Evening star., 1932-02-29
RUM CAR SEIZED
AFTER LONG CHASE
OvERD|STR|CTL LINE
Maryland and Capital Officers
Fire on Auto Carrying
Smoke Screen.
TWO OCCUPANTS FLEE
WHEN GAS is EXHAUSTED
Shooting of Three Tires Fails to
Stop Pair Until Bullet Pune
lures Fuel Tank.
BY staff Correspondent of The Star.

SILVER SPRING, Md, February 29.
Firing II shots at a fleeing automO-
bile laden with whisky, in a 15-mile
chase beginning near Ashton, Md, and
ending in Washington, Montgomery
County police early yesterday captured
the car containing l5S gallons Of
rye whisky and Is gallons of alco-
hol and a smoke screen device, police
say Two colored occupants of the car
escaped.
Nine of the II shots from the pistol
of Patrolman Laurence Dixon of the
local subStation struck the car, three
of them hitting tires. two puncturing
the gasoline tank, two striking the
motor and two more piercing tenders.
Although running on three fiat tires
during the closing stages of the chase,
the rumrunners did not abandon their
machine until the gasoline supply in
the bullet-pierced tank was exhausted
Varney Joins Chase.
Lieut.. Frank Varney of the second
precinct, Washington, joined the chase
Just before it reached the District line.
Repeated commands from Dixon. and
Varney made behind leveled pistols for
the rum runners to stop only resulted
in their attempting to wreck the Off
GERS cars by cutting from one side OF
the hlgnWay TO the OJner.
When the rum car stopped at Six
teenth and Montague streets, in Wash
ington, from lack of gas, both colored
men jumped from it and escaped into
nearby fields. The car was hauled to
the second precinct station and later
turned over to Federal prohibition au-
thorities.
Dixon, cruising in a police car near
Ashton about 3 o'clock Sunday morn
ing. noticed the large sedan bearing the
whisky and a smaller car near Browns
Corner, headed for Washington. He
started in pursuit and the smaller car
dropped in back of the larger one and
stopped suddenly in the road, attempt
ing to block his path, Dixon said. He
managed to pass this car and continued
behind the sedan, which had begun
emitting heavy smoke screen.
Fired Into Air.
Near Colesville, Dixon said, he fired
several shots into the air, but this failed
to halt the occupants of the rum car.
Further down the road he pierced the
gasoline tank and a rear tire, which
caused the sedan to leave the road and
go into a field. Righting the car, the
colored men regained the road and the
chase continued. Near Burnt Mills.
Dixon said, he shot one Of the front
tires of the car as it cut across the road
in front of him and attempted to wreck
him.
Reaching Silver Spring on the East
West Highway, Dixon shot the other
front tire. Lieut. Varney, who, with his
wife and friends, was coming from a
visit to friends in Woodside, joined the
chase at this point and directed Dixon
to continue into the District of Colum-
bia, the latter said
After reaching Sixteenth street the
two officers five times commanded the
rum runners to stop and threatened to
shoot them, but the colored drivers
only response was to continue his at
tempt to wreck the officers cars by cut
ting into them. The other colored man,
Dixon said, continued to work the pump
connected with the smoke-scr ap-
paratus as the chase continued in
Washington.