A Jones County man was shot in a "scrap" at the Rankin County Gold Coast. The Jackson Daily News reported on April 6, 1938 that J.H. McBride of Laurel (age: 35) was shot with a twelve-gauge shotgun by Dan McMillan of Morton. Morton was held without bond. The shooting took place at the Last Roundup on Casey Lane.
Then there was the mysterious fire that later resulted in the arrest of Bootlegging Kingpin Red Hydrick. The Jackson Daily News reported on January 6, 1937 that the Colonial Club in East Jackson burned down. Damage was estimated to be over $10,000 (That is over $160,000 today). The fire was discovered by the night watchman around 4:00 AM, "long after everyone had left." The club was owned by Mike Morrisey of Vicksburg.
Governor Hugh White ordered a huge raid on the Gold Coast in 1937. Challenges to the raids were filed in court and ultimately wound up before the Mississippi Supreme Court. The Court ruled for the Governor and held that the raids were properly conducted under his authority.
The Governor didn't hesitate to put the opinion to use and turned his attention again to the Gold Coast. The Jackson Daily News reported Governor Hugh White ordered the National Guard to patrol the Gold Coast on a nightly basis on December 21, 1938. The Chamber of Commerce, still smarting over the loss of retail dollars to East Jackson, egged the Governor on in his actions against the Gold Coast. The Governor had ordered a huge raid that took place one week earlier. The reporter wrote:
National Guard officers tramped through the ghostly buildings that a week ago was the thriving Gold Coast of Rankin County again Wednesday night with a second warning from Governor Hugh White that unlawful activities must cease. The few caretakers and nightwatchmen about the places were told the Governor means business.
However, Governor White told the Chamber he was not going to
immediately confiscate property in the section where operators had been openly at business for many months during which no effort had been made to restrain their activities.
He said he planned to give the establishments ample warning to close up and mover their good and equipment before taking any additional action the situation demands. (KF note: How convenient for them.).
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State v. McPhail, 180 So. 387 (Miss. 1938)
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