Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-08
He searched Alderman for weapons and

He searched Alderman for weapons and
found none.
While the Coast Guard crew was
transferring the liquor from the small
boat to the Coast Guard boat, Sanderlin
started toward the pilot house of the
patrol boat, where his wireless was To-
Gated, and Alderman followed him. A
moment later the Coast Guard crew
heard shots and saw Alderman, an au-
tomato In his hand, take a step or two
from the pilot house door and shoot at
member of the crew named Lamby.
The shot struck Lamby and he fell into
the engine room. No one saw Alderman
shoot Sanderlin, but afterward Sander
lin was found dead on the floor of the
pilot house. killed by bullet which en-
tered the right side of his back. passing
through the heart and coming out of
late in Florida hospital.
Alderman. the bootleg runner, then
lined up the remainder of the Coast
Guard crew and menacing them with
his revolver, said that he was going to
get" the rest of them He then di-
rected his own companion, Weech, to
get the liquor back aboard their boat,
tear out the gas pipe of the patrol boat
and set it afire. Alderman told the pa
troll crew that he was going to throw
them overheard one at a time and shoot
them, and that they might as well say
their prayers, because they were all
going to hell and they would need them.
Meanwhile, he had secured two more
revolvers from the pilot house and had
given one to his associate, Weech, so
that the prisoners were covered by three
guns. A few minutes later Alderman
glanced down the hatch to see what
Weech was doing with regard to the
motor which he had ordered Weech to
start. Taking advantage of his momen-
tary inattention, the surviving members
of the Coast Guard crew rushed toward
Alderman and he began shooting He
succeeded In shooting one of them
through the shoulder and head and in
killing another. However, the others
overcame him and later captured his
associate, Weech.
Bootleggers Mostly KILLERS"
have outlined the facts in this case
to show what vicious criminals are IN
the bootleg business, and the risk Of his
life an agent runs.
It is the officers duty to make arrests.
The law gives the arrested man every
presumption of innocence and much
legal protection. But he must go peace
ably with the arreSting officer to the
sisting an officer is serious offenSe. 1t
has been such ever since governments
we're established. 1t has been the duty
of all sworn officers of the law to bring
in their prisoners dead or alive" That
has always, since the days of Blackstone,
been regarded as vital to the protection
of society and the preservation OF the
state.
In dozens of cases, hundreds in fact.
arrested bootleggers are resisting with
force and with guns officers OF the law
who have the legal right and the duty
to make the arrest and are discharging
that duty lawfully. In no other class
of cases has there been so much resist
ance to officers. Every day, in some
part of the United States, men are az
rested by State and Federal officers for
burglary, robbery, arson, mail robbery
and other crimes for which the penal
ties are much more severe than those
imposed for hootlegging. Yet there is
no such resistance to the officers as IN
bootlegging cases, simply because the
men arrested know that they will get
no public or newspaper support II they
attack or kill the officer Of the law.
But let resistance be made to proht-
bition agent in the lawful performance
of his duty, and there is an immediate
rallying to the defense of the bootlegger
by those who are opposed to prohibition
enforcement. Are We losing our sense
of proportion when the arrest involves
liquor?
I condemn without qualification I'M
justified use of firearms in the enforce
ment of the prohibition law. as well as
any other law. but think no one who
is fair minded will disagree with this
editorial statement of the Los Angeles
Times:
There seems to be a good deal of
over -emphasis for wet propaganda pur-
poses of such regrettable affairs as the
Staying of Jacon Hanson at Niagara
Falls and of Henry Virkhula at Inter-
national Falls. Mimi If either man
had been killed by policeman who
mistook him for burglar, the case
would have been dismissed. so far as
national public interest is concerned, in
a few lines of MESS and 1t Is incon-