The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-10-20
0AR|NG RUM RUNNERS
HAVE FLOCKEO SOUTH
ORb
uoPTDA COAST NOW HAN
COPING LARGE FLEETS LA
DrNED WITH BEVERAGES.
ruF COAST GUARD IS DOUBLED

c:uo,+ic English Syndicate With Sew
sn Ships Landing Tremendous Wet
csrgoes. Lured to Florida by Tales
N Fabulous Riches.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-Rum row,
.b.+ movable mart for Illicit trade in
,.~biddcn beverages, is now more or
,.s. frmly established in southern
,.ars Present activities there are
~ extensive it is believed the trade
.a,Irdes most of those former opera
~. who managed to escape the sharp
shooting coast guardsmen's campaign
- break up fourishing business off
Now York. Boston and Atlantic City
shores
R,,m runners have accepted literally
.bo adnonition Of Colonel Luke Lea,
q Tennessee, ito come south, young
isno0o paraphrased from Horace
cree,y's famous advice to young men.
And they have come-heets OF them.
Many have been 1ured to Florida by
tales of fabulous riches and OF an orgy
If snending by winter tourists.
q Others have been driven to Florida
h., Uncle Sans intense efforts in
X other waters.
Three branches of Americas combat
service are represented in Florida by
Colonel B. T. Simmons, retired army
64cer state prohibition administra-
4 tor, Commander P. F. Hambsch, retlr-
I'd navy officer, his assistant and Cap
lain John G. Berry, active commander
of the coast guard forces.
Colonel Simmons has set up head
onarters at Tampa with branch Offices
# Miami. Jacksonville and Pensacola
Kew West is headquarters for the
\ coast guard.
Maintains Big Fleet
Commander Hambsch has discover
ed that gigantic English rum run
mig syndicate is operating in Florida
waters. In the syndicate's fleet are
ships carrying cargoes OF lo,00O to
N60G cases. valued at 100000 and
4 retailcd in Florida for $3,50O,000
There are seven vessels, six schooners
4 and a converted yacht-the fleet
. which keeps its supplies replenished
4 81 fast motor boats, capable OF out
aistancing any craft in the coast guard
service. There was time when Jcak-
nnylle and vicinity were tavorite
haunts for the smuggling ilk, but
these now have transferred to Miami
Tampa and Key West.
In Norfolk the blockade has been
made effective. With many ships com
Ing in daily from foreign ports, con-
Siderable rum is landed in small guam
titles. but there is nothing to indicate
any wholesome deliveries.
The story is virtually the same at
other Atlantic coast points down to
Savannah where a big rum ring was
uncovered short time ago. Six ships
were confscated and seven ring lead
ers sent to the federal penitentlary.
On OF the vessels seized at Savannah,
the Astra, flying the British flag, was
turned into rum chaser and USED
with good effect by the coast guard.
Dash and deviltry displayed by the
rum runner elsewhere are lacking III
the species working out OF New Or
leans to the west. They have been
considerably discouraged by activities
Of federal agents in and around the
Crescent City.
A former chief of police OF Mobile
and d former sheriff of Mobile county
have been convicted in federal court
and their cases are now under appeal.
Federal forces working out OF mobile
are responsible for the gull coast from
Biloxi, Miss, to Pensacola, Fla, and
the supply has been reduced from re-
celpts by the ton to almost nothing.
Use Many Ruses.
Establishment OF the coast guard
base at Biloxi, where liquors OF the
finest brands from choice champagneS
to Cuban and Mexican rum formerly
flowed ike a running stream, has con
yerted that section into Sahara:
Once it was common for loads OF
booze 10 be shipped from points near
Biloxi hidden with tarpaulins or DIS
guised as fish to Memphis, Blrmlng
ham, Kansas City and points IN ok
ahoma One story is told OF carload
Of liquor going from Biloxi to Kansas
Olty as oyster shells.
From city where in 1924 barrooms,
were a hindrance Mobile has changed
TO a city where liquor is scarce:
But Florida presents one OF the
most difficult situations in the UniteSd,
States, In that state hourishes all
manner OF activity, having to do with
liquor traffic and there is expectation
that this activity will be greatly m
creased this fall and winter.
Till the discovery of the big Eng.
lish syndicate operating oft Miami