Arizona republican., 1903-06-08
LADY MOONSHINER
Engaged in Extensive Op-
 eratiOns in Philadelphia
She Wanted to Raise Money in Order to Send Her Boys to College-She Was Making Five Barrels Day.

Philadelphia. June 7.-Chance dis relled the mystery which for long time had invested the house, 266O Frank:ord avenue. and on Saturday night led to the finding of an illicit whisky distililng plant
 A woman ''inoonshiner." who plead cd that she vas induce to defraud the government by a desire to obtain mon- ey with which to educate her sons. was arrested.
 Mrs. Sarah GershenfeId. who con fessed that she had operated the still. was held in $500 bail yesterday by United States Commissioner Bell The internal revenue men have had her un- der surveillance for two years. they say.
 The plant is one. of tie most elabor- ate that has been seized in this city Its capacity was five barrels of whis- ky q day. and there is reason for be- lievlnS that it has been run to the limit for a long time. Cunning meas ures were devised to keep the existence of the distillery secret.
 There is much conjecture in the neighborhooj as to the operations that were carried on. The first floor osten- sibly was used as a store for the com pounding of plaster of paris and glue On the outside was sign, reading: "M. Smith. Manufacturer of Plaster Paris and Glue"
 Boxes, barrels. paper bags, a set of scales and ether articles were scat tered about the store. The persons in lIcharge Of the store kept to themselves. and caused if to be inferred among the | neighbOrs that the entire building was given up to the compounding Of plaster and glue.
 When the police and the firemen were called to the house on Saturday | night to extinguish small fire. Lieut. enant McGarry of the Trenton avenue and Dauphin street station. vainly es- | sayed to force an entrance into the third story. He became suspicious. | and set Policeman Scanlan to watch | the premises.
 After the firemen had left SCanlan settled down for long wait He was | disappointed. for within few minutes woman whose features were hidden | by the folds of a heavy veil entered the house and started upstairs. Scanlan accosted her. She turned and ran into the street The police man caught her and took her to the station house. There she said she was Mrs. Sarah Gershenfeld and gave as | her address the house in Frankford avenue. The police afterwards found that she lived at III Naudain street. | McGarry concluded that he was justi- | fled in breaking open the doors leading into the third-story rooms. Inside the searchers found the distilIing plant
 James H. Wilkes. chief deputy collec- tor of internal revenue. was notified He and his men looked over the find What they saw astonished them. Be sides the plant there were thirty bar rels of mash fifteen large bags of SUI gar and zoo gallons of whisky. The whisky was high proof and nearly twice the strength of the ordinary ar ticle of commerce.
 l There were chemicals in the place which were used 10 neutralize the od- ors that accompanied the distilling pro- cess, and render them imperceptible The waste fluids from the still were emptied into an underground drain. Deputy Wilkes told Commissioner Bell. at Mrs. Gershenfeld's hearing that he and his subordinates had beer watching her for long time. She ther Lived over a furniture store in Cathar inc street. A false clue led the revenue men to search the Naudain stree house a half a year ago, but they were not rewarded by discovering any evi
 denccs that Mrs. Gershenfeld was "moonshiner."
 'I have been running the still so tha
 could earn enough money to send m,
 two boys to college" said Mrs. GerSh
 enfield.