Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-06-28
WEBB DEFENDS
Wet SLAYINCS
Anti-SaIoon Head Declares
Reports Of Bootlegger
Sayings 'Colored'

DALLAS, Texas. June 29.-The
Rev. Atticus Webb. superintendent
of the Anti-Saloon league in Tex
as. in a statement to the Associated
Press said that newspaper stories OF
"bootleggerS' killings by prohibition
officers" are being carefully
phrased for propaganda purposes"
I'm the Congressional Record OF
June IA. there is a complete list OF
all prhobiition officers killed and
all persons killed by them, with a
detailed account Of the facts Of
each case" the Rev. Mr.. Webb said.
This office has made a careful n
alysis of that report. The stories
have made the public believe that
these killings were all Of innocent
citizens In reporting what Sena-
tor Brookhart said upon the senate
floor recently. one agency stated
that he was defending the killings
of 1855 innocent persons
The following facts taken from
the Congressional Record will show
how innocent they were: OF the
155 killed. S. we're shooting at the
federal officers when the officers
began to fire. 10 others engaged in
shooting with the officers. 80 others
pulled their guns first, but the Of
ficers were better shots. II others
made attempts on the lives OF Of
ficerS with other instruments than
guns. Most of the others were n
deavoring TO escape. In 149 cases
Of the 155 the innocent citizen was
knwon TO be a %bootlegger.
Among the six innocent parties
killed. one was a boy who was near
a still when it was being raided, was
not seen until after the fight was
over. and the found wounded 200
yards away. Another, when the Of
ficers we're chasing a ~bootlegger
suddenly stepped out from behind
a truck in front OF the officers car.
The officers had no time to stop be-
fore striking him. The third case
vas not killed by federal officers
but by a man who was plotting the
officers to a still. and who ran into
another q and killed its driver.
He received a prison sentence of
from ~ year TO life. a man and
his daughter were killed in a boat
collision and another killed as he
handed a gun to his confederate
apparently for the purpose Of kill
ing the officer.
In 65 Of the above killings, the
grand juries. after hearing the evil
dence, refused to indict the officers.
In 50 instances the officers were
indicted but acquitted on trial. AS
an indication Of how unfairly we
have treated the prohibition Off
GERS. OF the three convictions had
n Of them was being shot AZ bv
the bootleggers before he returned
the fire. and yet he received a three
year sentence for killing the boot
logger in Self-defense. The fact IS we
are SO unfair TO u officers that
there Is not a law on the federal
statutes by which a man can be
tried for numbering a federal Off
Ger.
viii those who are bowling
about these b~OotlegRers being killed
IN open defiance Of our laws Der-
NIT me 10 call their attention To the
fact that SIS OF our federal officers
nave been murdered by the boot
leggers. and several hundred OF our
state officers have been murdered?
These 155 citizens. with six possible
exceptions. were all guilty OF DEFY
ing the laws Of their country. These
officers were all innocent citizens
and died in the line Of duty lust ~
much as did any American soldier
who died on the battlefield of
France