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CEASESTO BE PASSWORDDeputy Marshals Raid Oasis in Negro Cemetery While.Society Folk MournNEGRO PASTOR-SEXTON IS NOW ON THE SCOUTJTired business men and society folk doomed to spend the summer In Mur- ^ kogee are today mot'trning the passing. fOf ‘ Lowe’i roadhouse, located in a \negro'cemetery north of Muskogee of which C. O. Lowe, well known negro hodUeggcr. moonshiner, preacher and eeipetery sexton, was proprietor.In the cool of the long summer evenings It ha* beep the custom of some of the higher-flying members of Muskogee society to climb into ltmous-lifts and sport cars with their *weet -hearts dr Wives or other men** wives j.and take the trail to Lowe's for a ,rendezvous With John Barleycorn, There they toyed with mint juleps and synthetic rye whiskey.Deputy Saw Sale* MadeJSHght before .last Deputy United States Marshal \Jack Fuller strapped • j on hi# pehrt-handled, silver-plated six- , shooter and sought #olace behind atomb© tone In Lowe*# cemetery*, thegraves of which heretofore have lt;givtn up other thing# besldo dead soldiers. From this vantage point he could oh- j,serve the comings and goings of so-1 *ciety folk a# they rolled up to the11 cemetery In their riiotor cars. He saw | several sale# of contraband liquor p made, gnd* sastlefied in his own mind ! lt;that he was about to make a rich lt;TI1Iiihaul, h* revisited . the cemetery again last night In company with Deputy Marshals Joe , Wicks, Burke Cowen, General Thomas and Policeman J. W Ragsdale. They were armed with a search, warrant.While ther-officer# stood in the shadows of shafts erepted to:the memoqrtwo fifthtosahly*»cora-paniod# w»Se*n In the offing. The party w,o» .Stopped, and the women bursting, dnto tears pleaded with the officers*-14 release them. The offl-esrk did,* hnd wtthheld the names, as“graveyard stuff.Deputy Burke Cowen, son of Grant Cowen of Okmulgee, an old-time deputy United States marshal, a stranger at the Lowe place, entered the house, and, according to the officers bought some liquor, whereupon the officer* broke in and after a thorough search of the place discovered a small hole in the concrete floor, stopped up with a cork. Uncorking the floor they discovered a rubber hose running into the basement, where a barrel, containing 50 gallons of “rye whiskey, encased In concrete smiled up at them, j, Nearby, a small pump was located ‘ whereby the contents of the barrel ] were extracted when thirsty society , i folk made their wants known.Got 100 Gallons in AltIn a born close by, a quantty of liq-ior was found and. in a large -pond dose to the house, more of the stuff was located, netting the officers In ill a haul of 100 gallons of “rye**, nost of which after being brought to he federal building about midnight was poured out. It is said some of he headstones also may contain ;aches of whiskey.Lowe was away' from home when the jfficers called last night, but his wife -vas acting as hostess and when the fficers entered she was interrupted n the task of pouring a quanity of 'rye” Into quart bottl*#.Members of the bootlegging fraternity expressed the opinion today that Lowe was off on his house-boat, which hey *ay plies the jaundiced waters o{ the rushing Arkansas, manufoc-uring a new supply of “moonshine.Eveh ‘Lowe, wife of the cemetery ja re taker, was today released on $1,000 jond for her appearance August 24 efore United States Commissioner Jl. 1$, MountcasUe. following a plea of lOt guilty. While her bond was being irranged. lxwe called up, but did not nake known his whereabouts. It is elieved he will not give bimself up jntll such time he ha* arranged for ondsmen. /Was Sexton and Pastor IRelying on his position as caretaker i the city’s negro graveyard, and as j astor of a small church nearby to sep him free from suspicion, Lowe, ccordlng to officers. transacted a lgantic liquor business right under te noses of his neighbors and the ,w.
Newspaper Details
Muskogee Times Democrat
Muskogee, Oklahoma, US
Thu, Aug 17, 1922
Page 6
Full Page
Clipped by
Drew S.
OK, USA 11 May 2021
Other Publications Near Muskogee, Oklahoma
Muskogee Democrat
Muskogee Phoenix
Muskogee County Democrat
Baptist Informer
Creek Baptist Herald
