The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-12-28
Army of Prohibition Forces
Swoops Down on Hurley, wis.
Taken'by Surprise Fifty Saloons
Caught Red Handed.
RAID WAS PLANNED IN SECRET
Was Rendezvous of Kentucky
MOOnshiners, Say Officers.
Despite Threats of Battle, No
Resistance Was Offered.

Hurley. Wis, Dec. 2s.-A small
army of prohibition agents swooped
down on Hurley at noon today and
started a widespread clean up of all
legged Illicit liquor traffic.
Seventy five agents led by J. H.
Hannah. arrived from Chicago and
Immediately started serving fifty-nins
warrants issued for arrest of members
of the alleged whisky ring
Fifty-Scven Arrested.
Fifty-seven alleged liquor law vio-
lators were arrested and thirty-seven
places of business closed.
Several Hurley city officials and
some federal prohibition agents were
iamong those arrested.
| A dray load of Illicit liquor was cons
fiscated.
| All the prisoners were to be taken
! to Ashland, Wis. for arraignment.
| Taken by Surprise.
| The raid evidently took the alleged
liquor dealers by surprise as most OF
the places were caught running wide
topen, federal agents claimed
| Busiest in the Widest Open Town
| in the northwoods came to a stop as
| the revenue agents deployed down the
wide streets.
The band of Hurley whisky runners
who had vowed to keep the place "a
mans town for real men," were ap-
parently taken by surprise and no re-
sistance was met.
Rendezvous of Moonshincrs.
| This town. noted thruout four states
las the lumberjacks' paradise, has a
population of about 5000. Many Ken
ltuckians. driven from their moonshin-
ling operations in the hills of their ma
Tive state, have settled around here
and resumed activities, federal agents
claim.
| Michigan's famous Iron range is
I just across the county line, and be-
tween the lumberjacks and the miners.
i the moonshiners did a heavy business
Dance halls of character" and
saloons of class lined the main street
'flourished, and drug stores, groceries
and even blacksmith shops were dis
lpensDg the illicit liquor.
Fifty Saloons Raided.
Small groups of interested spectators
gathered on street corners and
watched the federal agents at their
work of serving warrants. Arrange
ments had been made by the federal
officers to remove their prisoners from
Hurley Immediately for fear an effort
might be made to obtain their release
iforcibfy.
Fifty soft drink" saloons were
raided and their doors closed. Most
of the proprietors were arrested. The
iraids were conducted rapidly and few
If any of the alleged liquor law yio-
lators hal time to escape or cover UP
ianything.
Issue Warrants Secretly.
| Warrants for the arrest of the men
were issued secretly last week by
Judge K NJ. Landis at Lacrosse, Wis
At the request of District Prohibition
Officer Richardson, Judge I.andfs
nfwtn fhn dfGfr- frf 7
and issued the warrants personally to
assure that there would be no ''tip
off. Not even the prohibition en-
forcement officers of the Lacrosse
territory knew of the issuance of the
warrants.
Hurley has long been the thorn in
the side of the prohibition enforce
nent officers of the Great Lakes dis
trict. Leo Grove, in charge of en-
forcemeBt of the law in the northern
Michigan peninsula, recently led an
attack on alleged whisky runners in
which one of the men alleged to have
been transporting booze was killed
Extraditton proceedings to bring sew
eral of the federal agents to Wisconsin
for trial on charges of murder are
lnow in progress before Governor
Sleeper of Michigan.
Fight Is Expected.
There are approximately seventy sa-
looms here and federal agents declare
! tndt practlcafly all nave been run
. ming wide open" Threats were al
legged to have been sent to federal
,agents that IL they ever attempted 10
; clean up the town, they would meet
, with resistance
Before issuance of the warrant. nv
: Judge Lands. several federal opera
tlves came here last week and obtained
levidence that many Of the places were
, ,selling liquor
A year ago, A V. Dalrymple. who
was then in charge OF prohibition en-
forcement IN thin district went to Iron
River. Mich. with small army OF
deputies in an attempt to clean up tfiat