Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-27

The boys who make Maryland rye
down in st. Marys County have ac-
quired habit of keeping shotguns and
rifles handy about their stills, not so
much because of the Federal dry men
as because of an entirely new menace
fairly well organized gang of BUSH
whacking hi-jackers.
At any rate that was the story I'M
folded to coroner's jury yesterday over
the body Of young colored man known
as Frank Sommerville. The jury met
in a grove of giant pines, far from the
haunts of civilization, at the still
where the man had been killed.
1t was so far from the haunts of
civilization that the jury had 20 get to
the scene of its investigation on foot
after travelling about 2 miles west of
| the village Of California.
The dead man, the jury was told, had
been, up until Friday, one of three col
ored men led by a white desperate on
numerous still house raids in the vi
cinity.
Charges Robbery Attempt.
eyes, sub, gentleman" went on the
| star witness, colored helper at the still
house, which doomed behind the jury,
witness gestured toward the dead
man-"come down here and tried to
| rob U.S."
It had to shoot him." confessed the
witness, who said he was John Hall, "a
| years old, "or else"
"Or else" echoed a juryman, glanc-
| ing about at the elaborate apparatus
which Hall had defended, che would
| have taken everything you had"
"Eggsackly!" said the witness, dron-
| ing on. He told how he had gone to
sleep in new and as yet untitled mash
box, loaded shotgun beside him.
The shotgun, the witness said, was
more than a precaution-it was a ne
cessity. The boss man at the still
| the witness wasn't quite sure what his
name was-knew that bushwackers
were abroad. That was why there were
plenty of guns at the still house.
"And that's why" said Federal pro-
hibition agent later, I'VE have to yell
Federal agents when we go in on stills
down there. They're jumpy you see
| always watching out for hijackerS. II
we don't let them know who we are
they begin to shoot as soon as they can
see anything to shoot at"
Fires From Hiding Place.
The man slain, the witness continued,
had emerged first from the thicket. It
was late-sometime after midnight
and the man had a faShlight. He
| trained it on the white boss of the
still Just as three companions, two coll
ored men and their white leader,
stepped from the covert.
"Stick em up" Hall quoted the dead
man as saying. We're here to take
charge of this joint Hall said his
! boss stuck 'em up, as high as he could.
Halls boss was standing in the full
beam of the hashlight and had no 9TH
| er choice
But Hall himself lay in the mash
| box, concealed by the poplar boarded
sides, which we're to have held 1000
gallons of still beer--Han and his shot
gun.
land let him have it; I shot at the
flaShlight-I guess hit him, all right
Yes" admitted juryman, Il guess
you did"
Whereupon the jury deliberated, and
finally, suggested that Hall be held fol
a preliminary hearing Monday in the
county seat of Leonardtown. Sheriff
Earnest Clarke of st. Marys County
accepted the prisoner, at the same time
predicting his early release.
Investigating the case also were
Federal Prohibition Agent Joseph r
Brewer, who lives near Waldorf, &c
miles north, and Federal dry men LED
by Deputy Administrator William r
Blandford of the Washington area
whose interest primarily was the still
house where the murder occurred.
Between the time of the coroner's in.
quest and their ARRIVAL matter of g
few hours-the 500-gallon cypress anc
copper kettle had been spirited away
together with the huge boiler from
which steam had been injected into
the kettle, and such whisky as may
have been on hand.
Dynamite Is Used.
With dynamite the agents destroyed
what remained on the still house site
IL boxes containing 10000 gallons o.
mash, a rude shelter over the still houst
itself, the water box and coils wher,
the liquor was evaporated and a vel
which had been dug into the dry rui
nearby.
The well, because of the dry weather
had been sunk deep into the course o
the run. The agents dropped five stick
of dynamite into the excavation to cav
1t In. A power pump, they found ha'
2 been removed.
; Back in Leonardtown the Fedora
e men held brief confab with the sta
witness IN his cell. They agreed no