Hide Article Text (OCR)
There was an exciting episode early last Wednesday morning at Fisher's Hill, Va., near Strasburg, when State prohibition officers stationed them selves along the Valley turnpike for the purpose of arresting two notorious bootleggers, Raymond Shackelford, aged 30 years, and L. 2. Hudson, aged 18 years, both of Danville, Va. Shack elford, Who was a former saloon-keep er, Was Motorious as a professional bootlegger and a desperate character, and it is said that he had boasted that he would shoot anyone who tried to arrest him. The two men were known to have gone to Baltimore for a cargo of liquor, and when they started on the rewrn trip W, C. Mall and five other prohibition officers from Richmond ar ranged to intercept them. They placed themselves at Cedar Creek, along the pike, and stopped and examined at automobiles passing south. When Shackleford and Hudson came along they were ordered to halt and were in formed that they were under arrest. The officers declare that Shackleford, who was driving the car, put on full speed and rammed a car that had been placed across the road, defying the of ficers who attempted to stop him. He ran into two of the men, the officers say, knocking them down, and as one of the detectives jumped on the run ning board of his car Shackelford be gan shooting. The detectives returned the fire, killing Shackleford and wound ing Hudson so badly that he died Fri day morning. They found 239 quarts of whiskey in the car, which had been bought Baltimore. Both of the whiskey runners were armed with auto matic revolvers and had pockets full of cartridges. The dead body of Shackelford ws taken to Winchester and Hudson ws also removed to that place and put in the hospital, where he afterward died The detectives were arrested, but so good a man as Judge E. D. Newman, of Woodstock, went their bail, and they were released at a preliminary hearing. An effort was put forth to have it ap pear that an attempt was made to mob the officers in Winchester. The fact seems to be that a considerable crowd gathered out of curosity when the tragedy became known, and a few hood lums and boys misbehaved themselve. They did not voice the sentiment of r epectable citizens. While the occurrence was an un fortunate one, the two lawbreakers brought their fate upon themselves. They had been brazenly and wilfully defying the law and the officers sworn to enforce it, and their threats to shoot anyone who attempted to interfere with their wretched business justified the officers in restarting 40 extreme mess ares. There has been a great deal of whiskey running from Baltimore, and that city has brought disgrace up on itself by its collusion with the boot leggers. Legitimate business has suff ered considerably because of the dis gust of reputable country merchants with the Baltimore booze trade.
Newspaper Details
Shepherdstown Register
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, US
Thu, Apr 03, 1919
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Cheryl W.
