Corn Liquor Root of Trouble in Dunn Over Weekend, Aug. 9, 1921

Liquor Charges in Recorder’s Court. . . Corn Liquor Appears to Have Been Plentiful the Week-End

“Beaucoup” whiskey circulated around Dunn during the week-end, according to the docket that was ready for trial by Recorder Godwin yesterday morning. The colored men, especially, seemed to have landed in a melee of moonshine, and celebrated heavily, with the result of several being up for being drunk and disorderly.

Jim McDougal, charged with being drunk, when asked by the Judge if he was guilty, replied without hesitation: “I sho’ was drunk, Judge,” and was fined the costs. He stated that it was the first time he had been up for being drunk.

Annie Carrier, charged with cursing loud and boisterously on the streets of Dunn and having evidence of being drunk, was found guilty of cursing loudly and was fined the costs. She was also advised by the court that if she came up again for a similar offense, she would be sent to the county jail for 30 days. Three negro girls testified against Annie, declaring that she cursed them on Broad street, but there was evidence of some little quarrel between them.

Ed Womack and George Brown, rival bootblacks of the two Broad street barber shops, were up for trouble alleged to have occurred Sunday. George was charged by his competitor with attacking him with a knife in an attempted assault. Ed testified that George had gone off with some of his money to get whiskey for them, and trouble arose over the length of time he stayed away with his failure to come across with the goods.

The trial developed rather irregularly. George claimed that Ed had previously attacked him with a pistol in his hand, but there was no indictment of Ed for this. A warrant was then sworn out against Ed for this alleged assault. Also the fact that the two were after whiskey resulted in more trouble, and the state swore out a warrant against George for transportation of whiskey. These two cases were continued.

In the case of the alleged assault of George on Ed, judgment was withheld and continued on account of incomplete evidence, and the other cases to come up. Ed claimed that George ran him with the knife and threatened to cut him up.

Jasper Strickland, another negro, was charged with fornication and adultery. Due to the absence of the city attorney and lack of evidence on both sides, the case was continued for two weeks.

From the front page of The Dunn Dispatch, Tuesday, August 9, 1921