Collection of all Gold Coast posts.
The Gold Coast didn't slow down in 1947 even after the 1946 crackdown that took place after a Rankin County Constable and bootlegger killed each other. Some Clarion-Ledger headlines give an idea of the lawless culture that defined the Gold Coast:
Prohibition was in full swing yet fell it fell afoul of the laws of supply in demand. Too many people in Jackson wanted to have a drink and too many would-be capitalists pigs saw an opportunity to sell them booze at black market prices. Bootleggers began operating in an area that came to be known as the Gold Coast in what was known as East Jackson several decades ago but is actually the east bank of the Pearl River in Rankin County. Flood control was virtually non-existent so the area was one of swamps and the river. Drinking, gambling, and general carousing flourished on the Gold Coast - until the law would come shut it all down. The forty or so years of the Gold Coast's existence saw a grown-up's game of cat & mouse take place between the bootleggers and the police. Friendly politicians got fat and happy off of the bootleggers until things got out of hand. Public outcry would then bring in a new crop of law and order politicians who busted the bootleggers - until the pendulum swung the other way at the ballot box.
The Gold Coast ended 1946 under the threat of martial law. A constable and bootlegger got into a fight and shot each other to death. The killing of a lawman brought in the law. The Gold Coast shut down but it apparently had the nine lives of a cat. The Gold Coast revived in early 1947 but was soon beset with more killings, burnings, and good ole ass-kickings. Two yewts managed to poison themselves when they purchased a brew that was a mixture of rotgut whiskey and iodine. Ouch. The Governor and Sheriff yet again thundered their outrage and began to raid the Gold Coast again but the Gold Coast was cultural kudzu. No matter what the law did, the demand for booze ensured that the bootleggers would find a way to peddle their wares.
There are some pretty entertaining and interesting articles posted below. Enjoy.
6 comments:
Fun reading on a Saturday night. Did they ever figure out who killed Catherine Rossi?
Haven't heard so much about "East Jackson" since the Oxford House threads.
They caught someone two years later but I have to dig up how it turned out.
Don't let them lead you to believe the bootlegging stopped. It continued UNDER the nose of a long standing sheriff of Rankin County for many many years with sons involved with underhanded dealings, brothels, and drug trafficking. I had a family member who was unlucky to be swayed into a business with them to hide it.
something like the war on drugs, but much more colorful.
There was bootlegging in Rankin County and Hinds County until liquor was legalized. There was casino type gambling in Hinds County. There were big time bookies in Hinds County. It was all known by LE. Everyone played by the rules and there was no violence.
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