THE RUM-RUNNERS

Evening Post, Issue 59, 10 March 1924, Page 7

THE RUM-RUNNERS

FORTUNES MADE QUICKLY

BAD FOR ANGLO-AMERICAN

RELATIONS,

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.—COPTRICHT.)

(AUSTRALIAN-NEW ZEALAND CABLE ASSOCIATION.) LONDON, Bth March. The newspapers avid others are protesting against the growing activities of rum-runners,' which is inflaming United btates opinion against Britain, despite the recent agreement under which British, rum-running ships may be seized if within an-hour's steam of the American coast-.

, It is stated that huge fortunes are being made by a fleet of twenty-eight rumrunners which is said to he in charge of a .British baronet aboard his yacht. Sir John Stewart, the Dundee whisky distiller, who committed suicide last month, made a desperate attempt to restore his broken fortunes by chartering a I?. 366] ™h, ereby he h °Ped' make a Proht of £120,000 annually. He committed suicide only when unable to borrow enough money to stock the vessel with whisky. Further light was thrown on the romantic side of rum-runing in the High Court: of Chancery, to-day when the bpike Trading Company sued Captain Campbell for proceeds of 2037 cases of whisky. The company alleged that Campbell was trying to walk off with f 10,000, sterling. The defence successfully pleaded that the contract was illegal, as it was part of a conspiracy to break' the laws of the United States. The evidence showed that the company shipped-a cargo of whisky to Newfoundland in a sailing vessel, the Slary JMizabeth, . Campbell being, in charge of the sale of the cargo. He cabled £9987 sterling from New York, but refuged to give a detailed statement of account He made an affidavit wherein he stated that the crew was drunk and mutinous, that there was even bloodshed, including an attempt to murder Captain Horswill and the mate of the vessel. Campbell contended that he owed the company nothing, as much of the money was us«<* f°r bribery, or to meet blackmail. lhe Judge said that the defence was not creditable, but it could be justified, so h e refused to make an order to force Campbell to render an account.