Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-02-14
$500 GALLONS
OF MOONSHINE'
TAKEN IN RAID
Western Indiana Towns Found
to Contain Huge Booze
Distilling Plants.
MORE ARRESTS COMING
By RAMoND wERNEKE.

staff Correspondent OF Tne Times.
TDRRE HAUTE, Ind. Feb. 14.-Fed-
eral officials were prepared to continue
booze raids in western Indiana today.
After applying the governmental sponge
to several damp spots IN Vermilion coun-
| ty yesterday, agents Of the prohibition
/ department assembled this morning and
! prepared to finish the Job OF making thls
| part Of the state hone dry.
During the raids yesterday fifteen stills
we're captured in Blanford and Jackson
| VILE, Ind. Both of these towns are min
! ing centers located in the western portion
| Of VerInilion county, about twelve miles
! from Clinton.
| In addition to the stills, $500 gallons
! Of moonshine whisky was captured ana
! destroyed. The unpaid tax On this liquor
amounted to $4,000.
SEVEN ARRESTS
ARE MADE.
| Seven arrests were made during the
| first days activities. Those taken into
custody were Dante Bizzy, saloon keeper;
Fred Frank Evans, Mike Sakwowitch,
/ Steve Zorich, deputy constable; NICK
Geezolia and son, and Leo Roman.
Included in the loot captured was four
shotguns one Winchester rife, three re-
volvers, one automatic pistol, one Dodge
auto truck, coils, grinders, condensers,
more than two carloads Of dried grapes
and a quantity Of paraphernaha used
! in the operation of stills.
The raiding party was directed by
Charles J. Orbison, prohibition director
of Indiana. He was assisted by Abra-
ham Feinberg, Edward P. Brennan. Maj.
Pearl Davis and Prosecuting Attorney
Davidson of vermilion county. There
we're forty federal officers on the Job.
S. P. McNaughton Of the anti-saloon
league accompanied the Indiana officials
( to Terre Haute and kept in close touch
with the progress Of the raids.
The crusade yesterday struck Blanford,
. Jacksonville. Easytown and Universal,
all of which are coal mining centers 10
/ Gated in the western part OF yermnion
/ county about twelve miles from Cnn-
ton, Ind.
The largest booze plant found during
the day was unearthed in the home OF
/ Nick Drijock, a deputy sheriff of Yer
million county. News Of the raids had
| evidently reached the house before fed
| eraI officials arrived as an attempt to
/ dispose of two large stills had apparently
I been made.
! SEIZE 10 BARRELS
/ OF RAISIN MASH.
! In the basement Of Drijock's home
nineteen barrels Of raisin mash was dis
/ covered in readiness to run through the
/ still A further search disclosed 200 gal
Ions of liuuor which had hastily been
carried to a neighboring field in jugs.
A still with a capacity of twenty gallons
per day was found in a ditch near the
house and a thirty gallon still was un-
earthed in a woods about 100 yards from
/ the house.
! The basement Of Drijocks home re-
sembled the wreck Of a miniature distil-
| lery. What appeared to be cement base
for the stills to rest on was found, with
other paraphernalia used in the manufae-
| ture of booze. Two steaming tubs Of
mash ready for distilling were also found,
as was a ten and a twenty gallon keg OF
moonshine whisky.
/ Drijock is said to have been known as
the boss" of Blanford. He apparently
| departed hastily from the town, however,
when the raids started as he could not
be found, and had not been arrested up
/ to a late hour today.
/ The home Of Steve Zorich, deputy &C n
| stable of Blanford, was also raided and
ten-gallon still captured Zorich was
arrested On being taken into custody
he exhibited his official badge as an ofn-
Ger of the law.
I All whisky, with the exception OF sam
/ pies taken as evidence, was destroyed and
kerosene was poured on quantities or
1 mash to make 1t useless.
/ Those arrested were sent to the Yer
million county Jail where they were ar
raigned this morning.
/ When federal officers first swooped
! down on Blanford their coming was un-
/ known. After they had been on hand
/ about Eve minutes, however, the town
| was In a furore Of excitement and news
| of the raids spread like wildhre. Men
| and women looked with fear On the
swiftly moving federal officers and there
vas practically no resistance made &c
/ the raids.
! CAUGHT WITH STILLS
| IN DELIVERY TRUCK.
! Several attempts to dispose Of stills
were made, some OF them apparently haT-
! ing been successful Nick Geezolia, a
grocer in Blanford, was caught by the
! raiders when he attempted to make away
with two stills in his delivery truck.
When taken he flashed an automatic
pistol but was hastily disarmed and
placed under arrest About 800 boxes Of
dried grapes were found in the place.
The ease with which the raids OF yes
terday were accomplished and the lack
of resistance proved a surprise to federal
! authorities as Blanford has long had a
reputation OF Seing one Of the most law
less communities In Indiana, and 1t 10
said that threats Of murder have been
made against anyone who might interiors
with the liquor traffic there.
Most of the male inhabitants are miners
/ and were at work yesterday, although
they began to drift homeward when news
of the raids spread abroad.
/ The federal officials were careful in
] making arrests. Most Of the stil opera
tors disappeared, and it is thought that
a large number Of warrants for arrests
/ in vermillion county will be served.
/ Mary Frost has not been arrested. al
though the officers say her home was a
veritable distillery.
| The first place raided yesterday was
saloon run by Dante Bizzy. The build
/ ing presented a scene recalling movie
! portrayals of the old western mining
/ camp dives. There was q good supply
II booze behind the bar, some two gal
Ions Of wine in the basement and gam
bling paraphernalia scattered about. Sew
eral women were in the place, many OF
] them being apparently under the infu-
4 ence of liquor, and an electric music box
stood in one corner Of the room.
complete gambling e~tfit was found in
/ the rear room, including a craps table,