Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1920-02-28
HOME MADE WINE CAUSES
TROUBLE AT IRON RIVER
Michigan Mining Village Gets Into the
Limelight Through Actions of
District Attorney.

Over in Iron county, Michigan,
there is little mining village which
came into the limelight with such
Suddenness that it would put to
shame the best publicity bureau
i'll the land The little village is
Iron River. Previous to Feb. II
this little village was no different
than many other villages i'll the
iron mining regions. Its people
were going about their usual daily
tasks and at peace with the world.
The mining of iron ore is the
principal Industry OF the village
and as a producer of this metal it
ranked with the best. A large tlum-
Der of its people are Italians, who
form the larger proportion of the
miners, and, while the village was
not a dead one, it was quiet and
peaceful and known principally as
center of an iron ore mining
region. But in the short space of
a few DAYS it has gained reputa-
tion and been accorded publicity
which has reached every nook and
corner of this great and glorious
nation and no doubt has reached
many other nations. And it all
happened over few barrels of wine.
Even the nabobs at Washington
now know more about Iron River
than they ever did before.
A fighting district attorney was
largely responsible for the nat;cn-
wide attention directed at Iron
River, said attention being accom-
plished through front page stories
in many of the large daily papers
in the country. District Attorney
McDonodgh did not like the looks
OF and apparently thought less of
the credentials of one Mr.. Grove,
a federal prohibition officer who ap-
peared upon the scene and attempt
ed to take charge of the home made
wine which had been seized by
Michigan constabulary. Mr.. Grove
resented the interference of Nc
Donou9h but no doubt thought that
discretion was the better part of
valor. since McDonough was back
ed by the local chief of police and
other officers, and instead of show
ing fight" immediately went to
Chicago for reinforcements. The
case was laid before Maj. A. V.
Dalrymple, federal prohibition agent
for the central states, who happen
ed to be in Chicago. Maj, Dalrymple
was all wrought up, according to
press dispatches, aud immediately
organized punitive" expedition,
consisting of deputy federal pro-
hibitior agents and the Michigan
constabulary, and with Marquette
as the headquarters descended on
the scene of the rum rebellion. .
In addition to the punitive"
expedition flocks of newspaper
correspondents landed at Iron River
and there followed in the press of
the country stirring tales of things
that never happened at the scene
of the rum revolt, all topped off
with scare head" of the most
sensational kind. Thus Iron River,
Mich, was the talk of the land
But all is quiet now. There was
no CIaSn OF arms between the
government and Iron River author
tiles, as was predicted, and it all
sifted down to an investigation
TO be made in the near future.
McDonough was accused of revolt
against the government, but among
his townspeople he is hero and
ii would not be surprising should
he become a candidate for presi-
dent. Tie wine, eighteen barrels
of it, home made and seized from
the premises of three Italian broth
ers, said to contain from S to Is
per cent of alcohol, was DESTROYED .