Prohibition

March 12, 1931: Home Brew at City Hall Fails to Tempt Samplers

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 12, 1931.

Home Brew at City Hall Fails to Tempt Samplers

Over at the city hall police station, Chief of Police Robert L. Felton and his police aids have an undying faith in humanity as a whole.

Reason for this statement is born out by the fact that for many days, nineteen bottles of near beer, taken in a raid on the Albert Schumacher place, near Chicago Mica company, have reposed in an open dry goods box in the council chamber, in plain view of everyone who comes in the main room of the city hall, with only a few newspapers to cover them, and no one has even attempted to molest them.

There has been no move on the part of Chief Felton to lock up the evidence, it being his belief that the public can be trusted. And the confidence of the chief in this respect has not received a set-back, despite the fact that hundreds of persons have set foot in the place, looked at the imposing array of “live ones” and were not tempted.

Formerly there were twenty bottles of the home brew, but Attorney J.J. McGarvey, for Schumacher, obtained one upon court order for analysis as to alcoholic content in preparation for defending his client.

March 5, 1931: OPERATORS OF LARGEST STILL EVER UNCOVERED IN PORTER COUNTY TO FACE TRIAL FRIDAY

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on March 5, 1931.

OPERATORS OF LARGEST STILL EVER UNCOVERED IN PORTER COUNTY TO FACE TRIAL FRIDAY

A Porter county farmer and two Chicago men who were arrested by Sheriff Burney Maxwell and federal officers in a raid last October which revealed the existence of the largest still ever confiscated in the county since the prohibition law was enacted, will face trial before Judge Thomas W. Slick in United States district court at Hammond Friday morning.

Ernest Wheeler is the owner of the farm, seven miles northwest of Valparaiso, and a mile south of State Road Six, where the raiding party found in a cow barn a 300-gallon still, and 15,000 gallons of mash.

Wheeler and Charles O’Caverna and Atillo Boffa, of Chicago, were placed under arrest and later taken to Hammond for arraignment before United States Commissioner S.C. Dwyer. All three-men were released under bonds.

The still found by the officers was the largest found in the Calumet region as far as is known. It stood seven feet high and was capable of producing 300 gallons of alcohol every twenty-four hours, officers said. In the barn were found nine vats. Three of the vats were filled with sugar mash while the others were empty. Each vat had a 5,000-gallon capacity, the raiders said.

Wheeler will be represented in federal court by Attorney James J. McGarvey, of Valparaiso.

Jan. 20, 1931: HOW MANY BASEMENT BREWERS HAS INDIANA? IT’S A POINT THAT STIRS TAXING INTEREST

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 20, 1931.

HOW MANY BASEMENT BREWERS HAS INDIANA? IT’S A POINT THAT STIRS TAXING INTEREST

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 20ー(UP)ー Extent of “basement breweries” in Indiana homes, where malt is used for making “cellar beer,” is one of the things the Ways and Means Committee of the House of Representatives is seeking to determine.

Such information is needed in their deliberations on a proposed tax on malt syrup and wort, commonly referred to as unfermented beer.

M.J. Donnelly, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, representing the malt manufacturers, appeared before the committee, but said he had no information on the quantity of beer being made annually in Hoosier homes. He did say, however, that in Detroit alone, more beer now is being made in private homes than was manufactured by breweries throughout Michigan in pre-prohibition days.

Donnelly said the malt manufacturers are ready to cooperate with the general assembly in declaring a tax on malt and other luxuries but warned against a tax that would be high enough to encourage bootlegging the product. He advocated a tax of two cents on each pound, which he said would yield the state about $150,000 per annum.

The committee was also warned by Donnelly against making their measure class legislation, thereby making it unconstitutional as malt is used extensively by bakers. This was the point on which Michigan’s law was held unconstitutional two weeks ago, he said.

Donnelly said the law proposed in a bill introduced by Fred S. Galloway, democrat, Indianapolis, and William J. Black, democrat, Anderson, was patterned after the Michigan law and was built on dangerous legal grounds, inasmuch as no provision was made for excluding bakers. He also said that the proposed tax of five cents per pound was too high, as it would encourage bootlegging.

Louisiana passed a high tax on malt, he said, but was forced to reduce it low enough to make the bootlegging of malt unprofitable.

Jan. 9, 1931: IF YOU SEE JOE TELL HIM ABOUT THIS Sheriff Burney Maxwell Seeks Locate Former Operator of Notorious Resort on Old Count.

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on January 9, 1931.

IF YOU SEE JOE TELL HIM ABOUT THIS

Sheriff Burney Maxwell Seeks Locate Former Operator of Notorious Resort on Old Count.

Where is Joe Manuro, alias Joseph Locrasto, once reputed Gary underworld vice lord, and former operator of the notorious Roamer Inn, on Dunes Highway?

Sheriff Burney Maxwell would like to learn Locrasto’s present whereabouts, so he can apprise him that he must serve thirty days in Porter county jail for violating a restraining order issued back in 1925 by Judge H.H. Loring, of Porter circuit court.

The supreme court recently acted on Locasto’s appeal and affirmed the decision of the local court that Locrasto must serve thirty days in jail and pay a $100 fine and costs.

But Joe’s absence from his old familiar haunts is holding up the carrying out of the punishment.

Sheriff Maxwell visited Gary and other places where Joe usually is found, but could not locate him. Gary police reported they had not seen Joe in several fortnights.

The last time the sheriffs glimpsed Joe was several months ago and he jokingly asked when he was going to serve that old sentence.

“That has all been fixed up,” Locrasto told the sheriff.

Last summer, federal agents were investigating Joe with the purpose of deporting him. The move has never crystallized into real action as yet.

Locrasto was arrested on numerous occasions by Porter county officials while in charge of the famous Roamer Inn. Once a padlock was placed on the resort, but the Mid-City bank, of Gary, which had a mortgage on the place, obtained an order dissolving it.

It is believed Locrasto thought this action also knocked out his conviction for violating the injunction, but this was slapped on before the order was vacated.

The question now is: “Where is Locrasto?” Sheriff Maxwell is anxious to know.

Nov. 20, 1930: JURY LENIENT WITH SECOND TIME VIOLATOR Big Horace Lee, Once Convicted in Local Court on Liquor Charge, Gets Minimum Dose. COMPANION ENTERS PLEA OF GUILTY

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 20, 1930.

JURY LENIENT WITH SECOND TIME VIOLATOR

Big Horace Lee, Once Convicted in Local Court on Liquor Charge, Gets Minimum Dose.

COMPANION ENTERS PLEA OF GUILTY

“Big” Horace Lee, notorious bootlegger of north Porter county, whose joint on the Porter-Lake county line was the rendezvous for holdup ganges and other like gentry, of the underworld, escaped with the minimum sentence Wednesday night when a jury in Judge pro tem Mark B. Rockwell’s Porter circuit court found him guilty of a charge of liquor possession and fined him $100 and costs and assessed a 30 days’ jail sentence.

It was the third appearance for Lee within the knowledge of Porter county authorities. Once he was fined and jailed in Federal court at Hammond, and again in the same court in which he dramatically made his appearance yesterday.

Attorney J.A. Fleshbein, for Lee, sought to show that Lee was not in possession of the premises, but Lee Dillion, also arrested by local authorities at the time of the raid on the alleged premises of Lee, held the lease to the property. According to Attorney Fleshbein, Lee leased the property. According to Attorney Fleshbein, Lee leased the property of Frank A. Turner, renting agent, but later leased it to Dillon. Both men were charged with the possession of liquor found by the officers.

Prosecutor W.W. Bozarth and Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Dye charged that Dillon was merely a catspaw for Lee, and was ready to take the “rap” in case of a raid of the joint. Dillon was merely a catspaw dor Lee, and was ready to take the “rap” in case of a raid of the joint. Dillon, who is known as “Little Lee,” because of his scrawny size, appears to be a man of 70 years of age, whereas he is only 57. This, the prosecutor said, would elicit the sympathy of the jury.

Lee’s case was given to the jury at 3:45 p.m. and a verdict was reached at 5:20 p.m.

Following the verdict, Dillon, when he saw the jury was lenient, changed his plea of not guilty to guilty, and Judge Rockwell assessed him $1000 and costs and gave him a suspended jail sentence.

The arrest of the two men followed a tip obtained by Sheriff Burney Maxwell from Otto Meier, Jr., and Sylvester Adams, nabbed for a series of holdups in Porter county, that they planned their robberies in the Lee place.

Think It Over

Most of the shadows that cross the pathway in life are caused by standing in our own light.

Nov. 18, 1930: MAN WHO LOST EYE FOR CAUSE TO VISIT CITY: Porter County Liquor Foes Planning Great Rally as One of Banner Events of Month.

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 19, 1930.

MAN WHO LOST EYE FOR CAUSE TO VISIT CITY

Porter County Liquor Foes Planning Great Rally as One of Banner Events of Month.

‘PUSSYFOOT’ JOHNSON IS THE HEADLINER

“Pussyfoot” Johnson is coming!

What’s the big news broadcasted to all Porter county foes of liquor and champions of prohibition.

He will be in Valparaiso Wednesday evening, Nov. 26, to speak in the Methodist church auditorium as part of his “invasion” of Indiana in the interest of the dry cause, which will carry him into the principal cities of the state.

With Johnson, whose real name is William E. Johnson, will be Lt. Col F. B. Ebbertーthe man who as a lawyer defeated the efforts of Clarence Darrow and Levy Meyer noted Chicago attorneys, and got the signature of Gov. Frank O. Lowden to Illinois’ prohibition enforcement act, back in 1919ーthe days of the “big battle” for the eighteenth amendment. Col. Ebbert won rank in the Spanish-American and World wars.

But, as for the past twenty-five or more years, it is “Pussyfoot” Johnson who holds the spotlight.

He is rated as the “biggest oratorical gun” in the prohibitionist army.

He comes to Valparaiso under the auspices of the Anti-Saloon League of America in co-operation with the Indiana Anti-Saloon League.

He will be entertained here by the City Ministerial association. Following is a summary of Mr. Johnson’s career was drafted by Rev Carl Stewart, pastor of Valparaiso Baptist church: “No speaker against the liquor traffic has so caught the imagination of the world as has “Pussyfoot” Johnson. This comes partly from his colorful activities of twenty-five years ago when he was commissioned by President Roosevelt to “cleanup” the old Indian territory under the very wild conditions that prevailed in that bad-lands at that time. The territory had become the rendezvous for murderers, robbers, and all sorts of unruly people who fled into the territory for hiding places and, for ready money, were selling liquor to the Indians and committing all sorts of depredations.

“There were only four courts to take care of the civil and criminal business of the territory. Because of the inadequate provision for dealing with the outlaws, more than 6,000 criminal cases had piled up on the dockets which would require ten years to handle, to say nothing of the new cases that might be brought. Because of this condition, the outlaws felt that they could do as they liked and get away with it. Naturally, chaos resulted when Johnson met that situation by dealing with the outlaws without much law and in a rough and tumble fashion.

“The first thing he did was to seize and summarily destroy 76 gambling houses, piling the furniture and fixtures on the streets and setting fire to them, acting under an old Arkansas statute that Congress had enacted to apply to the territory. He cleaned out every gambling house. Plot after plot was made against his life but they all miscarried. One of his friends was not so lucky and was killed by mistake and part of the $3000 reward that the outlaws had posted against Johnson was collected before the brigands found they had the wrong corpse.

“During the six months that this reward was hanging over his head, Johnson conducted his operations almost wholly at night, using stealthy, surprise tactics. It was because of these methods that he acquired the nickname, “Pussyfoot.” eight of his deputies were murdered and many others were shot or stabbed. One of his deputies still carries a bullet in the back of his head which was never extracted; one is speechless because of being stabbed in the throat, cutting the larynx and destroying his vocal cords. At one time Johnson had four sets of orphan children on his hands whose fathers had been murdered by the liquor sellers and gamblers; but these tragic deaths only added to the fury of Johnson in dealing with the offenders. In later years, after his wife had died, he married the widow of a slain deputy. For six years he fought the outlaws on their own grounds and to some extent using their tactics.

“After leaving government service in 1912, he attached himself to the Anti-Saloon League, playing an important part in various statewide campaigns for prohibition, handling the publicity operations in most of the western states that “went dry.”

“His next move, in 1918, was to go to Europe where he opened an office in London, which office he still maintains. In a riot in London one of his eyes was destroyed, and now a glass one takes its place. Contrary to all expectations, he declared it was only a “joke” and took no action whatever for redress. When London admirers collected a fund of nearly two thousand dollars as a tribute to his “sportsmanship,” he immediately turned the money over to a hospital for blind British soldiers, and his fame thereupon soared skyward. Johnson has traveled three times around the globe, speaking in practically every country in the world outside of South America, and is still “going strong.”