Specie! Correspondence.
4 In news mm
P until the later part ot Sew
U tbe-Etefirsudemverveeebers-v
ates- for house numeral totall-
ties in Wee buss: would” CI!
(ornament enters and run ruunsrs. m
the water was high unending and totali-
tiss decreased: m it use lowshue wins.-
a large increase in both.
mores.
Prohibition Agents in
From
Despair at Task &
asthcfaw
Hap slim
bootleggersonmem" “B250;
coalition-
thavsst border over which liquor pour: into the United States elm“ unchechad. The adobe hut bellow is u Stanfield d
W: liens!
imbebsatouxh‘w
But the present sensation“: the W.
”was not more by-thostauoltho
Rio Grande. omcers have thrown up their
hands. and are exdeiming: ‘s‘tht‘ the
use?” Foroutotthehuudroholllll-
glen captured the in who have been con
victor! received extremely light sentences
and all of those tried on charge of murder-
ing oilcers have been acquitted.
Man killed and wounded It tilt m
point in the booze war. which has a trout
011,5WMMWOWMMM
sixty in thelast‘yeur, theoflessudi-
mate. and five or those killed have been
American 0W Federal “elite
and one police contain. one: olloel'lhuve
been seriously wounded. The five on
who nude, the ammo menace were
killed during the last- seven months.
At no place'withl'n the borders 0! the
United States ,_hu the fistulas between
smugglers a"; “timers on one sidesud.
prohibition 39%, on the other been as
deadly, so countless and so colorful as
around the El Paco district. When Vilh's
army was hammering at Juares therewere
fewer shots exchanged and fewer casual-
ties than in sills war over booze. "The
Island.”.-pea.rf. El. Paso. has been a smug-
glers' headquarters, literally a Verdun that
could nodbetahan. ~
Every Border Town Wet,
El Paso Wettest of All
Every American town on the border is
wet. but El Paso is the wettest. Enforce-
ment has become a farce. El Paso resi-
dents daily go to Juarez, where any of a
dozen saloons will guarantee to deliver to
him at his home in El Paso wine. whiskey..
gin. beer, mecca! or tequila, and he doesn’t
have to pay until it is delivered. Taxi»
cab stands, soft drink joints, barber shops
and hundreds of small residences in El
Paso have liquor for sale. This is Just for
the retail trade. There is a much larger
traffic daily .by wholesalers, who ship wet
goods all over Texas and to the East and
North in a tidal wave that even reaches to
New York.
The Shearman case was the straw that
broke the back of enforcement in the El
Paso district. On March 21, Arch Wood
and S. E. Beckett. Federal enforcement
officers. were shut and killed at the ranch
of C. P.-Shearman.- to-which they went in
search of booze. after having received a
tip that' twenty-one cases or liquor had
been stored there. Shearmnn, his three
sons and a ranch hand. were arrested. The
father and ranch hand were tried first and
they were acquitted. The sons were tried
at Midland. east of here. and they also
were freed. This trial was in September,
after which the prohibition oilicers became
discouraged, their raids decreased and they
Openly said: "What's the use?"
No chances with bands of smugglers have
been taken since. At the El 'Paso trial at
the case no fewer than 500 citizens were
examined before a.- jury could be selected,
the majority asking to be excused because
of their sentiment against prohibition.
Now Federal agents are citing this as
strong evidence that they are fighting the
public as well as bootleggers. and that the
public supports the illicit dealers.
It is estimated that $200,000 worth of
liquor. bootleg prices. is brought ’across tho
Texas-Mexican border daily and the string
glers get the lion's share of this amount.
Whiskey purchased at Juarez at $40 a case
is delivered on the American side for $75
and. then retailed at $15 to $30 a‘ quart; --
This dWe in price causes the smug- -
gler tol ny chance; this profit has ‘
induced ricans to become the ring
lenders in, gunning; this premium on
booze result in the death of live officers
here. to.say nothing oi those killed in the
army (unsung-rs. .
One Motu‘gat Load
mxmuor Worth $30,000
One a o o e crossing from Mexico
When at was found to contain 648
quarts of whifirey and 120 quarts of gin,
worth $20, 000. But the amount 01- liquor
seisedais very small as compared. to the
amount ich "coupes." In the Federal
building at El Paso are stored 700:gallon§
of liquor captured in-ralds, and oflcers say
this is only a drop of the amount which
was carried across during the last twelve
months.
The number of men brought to trial as:
bootlegsors. while seeminglylarse. doeenot
indicate. the extent or the trailc. for only ~ '
five per cent. of those engaged in violating
the law are taught. Nevertheless on just
one day recently Judge W. B. Smith found
lorty- two men before him for trial ls,
smugglers. _
The bootlegging forces for outnumber
the Federal month; than some 0! M
were killed El Pueblo ship-omen in‘
the field under James R. Shani}: as sum»
visor, who recently not“. :6. A. M.‘
hins. head of the 1111mm thee. which?
cooperates with the men: 000“? .
any: that he requires my additional men
to watch the border in or Peso county"
Customsenew‘whotosonessc
Munitions-does
ican customs guards at' Juarez. where an-
forcement is only a makeshift. has 150
guards for a territory extending from Pro-
sidio, Texas, to, Juarez, and these men-
work under laws that are elastic m
receive but $1.30 a day to feed and clothe
themselves and families and keep a horse.
and buy ammunition. Consequently there
are charges that these Maximo guards are
bought off daily for small amounts of
money. The officials on the American side
have bad to do all the work.
Death List of Smugglers
Numbers Fifty in a Year
Smugglers have been known to carry off
their dead and wounded utter a raid. so
their casualty list can only be estimated
by the agents. who placed it at fifty. count-
ing both dead and Wounded, for the year.
Here is a list at some of the known cus-
ualties since the first at the gear:
January 6——Gcrtrude Montlawa. Mexican
women, severely wouMed while carrying
a sack o! bottled-liquor across Rio Grande.
The woman had been sent over by a band
of smugglers! who sought‘ to protect her
by barrage fire. The smugglers continued
tiring in flout of't‘he woman as she waded.
As soon as she reached the United Stun
shore Federal officers opened fire on the
smugglers, who then began a fusillade
trorn three dittarem directionsu The bot.
tie-looted one hour, the women m shot
and her bag oi: whiskey commented. Ber.
oral of the smugglers tell and the extent
0: their injuries was not learned.
February lo-Lenm Lopes of Juarez,
killed- in battle batman srrlugglers and
American enforcement officers, Lopes be-
longing to the tonner.~‘ The fight took
place on "The Island," a strip ot-lsnd user
El Peso, and it lasted one but. Them
were twenty smugglers in the. party.
February 25—4“ Osteopathic: Ame}
icon customs officer, seriously wonder!
when he and two other offheqo'muted an
entire pooh train of smugglers heavily
loaded wim “1,006 After 1 short but
’severe W the officers captured «a
quarts of liquor. Biz W were!»
i'
[ff-“‘4 “”7“ m- ‘ iv'r' ”>9"
3'.
41'
to prevent
ling of liquor over
the Mexican '
bor Cf.
C C. Chase. U. S. Collector at E11
Peso, Tex, who {scars agenda in)!
“in: r
' the load or the train as it came across
the river and they were followed by four
horses and eight bur-roe, all heavily laden
W e
2—E..W. Walker. automatic-at~
rtauy shot in battle on "'rae
when a small any of otflcers
engaged nearly thirty massacre. This
fight lasted for two hours; the neuter-s
concealing ‘themeclvos in udobe hots-es and
trenches. fronr which they tired Their
Wot scrim hm Walker
ter the battle.
lurch lit—Jose Avila. smuggler killed
by. prohibition officers when he and four
companions refused to halt. officers elalrm
unmatthesmusmflredrtret. This
battle also occurred on "The blend," the
rum runner-Emilia themselves in the
brush. tum tied when Avita_ was killed.
and theQM mime forty W g:
with one”: by. . ; .
m err-hem at W cm
Buses Won attic-r: Corporal
Kma- sud mass Keller and Patron-ski,-
!
<
i
E ,
I
u
l
wounded wheaeoimtoresnueoteatoeoe-
men: officers ti miles above El Peso.
just opposite fir", tense.” MW
mlmmsflmmmm
fathom. mmmunnn
and lasted until W m firth. was
so furious 03% shot bloke whirl-I o! a.
street on: on the m Line and truffle
was stoned. However. a car was not to
an unmet-u from (use. sum to the
scene or the berth- Save-m”-
lmou-n to have been Ire-Isl or killed
the smugglers. however, escaped into
Mexico. v.
March Elk-Ramon Rena. annular.
killed by enforcement officers in the
southwestern part of El Paso. Rena, in
an automobile. rein-ed to stop. He jumped
from the car until-an tor the river-uni when
_ ordered to halt he refused and was shot.
' Sixty quires or tequila were found in his
, gr- Rona moflyaehauftwhyethieg
funeml procession was one of the longest
ever seen in El Peso, at least a hundred
automobile; filled with men and women
taking part. Moreement officers cite
. 9' thlil incident toprove where the sentiment
0!. the firbtic nus.
Harsh 2.1—8. E. Beckett and Arch Wood,
widely known Tune alert-meat office-t.
shot and killed on the ranch or C. P.
Sham-near Eli‘s-o. whenanned with
search warrants..~ "they went to search
the plane tor Walled liquor. Two other
ottlwe- awomnuuled them. Only one shot
wuinnr‘elby theotficcrlundthe‘twom-
mum-zoo "int-1m them-
at. fired fir-u. ..
Buy Hahn Watson, prohibition on.
mm:mortgny shoe in battle
with liquor More near Anthony. E. I.
He died My afterward. He was for.
real, e W in the W m
m V. .3. martian. atonement at.
flea, was shot in the chin and rim em
but survived.
Suns Moan Domination, smarter. shot ‘
deflintiflt‘tstweenenmtom
min-rm Anette Mothers
“William-often“
Jule rs—m Phoenix; mmwm‘
m “and killed. me. 30..
m mm; “£7 wounded by;
WMWWUWW
Wm
mummmmam
Bridse-
mrthelmfimdestflmranmofthechufmofemfromm Bound
dmtfimrmmdwmmmkfibammmmmmagmw
helm the rum runner: and American
(MI by any means. A score of males
could be entered. but: amass thre were
heavy annuities. or. iuueh'l house earned
the authorities checker! tins: up merely
as‘fli is the can work.”
“Not long before he was” killed. 8. E.
I Beckett and another ember had I running
W with smugglers, during which Beck-
euiexouwmoblle was pierced a dozen times
with bullets. The light was heat up by
the were, hawever. until the smugglers
Med their on our. and when the
two ottioers came up with it they recov-
erdfive gallons of alcohol, 198 quarts of
m and tort! quarts at tequila.
Two Who Knew No Fear
Long Were Marked for Death
Mod, Beckett and- Walher composed a
trio for whom the smugglers had been lay-
ing for a long two, as they hnew no tear.
had effected may captures ot smugglers
and 4nd seised larger quantities ot booze
than any tuber men in the service. In
three weeks Wood himself had recovered
a thousand quarts ot liuuor and 11,000
' grains of narcotics and five or the smug-
gler» automobiles: He was toocostly an
oihcer to have around. ‘He was making too
big a dent in the smugglers’ profits. His
death was not asurprise.
“The. Island." known as the smugglers .
paradise, on which so. many battles have
occurred, is a strip containing 500 acres.
twenty miles from El Paso and is. in his»
loan territory. In 1898~the United Sta-hes
dug a ditch to change the lists; course
or. the Rio ’ Glands. to prevent floods and
this formed the island. 'flie old river bed
marked the" boundary and. the tract 01
13335 mm on the American side,
remained Km Minna “No-Man‘s
Laud." Hostess: are busy day and, night
turning the river whsnit ialow,.eerr=yiug
thus: to theislsnd, where it is stored in.
adobe houses, audiin‘ trenches. This store
isdnwn mmtfluflythedemandsot
the W. nubile-
Wtu the Shear-man case, W. (1
Guam former Iorohihifion 0mm, whoso-
congealed Wand Beckett, testified at
the trhl tut c. P. Shannan. the when
flrflfim‘butthehflcrdeniadtbiaal.
was tube tired in self-datum. Two
a Paso Were testified that Walker
“sanctum hack of them Sheer-
m’smflomtfledmdflued m
John. stair in am More than at hon.
drod bullet holes were 1
house around which.
ouud in the Chicken
(t: “(’3- P Walker
e ounty Ci i
Court and a broth «Bert Walker 3 Fgr:
been in the Rim.
Smuggling Well Organized
For Has The Ten Years
smuggling has been a regular organized
arms and ammunition to Villistas
other Ileana illllfl'eotog at as muggy“:
profit as they mm at present.
some 1?? mass. Court records show them
ate. 0! merely switched products, not
The smuggler-e who made their living a
M “fins "’0. by bringing cocaine, mor-
phine m opium acres the line into this
country, have switched to a. large extent
to the booze. The narcotic smuggling has
merely decreased; it still goes on “Hop
heads" in the El Paeo jail hare told the
authorities that many users of nauoiiis
now bring their own "stuff" across because
the men higher up, the “big men' she were
wholesalers, have gone into lb:
smuggling business because of the heavy
demand and large profits. \‘one of the
"wholesalers” ever has been caugl. t.
Actually there are two islands”
smugglers use 88 headQuarteis. One is
five miles from town, and from thic r mile
E Pane gets its supply for horm= mmump-
tion. The other island, the one \x hcre so
my hot tights took place twenty miles
from town. is mined by a fine highway.
There is a daily stream of automobiles to
and from this island.
Motorists drive to the edge of the border
and 200 feet away is a line at saloon!
where men and women. mfi:t (2‘ them
Americans drink wine beer “hiskry
tequila or any other inloxlcant Uni r .amy
calls for. No passports are cu—r rm,» .n'ml
The cars load up with intoxirma m- «n the
Hquor
the
-return to El Paso and it is seivii "A. that
any are searched or any one is arrcsmi The
enforcement olflcers say; they are LII flier
this crowd anyway, that they are :-. .-
bis smugglers, the wholesalers. .or re,
Penalties Are Astonishing
If They Were Applied
The few who are convicted «if s= ‘JL'lll'LK.
the light. punishment given upwzi mm n-iiun
and the acquittal of men Charged u .13. knli‘
lag enforcement officers lliiiQ 1 ~ . .iIi118
contrast with what punishmtm a 5: ..ncxler
would receive it the law were cub ind to
its limit. it a smuggler were unwed
on all charges and given the win-cm: pen-
aities it would cost him $77.4 and -.lghly-
nine years in the penitentlde.
Here is what he is up against
isn’t:
importation of alcoholic (”1;
fine and five years in pris ~~
Transportation of liquor f". L'nmd
States—85.000 fine and fn» :mrs.
Concealment of Smur: it 3
$5,000 fine and five years
Facilitating transact-richer: a' 1 * ='-
merit of smuggled liquor—#553 f and
five years,
Transporting non-tux
81.000 fine and two years.
Comediing nun-tax {lilii
{intend two ycara.
Importing Lottie contrary to ‘..
fine and five years.
Facilitating transportnzi.»n
merit of smuggled batik-“$54.15" m!
five years.
Importing corks contrary in lane?) '-"L'
fine and five years.
Facilitating transportation .
meat of smuggled corkswfi-fifwl f::.e .
five years.
'Smlzxiing silver leaf on neck of :2: :
—-$5.000 fine and five year‘S.
Concealing and tacliiiatlng C“.":'CF.‘
of smuggled leaf—45.080 fine a:
years. '
MIN
13/ he
;:l.ii'!0
‘ A 10“ -
raid FT: z"—
1.13- rw .
liK’ififi'i“
(mi .4 .
Smuggling {inner (the labial—43.0“!)
fine and five years.
Transporting smuggled papchS'. . 0
fine and five years _
Concealing smuggled paper—$5 0-‘6 .u fme
and five years.
Besides all this the smuggler faces-4nd!
he doesn‘t—a charge-oi entering the United
states without a manner-t at an unauthor-
ized port of entry, (pr which fines agglo-
gate $10,000 and penalties total twenty
years in prison;
All 0,! which ought to warn»? the smug-
gler and put diatom in an enforcement- -
butit doesn't: —' ‘ -- ’ .
fiohtbttmn Unknown in Japan
.. HE blessing (tor-curator prohibition.
linenct mantra”: King»-
doun 3&4!un nearlrt‘we mouths
«spent wasp-wrote“ ma intoxicated
m thfiumflmdfllflnm
the “5‘13”“de indulge
ilmm. dsfiflmandthe
G j .y 5" e l"
mmmwamaumm-
new W' It the foreign
mnemmmmfielm
»uese.issbeus-, sues timothy fireworks
'glion! a! wine and other beverages
11314 figures were 172,,000 000 gallons of
saliva or six gallons to each household.
“kick.” It is new , Md hot and is
not particularly palata‘ ble. to the Western
taste. Sake. shops are numerous in both
cities and villages and provide “the poor
man’s club,” to which all classes of people
assert to discuss politics and other iulcr-
eating “9103 American 'soda parlors .m-
pal to the Japanese palate. Sunrises cf
various flavors are consumed in vast
amounts. One soda shop in the Ginm
(main street) or Tokio sells 2,004) sundae-9
a day in» hot wmther.
Ganent statistics published in Air
gm show that drinking is increasing
throughout: the empire despite thei at til: it
prices are double what they “ere in 15‘”
The figures tel-1919 show that during til
year 2“,;000009 gallons of sake here <- :ILM
”$80,900 gallons of beer and 23 ‘n.,muo
'I‘hc
Wes: mm Government agencies show
that in 1517 there were 113. 348 sake shops,
. 38,972 mm in the country employ
WM 52.!“ serum 63,894 waitresses and
47.818 pm. ..
Norwalk Chronicler