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

DALLAS, Texas. June 2S.-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 II. there is a complete list OF
all prhobiition officers killed and
all persons killed by them. with q
detailed account Of the facts Of
each case" the Rev. Mr.. Webb said.
This office has made a careful an
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 '155 innocent persons
The following facts taken from
the Congressional Record will show
how innocent they were: OF the
155 killed. SIS were 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 en-
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 ii was being raided, was
not seen until after the fight was
over. and the found wounded 200
yards away. Another, when the of
ficers were 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 car and killed its driver.
He received a prison sentence of
from one 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.
I'm SIS OF the above killings. the
grand juries. after hearing the evil
dence. refused TO indict the officers.
In SO 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
one OF them was being shot at bv
the b-ootleggers 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 or 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~ootleggers being killed
IN open defiance Of our laws DER
NIT me TO call their attention To the
TACT that S. of our federal officers
nave been murdered by the boot
legEers. and several hundred Of orr
state officers have been murdered?
1hese l55 citizens. with six possible
exceptions. were all guilty OF defv-
ing the laws OF their country. These
officers were all innocent citizens
and died in the line of duty lust as
much as did any American soldier
who died on the battlefield of
France"