The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1925-08-28
Says Liquor Industry On
Decline In This Section
Capture of 36 Stills and 80 Men, Helps To Cut
Output Down to 4,00O Gallons Day,
Deputy Marshal Says

The distillin% capacity ot the
plants in this immediate sec
ton is now reduced to about
1000 gallons a day, Judging
from figures estimated by
Peter ID. Burgess, Deputy !. ).
Marshall at this city, who says
30 stills have been dStroycd IN
this section since April |, and
,5S men are now awaiting trial
at the term OF Federal Court
to begin October ).
The average still captured i'll this
section has Il capacity OF % gallons
a day. Mr.. burgess says. II" rSu-
m9tcS that some - stills are i'll
OncratiCn now. including probably
six in Curriturk. - in each Cam
den and PcrguimanS. eight III iA$-
,ru,ank and Is to % in the SwampS
Of Dare County. He believes that
there are few stills in ChOWan ana
Gates Counties.
Government raiders. with whrm
Mr.. Burgess has been working sine"
AurN. have destroyed II stills III
Camden. II in CurrilUrk. eight III
Pa>puorank. and three in Icrpil-
mans. SiN men were taken i'll Cam
den. II in CUrriluck. t. in PaSqu"-
tank. and three in rcrquimanS.
That less liquor is being made.
and il is becoming more ana more
difficult. is the belief of Mr.. Bur
CESS. who says the people are begin
ning to realize that in repairing
diStillcrS. they are upheld by the
courts. At ON time di>til!"rS were
feared i'm the community. Many Of
the men who report stills are men
who live liquor, hut they realize
that the diStilicr is y law hrcakyrI
who will not stop with breaking one
law. and they realize he is Il type
Cr citizen who is Il menace to ih"
Il destroyer of lis good
name. and DANGER, lis 10 harhpr.
For the past several months
continues Mr.. Burgess. "thrrc has
been Il decline in liquor making,
and u change in the attitude of the
nruIilr towards the law. At one
time the prohibition laws were
looked on as Il joke. DiStillcrS and
hoUlir@@crS sent to court, W"r"
turned loose with light fines, and
came home 10 St&"t over. Those
who Informed the authorities were
diScrcditcd by the courts. Turn
img them loose DESTROYED all the
dignity the court had
Mr.. burgess pays high tribute toI
the recent term of court held hy
Federal .!ud@r Isaac VI. McrkinS.
who laid heavy fines on diStilIrrS.
1t has been often the case, he points
out. that men have gone to Atlanta
for stealth. Il few postage stamps,
while diStillcrS have escaped with
fines. courts of the type Judge
McrkinS held" says Mr.. Burgess,
"RrStorc thc confluence Of the prO-
pie in the courts, and they know
that in reporting" Il man. they will
he upheld by the courts
Having given the prohibition sub
jcct considerable thought, Mr.. Bur
CESS has this to say about prohihi-
tion in general:
\ Tremendous Question
Never since the days of '6l has
there arisen Il National question
which has been accorded greater
and more wide spread discussion
than the Prohibition laws OF the
United States. At this time, after
seven years attempt OH the part
of our National Government to cn-
force the NOlStCad Law we can re-
view the aggregate results. point
out cause and effect. and with some
degree of accuracy predict the final
outcome Of what promised to be, has
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