circles showing "arcas of
authority
Moreover the prohibition agent
speaks of "zero hours when a
score of agents-most of them for
mer army officers-swoon down on
a whole tOwnfull of busy boot
leggers.
Regards as Game
"The big thing is to surprise
'om, SAYS Johnson, who has held
office for a month and half and
sneaks of his position rs "another
Job and of his war with the boot
leggers "a "game.
''That' 8 where my experience in
chasing spies comes in handy. You
have to sneak up on EN- and then
hit 'em hard
But chasing bootleggcrs ism half
so exciting As chasing murderers.
Johnson confesses. "T haven't had
to use n revolver since | rot this
lob he SAYS. "Of course. I'm not
looking for trouble. but then, again,
IN not running away from it.
can I get here is q threat letter
or two.
Johnson, the son of the Baron of
Omsk. an emptv title which he now
holds himself. landed in Honolulu
when he was 1S He couldn't speak
Enrlsh and Joined in the revolt
against Queen Liliuokalani. When
he left the islands few wears later
he was brigadier general in the
militia. He spent somn years chas-
mo Moros in the PHILIPPINES and
after he Ind volunteered for World
War service President Woodrow
Wilson sent him to VladivoStok
"thc worst citv in the world,' ne
provost marshal.
The morality of prohibition
doesn't concern Colonel Johnson.
His business is to enforce i
"Thc hootlogccrs arc only hu-
man beings trying 10 make q living
NV lob is to see that they don t.
"The other dav we DESTROYED
5000 gallons of wine, A shame.
Think of tho good the vine might
have done.
"Vodka and bootleg' Well. vod-
In 10 strOov hut Onvar killed onv.