Newsreel - Thursday, January 16, 1919

“Congress convened in a special session today to ratify the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution: Spirits Abolished. The Amendment has three guidelines:

“ ‘1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating spirits within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the Jurisdiction thereof for such purposes is hereby prohibited.

“ ‘2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.’

“The third portion of the amendment is the usual:

“ ‘3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.’

“Various state and federal agencies have already placed an ultimatum towards facilities affected by the Amendment. On Friday, January 16, 1920, they will begin the seizure and destruction of any spirits on public property, and arrest and convict any persons involved…”


Monday, January 19, 1920. 12:31 AM
Charlotte, North Carolina

His feet crunched an endless pace in the snow as he walked back and forth in front of the cotton mill near Graham Street. He paused for a moment to blow on his hands and rub them together. The nature of the cargo he was trying to ship somehow made the winter air more chill. He looked over his shoulder momentarily, his dark blue eyes searching the shadows just beyond the open doorway, where the cargo lay. He turned back to the dirt road and began to pace once more.

Another man, seated on a wooden barrel, his eyes closed, back to the side of the building, and an M1917 “American Enfield” rifle cradled in his arms. “Sit down, Jesse. You’ll live longer.”

“They should have been here by now, Amos,” Jesse replied, pulling his hand nervously through his tussle of sandy blonde hair. “They should have been here last Thursday, before the deadline. I don’t like being out this late, not so close to the city.”

Amos opened his dark brown eyes. “I mean it, boy,” he said, the gravel of years carpeting his voice thickly, “Sit down before I have to shoot out your kneecap. They will be here. Never known Carter and his boys to miss out on one of our shipments before the deadline. Don‘t expect them to now.”

Jesse slowly paced back to the doorway and leaned against the frame. “What if they got ambushed?”

Amos turned his head towards Jesse, his eyes flashing angrily. “Don’t talk like that, boy. That’s bad luck.”

Jesse shrank back a bit and opened his mouth to respond, but the sound of a car turn from asphalt to dirt cut him off. Amos shouldered his rifle and slid a round into the chamber. Jesse began to sweat and dug nervously in his overcoat for the revolver he had “borrowed” from his brother. As the car approached the mill, the driver flashed the headlamps twice. Amos kept his rifle shouldered, but Jesse immediately sighed, relaxed, and pocketed the gun again.

“Is it all there?” a smooth voice called from the vehicle.

“Y-yes sir,” Jesse called back. Amos growled.

Carter, a tall, handsome, genteel man stepped forward, flanked by two rather hulking men. “Two cases on the ‘shine and a case of spirits, just like you ordered, sir,” Jesse nearly whispered.

“Amos,” Carter said, ignoring the younger man, “I had some complaints about the spirits from your last batch. Seemed they were a tad to powerful for out patrons to handle. Do you have an explanation?”

Amos gulped audibly, his face paling. “N-no sir! I made them the same way I’ve been making them for years. The boy can attest to that.”

Carter’s amber eyes flashed to Jesse. “The boy was there? Did he assist in making preparation?”

Amos started to sweat. “Yes sir, but I made sure he did everything right. There were no mistakes.”

“If there were no mistakes, then how come three of my patrons died?”

Amos paled even more. “I…I do not know, sir. I…can give you this batch for half-price if need be, to make up for any lost profits on your end.”

Carter cooled down somewhat and nodded to his men, who entered the mill, gathered the crates, and returned to the car. Jesses closed his eyes and shrank against the building when they neared. “Very well, Amos. I’ll take your word for it. I better not have any more trouble with this lot. Or you know what will happen.”

Amos nodded, but Jesse said, “What’s that, sir?”

Carter grinned devilishly. “Do you remember the murders on Tryon Street last year? Those men used to provide service for me as well.”

Jesse paled and nodded rapidly. Carter chuckled, returned to his vehicle, and left Jesse and Amos shaking in the snow…