Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-02-23
IRON COUNTY IN
|. MICHIGAN IS IN
REVOLT AGAINST
) :: ,>'!IlRY' MEASURE
PeOpleIGosS By the Prose-
cutting attorney, Start a
Rebellion Against Pro-
hibitiOn" ChiCago'S Report
WINE IS TAKEN FROM
STATE C0NSTABLES
Officials Take Booze ConfiS-
Gated by Agents of the
ProhibitioniSt8i Palmer is
Appealed to for Help,


tsY MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wIsEl
Chicago, Feb. ga rebellion
against prohibition" has broken out
in Iron county, Michigan, and the
county, led by its prosecuting at
torney, is in open revolt" against
federal authority. Maj. A. l.. Dali
rymplc, federal prohibition director
for the central states, notified
Washington today
Prohibition agents leading a
PARTY of Michigan state constables
were held up February 10 by Iron
county officials and wine they had
confiscated was taken from them,
according TO word brought to Chi
Cago today by Leo j. Grove of Mar
Equette, supervising prohibition
agent for the upper peninsula.
Major Dalrymple appealed to
Attorney General Palmer through
Assistant Prohibition Director Gay
! lord to have warrants issued for
the prosecutor, two deputy sheriffs,
two police officers and three other
residents of Iron River, mining
village.
While Washington was setting
the legal machinery in motion.
Dalrymple issued orders for a
company of picked prohibition
agents to gather here tonight pro-
lparatory to starting tomorrow on
en- armed expedition which. he de-
clared, will "clean up Iron county.
The Michigan state constabulary
Will be asked to cooperate in the
expedition. The attack on Groye
iand his party occurred within two
miles of the spot where Captain
Marsh of the constabulary was re-
Gently shot by n bootlegger.
Grove, accompanied by Lieut.. r.
G. Strope and Troopers Masters
and Kind of the state constabu-
Harry, seized eleven barrels of wine
| at the Virgil location, a mine two
miles from Iron River. he reported
| to Dalrymple today. The wine is
said to have been made by John,
Peter and Steven Sealcucei.
wealthy Italians, who own the
packing plant and a general store
at Iron River.
Grove loaded the liquor into a
sleigh and started to move 1t to
! Caspian. When the sleigh reached
Iron River 1t was met by Prosecut-
| Ing Attorney Il. A. McDonough,
Deputy Sheriffs Chard and Jesse
Allen of Iron county, Police Chief
| C.. II. Sensiba and Police Captain
Claude Brown of Iron River.
McDonough, according to Groves
report, told the prohibition super
| visor that he was under arrest for
transporting liquor" and ordered
| his men to seize the wine Grove
said he put up a fight, but was
overpowered. The wine, he said,
was returned to the Scalcucci
brothers by McDohough, who, the
report adds, told the brothers to
lost an armed guard over it with
orders to shoot If the federal agent
tried to regain possession.
| After receiving the report Major
Ealrymple asked that Attorney
General Palmer instruct the United
States commissioner at Marquette.
Mich, to issue the warrants. Grove
re ported that District Attorney
Myron II. Walker at Grand Rapids
had ordered the commissioner to
! issue no warrants without first
submitting them to him, which
takes from five to fifteen days.
| Samples of the wine seized in the
raid, taken some time ago, tested
IA per cent alcohol, Grove told
Major Dalrymple. The 'Scalcucci
brothers admitted, he said, that
they had made the stuff from a
carload of raisins.
Iron River, Mich. Feb. az
| ftrbn nannla nm in this country n
entitled to protection and they are
| going to get 1t so long as 1t is with
in my power to give 1t to them"
Such was the reply made tonight
by Prosecuting Attorney p. A. Nc
Donough, of Iron county when he
! learned that the Major A. l.. Dali
rymple, prohibition director of the
central states, had declared Iron
county in open revolt against
federal authority.
| Prosecutor McDonough said he
would more than welcome the fed
eral officers with a warrant for his
arrest and that 1t would not require
an armed expedition of dry agents
and Michigan state police TO make
| the arrest,
"The best thing they could do IS
to swear out a warrant for my ar
rest and try to prosecute me-" he
said. 1T would be the best thing
for me and for the people of this
community, for we would then
learn whether or not the laws of
this kind are to be enforced, and
whether or not the people are en-
! titled to protection, as well as
prosecution, at the hands of their
officers"
| According to McDonough, the
three Italians involved in the case
are John, Joseph and Steven Seal
/ cucci, principal directors of the
Peninsula Packing company at
Iron River, and owners of the
largest grocery and meat market in
this city.
In their home above the store,
Mr.. McDonough claims. they were
! in possession "of a number of bar
/ rels of wine, a grape wine such as
has been manufacturered by the
| Italians for home consumption for
many years. A short time ago the
constabulary officers asked for
warrants for the arrest of tho
brothers. he said, which he said he
issued, officers promising to as
sumo any and all responsibility for
| the arrests. When brought TO trial
the three men were dismissed by
the state court, Then the constab-
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