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The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    ‘Demon Rum’ intoxicates capacity crowd

    Louisiana is historically known as having been a safe haven for pirates, smugglers and profiteers. Capitalizing on this notoriety, the department of history and political sciences started their annual “Then and Now” lecture series with the presentation “Delivering Demon Rum: Prohibition Rum-Running in the Gulf of Mexico.”

    The lecture was presented by assistant history professor Dr. Randy Sanders and took place on Oct. 4 at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville, La.

    Prohibition was never popular with the south, a point that Sanders stressed. According to Sanders, when asked what was being done to stem the tide of illegal alcohol flowing into Louisiana, former Gov. Huey Long said, “Not a damn thing.”

    It was not long before Louisiana mariners found a new, if not quite legal, means for profit amidst the economic turmoil of the early 21st century. Soon, New Orleans harbored over 100 ships of all types being utilized in the contraband rum trade.

    Sanders pointed out that as the rewards grew, so did the risks. Smugglers known as rumrunners would often run their boats without lighting at night, sometimes in heavy fog. They had to not only contend with an ever-modernizing Coast Guard, but also with pirates looking to plunder their cargos.

    The climax of Sanders’ presentation was the chronicling of the 1929 sinking of the Canadian schooner I’m Alone, which was a vessel allegedly smuggling approximately 6,000 cases of liquor. The schooner was ordered to heave to by the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Walcott, an order that the schooner’s captain, Jack Rendell, vehemently refused. A long chase ensued, with many shots fired from the Walcott into the unarmed schooner.

    Eventually, the Walcott and another cutter, Dexter, succeeded in sinking I’m Alone. The boatswain of I’m Alone perished with the vessel, but the remainder of the crew survived to be jailed aboard the Dexter.

    This sinking of an unarmed ship 200 miles outside of U.S. territorial waters sparked an international incident. The outrage was so great that eventually the crew of I’m Alone was released and the charges dropped.

    There was a special treat for attendees, as in the audience sat Dave Stefferud, the son-in-law of one of New Orleans’ most famous commercial boat builders, Andrew J. Higgins. He provided further information when the question arose about the boats used for smuggling alcohol.

    Higgins constructed many of the landing craft that the allies used to invade France on June 6, 1944. What many people do not know is that Higgins built boats for both smugglers and enforcement officials alike in the days before World War II.

    Stefferud provided his own insight on the topic by speaking about his father-in-law’s designs and their implications.

    “I love the way historians pull things together,” said Dan Llewellyn, biology instructor. “Louisiana really was a smuggler’s paradise.”

    Sanders remained after the lecture to answer questions from audience members, and refreshments were made available by the department of history and political science.

    “We wanted to get a lot of people to come out, to talk about history and have a good time, and I think we did that,” said William Robison, department head of history and political science.

    A complete list of remaining “Then and Now” lectures can be obtained by contacting the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts by phone at 985-543-4366.

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