Marceline Longcou, a story in southwestern Arkansas during the Prohibition
During the 1920s, Hempstead County welcomed the nationwide ban on prohibition. It was already (and still is) a dry county and a nationwide ban on alcohol would make it easier to keep people from sneaking liquor into the county, or so they thought.
Miss Marceline Longcou was a highly revered schoolteacher in Hope, Arkansas. She took the state line and taught that prohibition would wipe the scum from Hempstead County. Like most people in southern states, she spent much of the summer in the shade of her house. This was before air conditioning became available or affordable for houses. Marceline tried to stay comfortable in the humid summer heat.
But summer was also her most profitable months. Marceline was the county’s distributor for the Tree family’s illegal bootlegging business based west of Springdale. The Tree family covered their liquor business by running a carpentry business. That allowed quite a lot of travel that facilitated the distribution of their liquor distribution.
As the distributor of the Tree’s illegal booze business, Summer made more money for Marceline than her year’s pay teaching children. Privately, Marceline lived what would be a considerably comfortable life.
Marceline did not have to worry about money and some of her best customers were noted leaders of the community. She had Sheriff Kwikdraw in her back pocket, and she was the sole supplier of Pastor Marlow’s speakeasy which he ran out of the back of the Church of The Gooey Death and Discount House of Worship.
Marceline also got reckless. She started taking orders deliver (in sealed envelopes) delivered by her students. She would send confirmations back with the student, letting her buyer know when she would fill their order. She was amazed how much business she could get by taking orders at the school!
A newcomer to Hope became a good customer. In fact, he was one of those prized ones. When he called with an order, Marceline would load the wagon herself if there was no help available. That day, Marceline delivered a very large order to Mr. Maubrey’s store. He said it was for his niece’s wedding back east, but it was hard to find liquor ‘back there’.
He even gave Miss Longcou a hundred-dollar tip- nearly two thousand dollars in today’s money- for bailing him out. Marceline thought she should thank the man and offered to have sex with him. He was not bad looking and it could only help business in the future.
Mr. Maubrey was quite receptive, but he asked Marceline to disrobe first as he did not want to be distracted while she undressed. And that was Marceline’s mistake. She stood completely naked before Mr. Maubrey when he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and locked her hands behind her.
Marceline, with a somewhat concerned voice, says she is not into that kind of sex. Mr. Maubrey says “Neither am I. I’m from the Department of Revenue. I am arresting you for violating the 18th Amendment of the United States for illegal liquor sales and the likely failure to pay taxes on your profits.”
Mr. Maubrey led Marceline out of his ‘store’ as naked as when he arrested her.
“I have rights, you know” Marceline snaps.
“Not many” Mr. Maubrey says. “Once you are convicted, you are going to spend a long time in a federal prison unless they sentence you to be hanged.”
Miss Longcou is brought to the Hempstead count jail where Sheriff Kwikdraw allows her to dress before he takes what would be called her mugshots.
Marceline nearly whispers “You have got to get me out of this. That fed was talking about them hanging me!”
“Aw, Marceline, they won’t hang you. The feds use the electric chair these days” Sheriff Kwikdraw says consolingly.
But there are other twists in Marceline’s story. The Feds decided to let the state of Arkansas try Marceline first since the state still hanged condemned criminals. They decided to let the state try her first and only bring Federal charges if she got off in the state court.
Arkansas hired the best attorney they could get to take Marceline’s case. He did a surprisingly good job considering he was the son of the bootlegger that had hired Marceline and had built the gallows at the state prison where Marceline would be hanged if she was found guilty.
As it was, the evidence against Marceline was insurmountable. She was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged to death at the state prison in Little Rock. She would be held in the Hempstead jail until she could be transferred to the men’s prison where she would be executed.
Marceline could not believe her young life would soon end with her hanging from a rope around her neck.
Marceline was taken by train to the prison in Little Rock. Back then and even today, executions were conducted in one prison. She rode locked in stall in the mail and baggage car. In Little Rock, she met by a guard who walked her across the boarding platform. The guard says “You are quite lucky. You’ll be hanged in a week. Most prisoners are in there for years to life.”
The guard looked over Marceline wearing a simple blue dress and handcuffs and shackles.
“But the prisoners are all men though from what I hear, you wouldn’t be bored with all those guys…”
During the 1920s, Hempstead County welcomed the nationwide ban on prohibition. It was already (and still is) a dry county and a nationwide ban on alcohol would make it easier to keep people from sneaking liquor into the county, or so they thought.
Miss Marceline Longcou was a highly revered schoolteacher in Hope, Arkansas. She took the state line and taught that prohibition would wipe the scum from Hempstead County. Like most people in southern states, she spent much of the summer in the shade of her house. This was before air conditioning became available or affordable for houses. Marceline tried to stay comfortable in the humid summer heat.
But summer was also her most profitable months. Marceline was the county’s distributor for the Tree family’s illegal bootlegging business based west of Springdale. The Tree family covered their liquor business by running a carpentry business. That allowed quite a lot of travel that facilitated the distribution of their liquor distribution.
As the distributor of the Tree’s illegal booze business, Summer made more money for Marceline than her year’s pay teaching children. Privately, Marceline lived what would be a considerably comfortable life.
Marceline did not have to worry about money and some of her best customers were noted leaders of the community. She had Sheriff Kwikdraw in her back pocket, and she was the sole supplier of Pastor Marlow’s speakeasy which he ran out of the back of the Church of The Gooey Death and Discount House of Worship.
Marceline also got reckless. She started taking orders deliver (in sealed envelopes) delivered by her students. She would send confirmations back with the student, letting her buyer know when she would fill their order. She was amazed how much business she could get by taking orders at the school!
A newcomer to Hope became a good customer. In fact, he was one of those prized ones. When he called with an order, Marceline would load the wagon herself if there was no help available. That day, Marceline delivered a very large order to Mr. Maubrey’s store. He said it was for his niece’s wedding back east, but it was hard to find liquor ‘back there’.
He even gave Miss Longcou a hundred-dollar tip- nearly two thousand dollars in today’s money- for bailing him out. Marceline thought she should thank the man and offered to have sex with him. He was not bad looking and it could only help business in the future.
Mr. Maubrey was quite receptive, but he asked Marceline to disrobe first as he did not want to be distracted while she undressed. And that was Marceline’s mistake. She stood completely naked before Mr. Maubrey when he pulled out a pair of handcuffs and locked her hands behind her.
Marceline, with a somewhat concerned voice, says she is not into that kind of sex. Mr. Maubrey says “Neither am I. I’m from the Department of Revenue. I am arresting you for violating the 18th Amendment of the United States for illegal liquor sales and the likely failure to pay taxes on your profits.”
Mr. Maubrey led Marceline out of his ‘store’ as naked as when he arrested her.
“I have rights, you know” Marceline snaps.
“Not many” Mr. Maubrey says. “Once you are convicted, you are going to spend a long time in a federal prison unless they sentence you to be hanged.”
Miss Longcou is brought to the Hempstead count jail where Sheriff Kwikdraw allows her to dress before he takes what would be called her mugshots.
Marceline nearly whispers “You have got to get me out of this. That fed was talking about them hanging me!”
“Aw, Marceline, they won’t hang you. The feds use the electric chair these days” Sheriff Kwikdraw says consolingly.
But there are other twists in Marceline’s story. The Feds decided to let the state of Arkansas try Marceline first since the state still hanged condemned criminals. They decided to let the state try her first and only bring Federal charges if she got off in the state court.
Arkansas hired the best attorney they could get to take Marceline’s case. He did a surprisingly good job considering he was the son of the bootlegger that had hired Marceline and had built the gallows at the state prison where Marceline would be hanged if she was found guilty.
As it was, the evidence against Marceline was insurmountable. She was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged to death at the state prison in Little Rock. She would be held in the Hempstead jail until she could be transferred to the men’s prison where she would be executed.
Marceline could not believe her young life would soon end with her hanging from a rope around her neck.
Marceline was taken by train to the prison in Little Rock. Back then and even today, executions were conducted in one prison. She rode locked in stall in the mail and baggage car. In Little Rock, she met by a guard who walked her across the boarding platform. The guard says “You are quite lucky. You’ll be hanged in a week. Most prisoners are in there for years to life.”
The guard looked over Marceline wearing a simple blue dress and handcuffs and shackles.
“But the prisoners are all men though from what I hear, you wouldn’t be bored with all those guys…”
