The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1949-08-11
THROUGH
HAZEL
EYES

weekly newspaper pupllsner In
Mississippi.
On August 5th I attended the
funeral of a man who has been a
friend to me for most of those
thirteen years-Ben Wilkes,
Greenville attorney and a native
citizen of Durant.
The saddest part of being a
country editor is to record week
by week through the years the
deaths of beloved friends - m
these past thirteen years there
have been many - and the List
grows ever longer.
Now Ben Wilkes must be ad-
ded to the list of those gone on.
Ben needs no eulogy from me-
or from anyone. The life he
lived among his neighbors speaks
more eloquently than words ever
could. He was a friend to man
and he did good wherever he
could-and that is the highest
type Of praise.
felt particularly close To Ben
because when / was in trouble
he came to NEEDING everything
he could-and 4 was much-with-
out being asked. His many deeds
pf kindness were always done
without fuss or show-and he
showed no partially in those he
helped-whether 1t was a men,
Der of the Bible class he taught,
q young man struggling to get a
start in life, or a man in jail.
Holmes county--and Durant
particularly 49, should be proud,
and is, I'm sure, to produce such
men as Ben Wilkes-highly re-
garded by those who knew him
as a Christian gentleman, an hon.
est and gifted attorney, a devoted
husband and brother.
Members of his family have the
sincere sympathy Of all their
friends in Holmes county.
In the news columns of this
paper last week there was Ear
ried what waste us-an inter-
esting story. It was concerned
with recent raids made by Sher-
if Ellis E. Wynn and his deputies
on six alleged bootlegging joints
with a resulting haul of only 5h
cases Of assorted liquors-most OF
II taken from bitches and cotton
patches just off the premises Of
these establishments.
This paints for us a very clear
picture Of what is going on in
Holmes county now in regard to
b~ootlegging.
Sure, the boys are still selling q
little whiskey-and will continue
to do so as long as you and you
and you continue to buy it. But
they are doing IT in bootleg fas-
hion. They are hiding 1t in drain
culverts and under bridges and In
cotton patches near their premis-
es. They don't have it out on the
shelves any lore.
Which reminds me and
should remind you-that Sheriff
Wynn is still doing a good job in
keeping prohibition laws enforced
in Holmes county.
Something else-you don't see
the one-armed bandits, otherwise
known as slot machines, here
anymore. If there's a slot ma
chine out in Holmes county we
haven't heard about it and we
know Sheriff Wynn hasn't either.
Mr.. Wynn is doing a good job
on law enforcement and should
have the support and cooperation
Of every good citizen of Holmes
county-if nothing else you could
give him a word of encourage
ment by telling him you appre-
ciate his whole hearted efforts to
clean up the county and create
public respect for law enforce
ment.
In reports made we see where
the Sheriff's office turned in to
the Holmes county treasury dur
ing the year 1948 the sum of
$3,775.00 in fines in connection
with whiskey violations; and
that so far this year he has turn
ed in SIS, 10000 in fines-and the
latter is only for seven months
so it seems that it means money in
the county treasury to have a
sheriff in office who is working
day and night to catch law viol-
ators. Already he has executed
IA search warrants for whiskey
this wear, n every 80 days.
During l948 he made 1873 raids for
whiskey.
If there's anyone in the county
who thinks ne could do better
I'm sure the sheriff would be
very happy to get the benefit o.
his service and advice. When Mr
WYNN went in we recall he said
that his office would be open al
ali times to the citizens OF Holme:
county and that he sought YOU
cooperation and helpful counsel a
g.