100 Years Ago: Sheriff, Deputies Arrest Two for Making “Poison”

On Sunday morning, October 15, 1922, after surveilling the Driskill community for some time, Sheriff J.E. Currie and his deputies arrested John Pyles and Jap Bowman in separate arrests for violating prohibition laws.  Deputies located a whiskey still on the back of John Pyles’s farm and another on the back of Jap Bowman’s farm.  On that Sunday morning, deputies caught Jap Bowman in the act of preparing the still for making the “poison.”  Both men were arrested and held on $1,500.00 bond each.  Sheriff Currie was certain that he had sufficient evidence for convictions of both men.

Bonus:  Fifteen tramps, sometimes referred to as hobos, stole a ride on an eastbound Vicksburg, Shreveport and Pacific train.  25 tramps jumped a train in Shreveport.  At Gibsland, railroad employees put the tramps out of the train.  15 of them snuck back onto the train as it departed at Gibsland.  The train passed through Arcadia without incident.  However, the train derailed when it was about three miles west of Ruston.  17 freight cars caught fire and were completely destroyed.  Of the fifteen tramps aboard the train, only eight were accounted for.  Seven were believed to have perished in the accident.  

Source: Bienville Democrat, October 19, 1922, p.1.


To report an issue or typo with this article â€“ CLICK HERE