New Britain herald., 1930-01-09

Assurance has been given from official sources in Providence of a vigorous prosecution. Over 20 wit nesses have been called, including ordnance experts and navigators.
 It is understood indictments will be asked, charging either second degree murder or manslaughter.
 News that action would be taken in Providence was received with varied feelings here.
 This old seaport. century ago the second whaling harbor in the world and which still retains some of the tang of those uays has be- come a perpleXed community as a result of recent developments in prohibition enforcement activities.
 On the same day as the Black Duck shooting. enlisted men ln- loading the whiskey cargo of the Flor Del Mar, a motorboat which had been seized when found burn ing and abandoned off Montauk Point, appropriated unto themselves an undetermined amount of the liquor. Twenty four enlisted men are now under charges of intoxica- tion and 15 others face court mar tial for theft of liquor. Ten others already have pleaded guilty.
 New London fundamentally is a hard bitten, rocky bed, New Eng land town. It believes in obeying the law and enforcing it. But it doesn't believe in taking human life and plenty Of its citizens can be found who, quietly and not for publica- ton, express the belief that the Black Duck could have been taken without the killing of three out of it's crew of four-a casualty list of 75 per cent.
 Also New London is accustomed 10 sailors and their ways and this port which in years long past, saw many barrel of rum drive the chill of the winter sea from its sailor men, would not deny a mari ner his grog. It isn't near so much worried over the disappearance of liquor from the Flor Del Mar or the hornpipes the sailors danced after they consumed it, as it is over the Black Duck affair.
 Also there is the commercial elc- ment.
 well. it's this way" said a mer- chant who wouldn't permit his name to be used, but who spoke quite frankly otherwise Those fellows had no business shooting down the 'rummies' and the 'rummies' on the Black Duck had no business trying to get away. Thise fellows are too quick with their guns and I don't like if.
 AS far as the drinking is con- cerned, l guess that's because they were wet and cold and had a lot of liquor handy and they just naturally drank it.
 But why should we bite the hand that feeds us. The Coast Guard keeps 1900 men here. Sometimes there are d lot more than that. They get government pay checks every month and they spent their money. If we drove them away from New London they'd just go some other place. So why should we com plain" "
 There was an old tinsmith who does much work for the boats which ply in and out of here. including some for the government who wasn't Ia CD tn1 i,, !, ,;, point.
 "Ill tell you" he said, some Of them fellows are bad actors. l heard one Of them once tell a fel- low going out in a fishing boat that he better keep them lights burning bright or I'll get you and he pat ted his gun while he did it. He was lookin' for blood.
 And them sailors, the way they carrying on with our girls here isn't doing anybody any good"
 The enlisted men of the coas, guard themselves are loyal to the service and say little.
 We look at it this way said a ptllS oilCeF. we JOln the coast guard because we like the life ir the service at sea and on shore. We don't join it because we are pro- hibitonists or anything like that. A lot of us don't believe in prohibi- tion. Mighty few do. But when we have job to do We do it the best we can and if we have 10 shoot that's what they put guns on deck for and it's why we have pistols ir our belts"
 Police here seem to get along with the sailor men on pay day reason. ably well. That is partly because New London for a couple of cen. turies has been accustomed tc sailors home from the sea and partly because the coast guard has its own patrol and handles most disorders itself
 In that manner the community i: badly puzzled. At heart it sympa- thizrs with sailors. Furthermore, tho coast guard is a large slice of its bread and butter.
 But with stern New England sense of justice, it doesn't like the idea of shooting people. Providence, R. l.. Jan. 9 UP)- Because of renewal of threats by rum runners to blow up the Blacl Duck, federal authorities have ask. cd Cranston police to augment the guard recently placed over the con. fiscated craft at Pawtuxet Cove. Federal officials believed the rum runners might attempt to de stroy the notorious rum boat tt prevent it from being used as evi dence. It was on the Black Ducl that three alleged rum smuggler! were killed by coast guards at tn, mouth of Narragansett Bay on De cember 29.
 Interest in the investigation 0 the Black Duck case certered toda. ground plans for submitting it to ;