3.9.2021 [archived ~ previously published 9.13.2020]  

It’s always fun to get information from other sources than just the newspaper. And it just so happens, I have a few to enhance the Prohibition stories of Bigfork and Effie.

Moonshine Meant Food

The Prohibition years overlapped with the Great Depression.  Sometimes making moonshine was a way to put food on the table. David Patrow, son of homesteaders Orin and Katherine (Costello) Patrow, illustrated this in his booklet Bigfork Valley Memories.  Dave was born in 1911 and was probably about fourteen years old when this incident took place.

“A lot of my neighbors made some moonshine. I remember one guy that used to get religion and quit making it.  One day he came along to our place and was kicking about being hard up, so my dad told him, ‘Doc,’ he said, ‘there’s only one thing to do, and that is to get the kettle out.’ Doc threw up his hands and said, ‘I’ll starve first!’ Dad answered, ‘If you change your mind, I’ll stake you enough stuff to get you started.’ In less than a week, Doc was back looking for enough money to get some sugar.  He justified it by saying he saw it in the Bible, ‘Give strong drink to the weary.’

“Later, his wife took the boy [their son] and left him.  He got to drinking too much of his own product, and they found him drowned in the river.  The story goes he had a pint of moonshine in one pocket and a Bible in the other.” [Vol 1 1989,Chapter titled The Moonshine Era]

I found this article in the April 29, 1927 issue of the Bigfork Times and wondered if it could be about the same individual. “Tuesday forenoon Ed Hamilton discovered the body of a man in the Big Fork River near his place in Busti, and notice was immediately given to Deputy Sheriff A. Peloquin of Bigfork and Coroner W. Herreid of Deer River who proceeded forthwith to make investigation which revealed the fact that the body was that of William Daughter.

“Mr. Daughter’s home was near where the body was found, and he was last seen by any of his neighbors about a week before.  It is supposed that he was crossing the river in his small boat and that the boat had capsized, and as the water is very high and swift, the unfortunate man was unable to save himself. The remains were taken to Deer River for interment. Mr. Daughter had resided in Busti with his family for a number of years and was quite well and favorably known in these parts.  For the past year, his family – a wife and son – have been making their home in Colorado where they will receive the sad news.”

William Block

Another character, William Block (in some places, the name appears as Black), was caught by deputy sheriff Jesse Harry and George Keenan in 1922.  “Block was located on the banks of a small creek a mile and a half southeast of Effie.  He had been away for some time and had just nicely got his still working again.  He had only a couple of gallons moonshine whiskey run off but was stoking the fire to make more when the officers came.  He was arraigned and bound over to the next term of the court under a $1000 bail, which he was unable to furnish.”

Several years later, when law enforcement responded to complaints about moonshiners instead of searching out liquor law violators, Mr. Block was again under scrutiny.  At this time, he was living at Farm Camp on the Rice River.  “Sheriff Harmond and a force of deputies accompanied by Deputy Peloquin of Bigfork made a trip to Black’s place last Friday and thoroughly searched his place and surrounding for such evidence as had been reported, but were unable to find any evidence that would warrant arrest for violations of the liquor law.” [Bigfork Times 6-24-1927]

Frank Werthner

Gene Rajala was born a few years after prohibition was over, but he was well aware that his great grandmother’s second husband, Frank Werthner, made moonshine.  Gene shared the following, “Frank and Jess Bowerman were both trappers.  They also made moonshine.  It was important to have a moonshine operation hidden away, and theirs was about five miles from the nearest road.  They had to carry the corn and sugar into their ‘camp.’  In the late 1970s, we went out to see if there were any signs of the old place. Frank knew right where it was, but as expected, there wasn’t anything left to identify it. I know Frank was arrested and did spend time in jail.”

To Gene’s amazement, I was able to find a newspaper article that detailed his step-great grandfather’s arrest. “Frank Werthner, who lives on a homestead in Bustitown, was arrested by Deputy Sheriff Dunn, who found a still, some mash and several quarts of moonshine at the homestead.  He was given a jail sentence of 45 days.” [Grand Rapids Herald-Review 9-12-1923] The story was short, but it verified the folklore which means a lot to any family.

Harry and Harry

In the mid-1920s, there were two men named Harry, who made a substantial amount of moonshine in Bigfork’s backwoods.

Harry Myers was born in Ohio in 1894.  He lived in St. Paul and worked as a locomotive crane engineer in 1917 when he registered for military service.  In 1924, Myers obtained the distinction of having the largest moonshine operation ever located in the county.

“Myers was lying on top of one of the tanks calmly smoking a cigarette when the officers entered.  He made no resistance.  In each of the four corners of the cabin was a mash tank, each with a capacity of 400 gallons.  All the tanks were full, the officers destroying more than 1600 gallons of mash.  Each tank had a different mixture.  One was filled with corn, one with corn, rye and figs, a third with peaches, and the other with apricots.  Myers showed the accurate knowledge of the distiller.  He knew the chemistry of every beverage and could provide almost any brand.

“In addition to the mash, the officers seized a 90-gallon still, 1500 pounds of sugar, 6 cases of molasses, a 10-burner gasoline stove, and 15 gallons of moonshine.  The moonshine, still, and other necessary evidence were placed in and on the car, and with Myers taken to Grand Rapids.  All of the other material was destroyed.  The tanks were drained, and the entire outfit, including the cabin, was soaked with kerosene and fired.  The destruction was complete.” [Itasca News 4-5-1924]

Harry Frances Clark was born in 1895, and by 1920 was working at the Itasca Paper Company (later renamed Blandin Paper) in Grand Rapids. A year after Myers still was destroyed, Clark’s operation was also dismantled.

Find Huge Still East of Bigfork ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 5-20-1925

“Deputy Sheriff Chas. Tupper of Bigfork brought in Harry Clark, who is charged with operating a still in a remote location near the game refuge, several miles east of Bigfork.  The still was a huge affair well equipped with coils and pipes.  Some mash and some manufactured moonshine were also taken. Clark expressed a desire to plead guilty and will doubtless be sentenced by Judge Stanton while he is in Grand Rapids.”

Transporting Moon

Martin Staley was arrested several times during a six-month period in Bigfork for transporting liquor. He must have thought it to be a profitable endeavor even with the minimum fine being was $50 and 30 days in jail. At some point, though, the judge upped the ante.

In May 1925, Staley was arrested with twenty gallons of moonshine in his Ford coupe. In addition to a jail term of 90 days and a fine of $300, his car was confiscated and sold by the county.

3.8.2021 [archived ~ previously published 8.23.2020]

Making arrests, especially during Prohibition, could be hazardous, even in Itasca County.  In July 1922, John Lence caught wind that his home in Taconite had been searched for moonshine and that law enforcement was looking for him.  A train ran between Grand Rapids and Duluth several times each day. Lence was expected to be on the evening train and, if so, would disembark at the Holman station just east of Taconite.

Earl P. Hyatt and Howard Harmon are identified as deputy sheriffs and employed at the Oliver Mine as policemen.  As mentioned in a previous article on Prohibition, there were no specific guidelines for the enforcement of the Eighteenth Amendment when it took effect in January 1920.  It appears that in Itasca County game wardens and mining company policemen had the authority to make illegal alcohol arrests. Hyatt and Harmon were waiting at Holman station.  When Lence got off the train, they planned to place him under arrest.  Lence had already decided as to how he wanted to deal with the situation. He shot both men, claimed self-defense, and was found guilty of murder less than two months later.

Moonshiner Shoots Two ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 7-5-1922

“Enraged because his activities in disposing of illicit liquor had been discovered, J.L. Lence, former Oliver policeman at Taconite, shot and seriously wounded E.P. Hyatt and Howard Harmon, Oliver patrolmen and deputy sheriffs, last Monday evening.  The shooting occurred at Holman, the Great Northern station nearest to Taconite, just as Lence stepped off the evening train to return to his home in Taconite.  Four shots were fired by Lence, three taking effect in Hyatt, and the other in Harmon.  Hyatt was shot twice through the neck and once in an arm, while Harmon was shot through the left breast, just above the heart.

“It appears that activity in moonshining was suspected of several individuals in Taconite, so the officers came to Grand Rapids on Monday and secured search warrants.  A search of three houses resulted in the arrest of Paul Salitero and H.N. Steinhart, and the finding of evidence in the Lence home.  Lence himself was away, however, and Hyatt and Harmon took the evidence they found and brought it and their two prisoners to Grand Rapids.  They then returned to Holman to await the arrival of Lence, who was expected on the Merry Widow train.

“Evidently, Mrs. Lence, or someone else knowing his location during the day, had telephoned him of the officers’ action, for when he got off the train, he had his heavy revolver in his right hand, carrying his grip in front to conceal it.  Seeing Hyatt and Harmon awaiting him on the platform, he opened fire as he stepped from the train, dropping both at once.  He then ran from the platform, and took the road to Taconite, escaping in the gathering dusk. His wife ran behind him, shielding Lence so that others who were on the platform could not shoot the escaping criminal.

“Word of the shooting was telephoned to the office of the sheriff in Grand Rapids and the Oliver police headquarters in Coleraine as soon as possible, and the injured men were taken to the Coleraine hospital.  The entire section between Holman, Taconite, and the mine pits to the north was surrounded, for it was thought Lence was hiding there.  Instead of that, however, he escaped through the cordon of guards and walked to a point two miles west of Coleraine, where he secured a lift from Claude Merritt of Deer River, who had been on the range and who was returning home.  Reaching Grand Rapids, the gunman first secured a lunch, and then went to the county jail and asked to be locked up, saying he had shot the officers.  He was immediately accommodated, and the hastily formed posse called in.”

The following day, the Iron Range News reported that while at Duffy’s restaurant, Lence heard that everybody knew what had happened and he told Deputy Sheriff Ed LeFevre that “he would no longer try to make his getaway.”

Although every effort was made to save Hyatt’s life, he died from the gunshot wounds two weeks later.  Immediately following Hyatt’s death, Judge Charles Stanton called a special term of the district court in Grand Rapids.  The term was scheduled to begin August 17. Both grand and petit jurors were drawn for the purpose of trying Lence, who was now charged with the murder of Hyatt.  It was one of the first murder trials in the county since women had the right to vote and be part of a jury. Alma Chalberg, the wife of Charles Chalberg of Goodland, “was ‘foreman’ of the [grand] jury which was made up largely of women.” [Iron Range News 8-24-1922]

John Lence

John Henry Lence was born about 1874.  At trial he stated he was from Kentucky, but the information in the 1930 and 1940 federal census records indicate he was born in Tennessee.  It is not known what brought him to Itasca County or when he arrived.  There is a Charles and Clara Lence in Bass Brook as early as 1905, but they were born in Iowa and Minnesota, respectively.  John Lence was married at the age of 42, and there are no known children.  He told Judge Stanton that while in Minnesota, he had lived a short time in Bemidji, Deer River, and Cohasset. When he got the job at the Oliver Mining Co., he and his wife lived in Taconite.  I have found no information on Mrs. Lence, other than that she died between 1930 and 1940.

Major Earl Hyatt

Earl Pearl Hyatt was born in Anoka, MN, in 1881.  He married Catherine Stewart, and together they raised two sons, James and Irving.  The 1910 Federal census shows the family living in Anoka, and Hyatt working as a store clerk.  Hyatt received the commendation of major during his nearly 20 years in the army.  He started as a member of the Minnesota National Guard in 1899, and by the time he returned from France after WWI he was a major.

The 1920 census shows Hyatt’s family living in Anoka, but he is not listed in the household. The Grand Rapids newspaper stated that he had been a deputy sheriff in Deer River before taking the job as a policeman for the Oliver Mining Company. Perhaps upon returning to Minnesota, he came north in hopes of securing a good position before moving the family.  General Albert F. Pratt was Colonel in the regiment in which Major Hyatt served in the army.  He was a friend of Hyatt’s and agreed to aid the prosecution in the trial of Lence, the man who killed his comrade.

Trial

The murder trial of John Lence began on Tuesday, August 22, with the selection of ten jurors from a pool of sixty men and women.  The following day, after two more jurors were secured, the presentation of evidence began.  There were fifteen witnesses for the prosecution and six for the defense.  Lence pleaded he shot in self-defense and, while on the stand, stated that the officers struck him with clubs. By late afternoon on Thursday, the case was given to the jury who returned a verdict several hours later.

Found Guilty of First Degree ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 8-30-1922

“‘Guilty of murder in the first degree.’ This is the verdict of the jury that tried J.L. Lence for the murder of Earl P. Hyatt, Taconite patrolman for the Oliver Iron Mining Company and deputy sheriff of Itasca County.  The evidence was all heard, the attorneys made their pleas, and the case was given to the jury, on Friday afternoon at 3:30.  It is reported that the jury determined the guilt of the defendant in less than ten minutes after entering the jury room, but that the degree which should be named took them several hours to decide.

“Judge Stanton and a large number of interested spectators were in the courtroom when the announcement was made late Friday evening that a verdict had been agreed upon.  The judge took his place on the bench, and the jury filed in.  After the verdict had been read, each member of the jury stated that it was his or her verdict.  The judge then congratulated the jury members on performing a difficult and disagreeable task in a satisfactory manner and discharged the members.

“The sentence was then passed upon Lence, who was present in the courtroom with his attorneys.  Judge Stanton imposed the penalty of imprisonment at hard labor in the state prison at Stillwater ‘for the term of your natural life’.

“During the trial, the defense attempted to enter a plea of self-defense in the killing of Hyatt and the shooting of Harmon.  This was disproved, however, by the testimony of a number of eyewitnesses who showed conclusively that no attempt was made to strike Lence or injure him in any way before the shooting was started.

“It is the general expression of opinion that the state’s side of the case was presented in the best possible manner by Ralph A Stone, County Attorney.  Mr. Stone worked diligently in the preparation of the case and presented the evidence in such a manner that it was clear to the jury, beyond doubt.  The summary disposal of this case, and the immediate sentence of the guilty man, will do much to put Itasca County on record as a place where law and order are to be upheld, and criminals punished.”

The jury for the trial included seven women and five men.  The newspaper listed the women by their husband’s names.  Instead, I chose to identify them by their birth name first. Elvira “Vie” (Crabill) Gary, Cohasset; Josephine Syverine (Noderhaug) Bartels, Cohasset; Emma Ruth (Sturgeon) Franti, Bovey; Eldora “Hattie” (Zimmerman) Franks, Coleraine; Mary (McDonald) Harlin, Marcell; Margaret (Benzing) Passard, Grand Rapids; and Mrs. G. Hill, Marble.  I could not find Mrs. Hill’s given name.  The men were: Albin Rudquist, Third River; James Duffy, Grand Rapids; John Rush, Bowstring; Ed Bowman, Nore; and Ernest Sweedman, Max.

3.7.2021 [archived ~ previously published 8.9.2020]

It is safe to assume that long before January 17, 1920, when Prohibition was official, those who planned to make alcohol for human consumption had stockpiled the ingredients needed – grain and fruit or sugar. Because moonshine was made in secret, there are no standardized measurements, so it was often trial and error.  Basically, it was equal amounts of water and corn or a malt grain (rye and/or barley) plus a one-quarter ratio of sweetener. 

“Five gallons of water, five gallons of grain, and 10 pounds of sugar. This mixture is stirred together and needs to be covered to allow for fermentation, which can take a couple of weeks. 

Distillation is the process of separating a mixture of liquids with different boiling points. In this case, we’re trying to separate ethanol (alcohol) from water. Pure ethanol boils at 78.4 degrees Celsius, and water boils at 100 degrees Celsius, so heating the mash will make the ethanol boil off first.

A still has three separate parts – something to heat the liquid, something to help water vapors condense before they escape the apparatus, and something to cool and trap the alcoholic vapors. These parts are the vat, column, and condenser.” [https://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Whisky-Still]

Obviously, those manufacturing moonshine went to great lengths to hide their illegal operation and any outward signs that might indicate they had a second occupation. Containers of mash and homemade stills were found in barns and attics, sheds out back, and even in a rented room of a boarding house.  Two types of ingenious locations were deep in the ground and deep in the swamp.  

Deep in the Ground

The Grand Rapids Herald-Review reported that Nick Partina of Calumet had a two-story basement, and it was in the lower level that his moonshine set up was found.  “Sheriff Carson and Deputy Sheriff Jesse Harry went to Calumet and examined several places suspected of harboring moonshine operations.  At the Partina residence, they investigated the house first and later searched for a cellar.  Finding a trap door in the linoleum they were assured by Mrs. Partina that they would be unable to get into the basement there and that it was not in use.

Sheriff Carson swung down into the basement, however, and aided by a flashlight began an investigation.  No evidence was found here, but upon kicking aside a pile of old boards and other rubbish in the basement corner, a second trap door was found.  This being lifted, they discovered a flight of stairs leading into a second cellar 10 feet deep. A complete still for the manufacturing of moonshine was found together with more mash in several stages of preparation.  Several gallons of moonshine were seized and the still taken as evidence along with samples of the mash.  This unusual basement was equipped with electricity for lighting and also for heating an electric heater being used for making the mash.  [3-23-1921]

George Stupar immigrated from Croatia in 1916 and settled on the Iron Range.  He lived just north of Nashwauk, and had his moonshine still cleverly concealed until February 19, 1922, when he was arrested.  The officers searched for quite a while as they were sure he had an illegal alcohol manufacturing operation on the premises.

“Noticing in one place where the ground appeared to have been recently disturbed, a pick was secured, and a trap door found.  Lifting this disclosed a flight of stairs that led down into a pit or cellar, well walled up with timber, and which contained several barrels of mash and a copper still of large capacity.  The fermented mash was cooked on a common wood stove, and the pipe was led from the stove to the surface of the ground, where it was connected with another old stove that was used for heating water with which to wash clothes.  Anyone noticing the smoke coming from the old stove on the surface of the ground would have thought it had recently been used for heating water and would not have looked close enough to see the pipe leading up from the sub-cellar below.  The arrangement fooled the officers for some time, but the puzzle was finally solved.

Stupar pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ninety days in the Itasca County Jail.” [Grand Rapids Herald-Review 2-22-1922]    

It had been rumored that Matt Piispanen, who lived near Max, had been making hooch for his neighbors, but no one mentioned that the still was under their Finnish bathhouse. “When the officers investigated Piispanen’s place, he claimed he did not drink and that he did not like anyone who handled intoxicating liquor.  A search of the house, however, revealed loose boards in the floor of one room.  When these were raised, two barrels of mash were found, one of them ready for the still.  Encouraged by this success, the officers searched the bathhouse and found the still constructed from copper tubing and a wash boiler underneath the floor.  They were now determined to investigate all the floors, and underneath the floor of the garage found two five-gallon jugs, one two-gallon jug, and two kegs filled with moonshine. Piispanen is bound over to await the district court’s action, charged with the manufacture of liquor and possession of a still and mash.” [Grand Rapids Herald-Review 3-4-1931]

Deep in the Swamp

I have two examples of moonshine operations located deep in swamps, and one that was never discovered.

Jeff Bishop, a Reminisce reader from Grand Rapids, shared a story his father-in-law Eino Kekkonen, told him about coming face to face with a moonshiner in 1926 when he was ten years old. I have not located any documentation that this operation was discovered during Prohibition, and since there were some building remnants, it is possible moonshine was made until 1933.

 “Twenty years ago, before he died, my father-in-law, Eino Kekkonen, took me to his deer hunting country where he grew up to show me around. It was east of Wabana Lake and south of Murphy Lake. Eino showed me the spot, and you could still see the hollowed-out hillside and scraps of stovepipe, sheet metal, and such.

His father, Albin, was a carpenter and logged by himself in the winter with his draft horses. They were out in the bush there that fall looking for timber for his father to cut when they walked right into a moonshine operation. It was set up into a hillside in a small bowl of a balsam swamp, and the crew was there making shine. Eino was scared out of his wits being ten years old and hearing stories of people getting killed by moonshiners. His father, however, kept his composure, and the man in charge approached him. They vaguely recognized each other but were not acquainted. The man inquired what they happened to be doing back there. His father remarked that he was looking for timber to cut that winter but that this particular area did not seem to have what he was looking for, and he was going to scout elsewhere. At that, the men shook hands, his father was handed a jug of shine, and they said farewell.”

It seems that it was winter when the stills were underground, and spring and summer when they were in the swamp.  The further away from roads, it was figured, the less likely the smoke from the stove could be seen.

840 Gallons of Mash ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 7-18-1923

“Marko Kapudja and Dave Stupar thought they were too far out in the wilderness to be found, when they established camp five miles north of Marble, out in a swamp.  Deputy Sheriff Dickie thought otherwise, however, and came upon the men when they were sampling a run of moonshine.  Their outfit included three stoves, two stills, a number of barrels, 840 gallons of mash, 30 gallons of moonshine and a hundred-pound sack of sugar.  All that store of supplies packed in five miles across the hills and swamps for there was no road to their place.  The men have both agreed to plead guilty and will be taken to Bemidji for sentence.”

Although the above article was a record for the amount of mash found, I believe this next one had the nicest equipment.  Joe Rabonovich of Calumet was the owner of the operation. He was not apprehended on site, he was arrested with liquor in his possession before the day was over.

Breaking Up Biggest Moonshine Outfit ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 5-25-1927

“One of the largest moonshine outfits ever captured in Itasca County was brought in by members of the sheriff’s force who conducted a raid south of Calumet.  The entire outfit was new and up-to-date and had evidently just been installed.  From appearances, the first batch of moonshine was about to be produced when the officers raided the place.

Two stills were captured, one of 35 gallons and the other of 50 gallons capacity.  Twelve barrels of assorted mash was ready for distribution.  This mash was made partly of apricots, partly of corn, and partly of raisins, thus evidently intending to give possible customers a choice in their brand of liquor.  Other equipment included 20 jugs each of five gallons capacity and four new 15-gallon kegs.  Even the shack in which the outfit was housed was new and had just been completed.  It was located in a swamp, somewhat difficult to access.

The stills were brought to Grand Rapids, the jugs were broken, the mash spilled, and the shack and the barrels were burned.  So, the moonshiner who attempted to get his start here will find it necessary to begin over again.”

3.6.2021 [archived ~ previously published 7.26.2020]

Even though the Prohibition amendment made the transportation, production, and sale of alcohol illegal, it did not provide recommendations on how those laws could be enforced. In 1920, when the Bureau of Prohibition was first established, it was a unit of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. In 1927, it became an independent entity within the Department of the Treasury, changing its name from the Prohibition Unit to the Bureau of Prohibition. 

The Bureau’s primary function was to stop the selling and consumption of alcohol. The agents were responsible for dismantling bootlegging rings.  Federal agents were notorious for raiding popular nightclubs in cities like New York and Chicago.  In northern Minnesota, they concentrated on smuggling from Canada and the activities of small-time bootleggers.

“The IRS subsequently established the Prohibition Unit, staffed by agents who were not required to take Civil Service exams, leaving the door open for members of Congress and local pols to appoint their cronies, including applicants with questionable backgrounds. The government provided funds for only 1,500 agents at first to enforce Prohibition across the country. They were issued guns and given access to vehicles, but many had little or no training.”  [prohibition.themobmuseum.org]

Itasca County law enforcement personnel assisted federal agents on many occasions. Grand Rapids Herald-Review editor Laurence Alonzo Rossman shared the following on April 23, 1956, Up in This Neck of the Woods column. “Moonshiners were the top public enemies in Itasca County 35 years ago.  Few issues of the newspapers failed to carry the story of some man who tried to operate a still deep in the woods of Itasca County.  Moonshining was on such a sizable basis between northern Minnesota and Canada that federal agents finally brought a submarine chaser to use on the Great Lakes.  It ran down a number of tugs loaded with whiskey, and the fear of the speedy vessel was reported cutting down the rum-running efforts.”

The federal court was held in Duluth and, depending on the length of the sentence, lawbreakers would be sent to a county jail or a federal penitentiary. The Itasca County men convicted at Duluth were sent to jails in Aitkin and St. Louis Counties, while our county got prisoners whose homes are in other counties.

Itasca County generally had six to ten federal prisoners in the jail during Prohibition and benefitted financially from this arrangement.  The United States government pays the county $1 a day for each prisoner’s board, and the county pays the sheriff 75 cents a day.  The difference represents a direct profit to the county.

The smallest sentence issued by a federal judge in Duluth was a fine $34 in 1921.  Ten years later, the largest was five years in Leavenworth and a fine of $10,000. 

Noteworthy Raids

Federal Agents Discover Still ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 8-18-1920

“Activity on the part of federal agents who are endeavoring to stop illicit traffic of liquor brings grief to the men who are endeavoring to make an easy living from the weaknesses of their fellows.  Special agents are investigating many suspicious cases in the vicinity of range towns and other parts of Itasca and St. Louis counties.

Monday of the week, federal agents found a still in a swamp near Calumet and arrested the proprietor, Eli Pastila.  The agents allege that three barrels of mash, a quantity of moonshine, and parts of a still were seized.  Pastila was arraigned before O.A. Portier, United States Commissioner, at Virginia, and held to the federal grand jury, which meets next January.  Unable to raise the $1000 necessary for bail, he will remain in jail.

Nick Korskovich of Marble was arrested last week on a disorderly charge and, upon investigation, yielded evidence which warranted holding him for the federal authorities.  It is also reported that Anton Gerbec of Bovey was also taken in charge by federal agents last week and held for the next term of the United States’ court.

Men who have been engaged in smuggling booze across the border from Canada at International Falls and Fort Frances will find it more difficult to get supplies in the future.  Canadian agents raided the bars and hotels in Fort Frances last Monday and arrested 48 men.  The proprietor of the Prince Albert Hotel paid a fine of $2000, while two others paid fines of $1000 each.  It is evident that the liquor laws in Canada are strictly enforced, and that they have teeth in them.”

In 1929, the Increased Penalties Act or Jones Law was passed. The Jones Law increased penalties for violations previously set in the Volstead Act. First time offenders were now expected to serve a maximum of five years and a $10,000 fine as opposed to the previous six months and $1,000 fine in the Volstead Act.  This legislation seemed to ramp up the arrests as well as the coffers.

Federal Officers Made Raid Monday ~ Itasca News 9-19-1929

“As a climax to several weeks of investigation by employees of federal prohibition forces, raids were made at several points in western Itasca County last Monday night, and six persons were arrested.

C.W. Williams, a federal officer, was in charge of the raids and was assisted by Sheriff Harmond and Deputy Milne.  While warrants were served Monday night, it is reported that several of the offenses charged were of an August dating.

Here in Deer River, two were taken, William Murphy, proprietor of the Liberty Cafe, was charged with possession and sale, and Ernest Menton, who lives near the tourist camp, was similarly charged.  Both appeared in justice court in Grand Rapids Tuesday, pleaded guilty, and were bound to await the district court’s action, which convenes next Tuesday.  Bail was furnished, and they were released.

Others gathered on Monday night are Morris Quinn of Ballclub, Leo MacAdam and Mrs. John Bendwell, of Shady Rest Resort, and Louis Pinette of Bigfork.  Quinn is charged with sale and possession with intent to sell. It is said that because of previous convictions, Quinn faces the possibility of severe punishment. MacAdams, Mrs. Bendwell, and Pinette were all charged with sales.  All pleaded guilty, were bound over to the district court next week, and released on bonds.”

Federal Agents Raid Craigville ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 10-16-1929

“Federal prohibition officers staged a raid at Craigsville, just over the line in Koochiching County, last week.  Several arrests were made, and some stills located and seized.

The four men arrested gave their names as Joseph Desaudel, Isaac Hibbler, Ole Kas[illegible], and Louis Arseneau.  All were arraigned before Otto A Poirier, US court commissioner at Virginia, Kas[ ], and Hibbler furnished the bail of $2000 to guarantee a later appearance.  It is alleged that the others were second offenders, and they had more difficulty in obtaining bail.  It was alleged that evidence in the shape of intoxicating liquor had been obtained at all of the places raided.

The federal officers were well informed concerning conditions at Craigville, for they went into the woods a quarter of a mile from the village and found two stills.  At one of them, 1400 gallons of mash and 45 gallons of moonshine were found.  Other arrests in connection with ownership of the stills are expected.”

Sentences and Fines

The federal court was held several times a year in Duluth, and most of the cases were for violation of the liquor laws.  Here are snippets from the 1920s.

~ The busiest place in northern Minnesota has been at the federal court in Duluth where the grand jury returned approximately 225 indictments. Several weeks will be taken for the trials of defendants. Most of them were accused of violation of the liquor laws.

~ In one day, 32 defendants, of which 26 were Italians, faced the court and were fined small amounts.  However, the whiskey makers found the court very much more severe, and some fines were as high as $500 and six months in jail were given out.

~ Paul Dossen, an Itasca County miner, was fined $34 for having a pint of moonshine whiskey.

~ Frank Indriery was fined $250 for having a quart of moonshine in his possession in a soft drink parlor in Nashwauk. 

~ One day, 46 men faced Judge McGee, and of these, only four were born in the United States. 

And the 1930s.

~ Frank Rettinger of Arbo Township pleaded guilty to a charge of maintaining a liquor nuisance and was sentenced to serve eight months in the Itasca County jail.

~ Calvert Bardino, Keewatin was found guilty of transporting liquor and sentenced to 18 months in the federal prison at Chillicothe, Ohio. 

~ James Foubister and Michael Silverman of Duluth were each sentenced to serve five years in Leavenworth and pay a fine of $10,000.  They were the heads of a widespread alcohol ring operating at Duluth and vicinity.   The 1930 United States Census states that Foubister’s occupation is a city commissioner and Silverman’s as an automobile salesman.

~ John Bilodeau, Calumet, was sentenced to serve eight months in the Crow Wing County jail at Brainerd.

~ Glen Lemaster of Willow Beach, west of Deer River, paid a fine of $250 on a possession charge. 

~ Millie Adams, Craigsville must serve 90 days in the Crow Wing County jail at Brainerd

3.3.2021 [ archived ~ previously published 7.12.2020]

My grandfather, Clarence ‘Conny’ Scheer, began writing the stories of his life when he was in his seventies.  By then, he had adopted a block style printing on unlined paper.  He intended to write chronologically, but he often veered off a little.  In one chapter he focused on the family homestead a mile from Bigfork, but then remembered when he was fifteen and wanted to visit his maternal grandparents in Randall, Minnesota. “I got a free ride there with a man I had known from Randall that hauled bootleg booze up from where he distilled it.  Anyhow, he gave me a ride to Randall Swede Hall.  He was a good sort of fellow, though.” I wondered if Gramps had ever traveled north to Bigfork when a delivery was made, and if the bootlegger he referred to could have been E.J. Stoutenberg or John Hart who was arrested in Itasca County. 

Since 2014, when I started the Reminisce column, I have had a couple of articles referencing the prohibition years.  The ingenuity of the men and women willing to manufacture and sell illegal liquor in our Northwoods rivals some big-time producers’ operations. I expanded my research to include articles from the Grand Rapids Herald-Review. I found that liquor-related arrests were more prevalent in the eastern part of the county than in the northern and western communities. For the rest of this summer and into early fall, Reminisce will feature some of the most interesting stories I found.

But first, a few basic facts about the fourteen-year National Prohibition.

Timeline

~ January 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment of the Constitution, which established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States, went into effect.  It is also referred to as the Volstead Act, because the amendment was drafted by Minnesota Congressman Andrew Volstead, from Granite Falls.

~ March 1933 Congress passed the Cullen-Harrison Act, which legalized 3.2 beer and wines of similarly low alcohol content

~ December 1933 The Twenty-First Amendment to the Constitution is ratified. The legal sale of alcoholic beverages, except in those states that have voted to remain dry, is no longer prohibited.

Terminology

~ Moonshine is illicitly distilled or smuggled liquor.  Other names for moonshine include Moon, White Lightning, Hooch, Dew, or Homebrew.  

~ Bootlegging is the illegal production, transportation, or sale of liquor.

~ Bootleggers were individuals who made, distributed, or sold the moonshine. 

Crimes and Charges

~ Manufacturing of illicit liquor

~ Transporting illicit liquor

~ Liquor Nuisance which meant conducting business, or the place of business selling intoxicating liquors

~ Possession of illicit liquor

~ Lesser offenses were drunk and disorderly conduct and drunk driving

It wasn’t long before Prohibition lost advocates as ignoring the law gained increasing social acceptance. Moonshine was being manufactured on the sly, with any combination of grain and fruit that could be procured.  Depending on the operation’s size, it was for personal consumption, sold to locals, or shipped.  All were crimes that could land a person in jail.

I have perused the front page of the Grand Rapids Herald-Review and the Deer River Itasca News to obtain a sample of the arrests made for illicit alcohol-related crimes during Prohibition.  This amounted to nearly 400 articles and about 600 unduplicated names.  The offenses listed above generally had fines ranging from $10 to $300, with or without jail time. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, a typical fine of $30 in 1926 (middle of prohibition years) is equivalent to $435 today.

If federal agents made the arrests, the hearing would be before a federal judge.  Most sentences issued by the federal court included jail time in a county where the crime did not occur and a hefty fine.  There are some occasions where the incarceration was in Leavenworth or another federal penitentiary.

As an introduction to this series, I have selected four articles for each of the significant prohibition crimes, to illustrate what was happening in Itasca County.  The very first article I found in the local papers succinctly explained the process of making moonshine.

Manufacturing

Find Moonshiners and Seize Still ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 4-14-1920

“Acting on information secured from men who had evidence of an illicit still that was being operated in Balsam township north of Taconite, Sheriff Carson and Deputy Jesse Harry raided the place last Saturday.  They found two stills in active operation, secured the stills, some of the product, material used in manufacturing the illicit moonshine liquor, and arrested the three men most involved.  The raid was planned so carefully that the suspected men were not aware of the intentions of the sheriff and his deputy till they opened the door of the cabin where the stills were being operated.  Moonshine making was in full blast when the officers entered, and they watched it for some time before shutting down operations and arresting the proprietors.

“The men arrested are all residents of Bovey.  Their names are William Bows, Peter Snyder, and Victor Loungrie.  When arraigned on Monday before Justice of the Peace Keo Leroux, all waived examination and stated that it was their desire to appear before the district judge and plead guilty without waiting for a trial.  According to their wish, they were arraigned before Judge McClenahan on Tuesday morning.  They pleaded guilty and were told that their sentences would be made known later in the week.

“The stills are models of ingenuity and remarkably efficient, according to the evidence given by the sheriff and deputy who saw them in action.  One was made of a five-gallon milk can, which had a pipe soldered into the cover.  The fermented mash was placed in the milk can, the can then put on the stove and the steam-driven off through the pipe.  This pipe was made from a coil that had at some time been part of a beer pumping outfit, and part of the coil was placed in a pail of ice.  The condensed steam, containing the alcohol, dripped from the end of the pipe into a bottle placed in readiness. The second still was of somewhat similar manufacture but was made out of a large copper wash boiler.  A larger and higher cover than such as are ordinarily used had been made and the pipe vented from the top of this cover.  The cooling pipe was led through a barrel of water and ice, which caused the alcohol in the steam to condense and drip into the bottle or jar placed in readiness,

“The liquor resulting from this treatment is perfectly clear but strong with alcohol and burns as readily as kerosene.  It is reported that the moonshiners were selling it at $25 or $30 a gallon and disposing of large quantities of it.  According to the best information that Sheriff Carson could obtain, the mash from which the liquor was distilled was made from stock food and molasses.  The purchase of large quantities of these materials by the men under arrest, none of whom owned any amount of livestock, first led to suspicion being directed toward them.”

Transporting

Find Big Plant in Spang Town ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 8-13-1924

“One man, one still, one Ford automobile, one coil stove and 23 gals of moonshine was the net result of a raid conducted by Sheriff O’Brien and his deputies in Spang township last Saturday night.  The man who is charged with transporting liquor is John Arends of Hill City.  The officers located the plant earlier in the brush Saturday night and waited for the owner to come.  When Arends had some of the jugs of moonshine loaded in the car, the officers stepped out and caught him.  He is charged with transporting liquor and is ready to plead guilty and take his sentence.  Judge McClenahan is expected here next week when Arends and several others now in the county jail will be sentenced.”

Liquor Nuisance

Bad Moon Brings Four to Court ~ Itasca News 5-28-1925

“Friday was a bad day for a few local fellows who are not in sympathy with the 18^th amendment to the constitution of the United States.

“Deputy Sheriff Dunn picked up Otto Salinen, and Marshal Ruby apprehended John Hendricks and John Okars.  Mr. Dunn took all three men to Grand Rapids for hearing before Justice Leroux.  They were charged with being drunk and disorderly.  Salinen was fined $20 and costs; a total of $31.  Hendricks drew a $20 fine or 15 days in jail, and Okara was given a choice of $30 or 30 days with costs included.  None had paid the fine at our last report.

“Saturday morning Deputy Dunn uncovered a big cache of moon in a privy on the south side of the alley on block 6.  Two 5-gallon jugs of liquor had been left there, but there was evidently a mix up in the timetables.  Samples were taken, the liquor poured out, and the jugs broken.  Tuesday morning Peter Dedrick was taken before Justice Leroux in a liquor nuisance charge.  He pleaded guilty and was fined $100 and costs, which he paid.” 

Possession

Moonshiners Find Little Peace Here ~ Grand Rapids Herald-Review 2-6-1924

“Continued and successful efforts are being made to make Itasca County unsafe for moonshiners.  Sheriff O’Brien and deputy Dickie went to Calumet on Sunday and arrested Mike Barovich, an old offender, who is now awaiting trial at the spring term of the court for possession of liquor.  When the officers entered his place last Sunday evening, his wife attempted to destroy the evidence by spilling the moonshine, but made the mistake of spilling it into the bread box in the kitchen cabinet, just as the officers were in the room.  The bread box had a tin lining, and the officers strained out several quarts of moonshine from the crumbs.  Bail was fixed at $1000, which was not furnished, and Barovich will face trial in March.”