The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1920-03-05
REBELLION WAGED
AGAINST DRY Law
PROHIBITION CAUSE OF UNREST
AMONG MINERS IN IRON
COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
Prohibition Agent and Party of Mich
loan State ConstabIes Held Up BY
Iron County Officials and Wine they
Had Confiscated Taken From Them

loan State Constables Heio Up by
Iron County Officials and Wine They |
Had Confiscated Taken From Them
Chica Goa rebellion against pro
hibition' has started in Iron County, |
Michigan, and the county, led by the
Prosecuting Attorney, is in open feVolt
against Federal authority, Major A. V.
Dalyrmple, Federal Prohibition Dlrec-
for for the Central States, notified
Washington A prohibition agent ana
a party of Michigan State Constables
were held up February 10 by Iron
County officials and wine they haa
confiscated was taken from them, ac-
cording to word brought to Chicago by
leo 7. Grove. of Marquette, super
yising prohibition agent for the Upper
Peninsula. Major Dalrymple appeal
ed TO Attorney General A. Mitchell Pal
mer to order warrants to be issued
for the arrest of the Prosecutor, TWO
Deputy Sheriffs, two police officers ana
three other residents of Iron River,
mining village.
While awaiting word from Federal
authorities Major Dalrympe issued Or
ders for a company of picked prohlbl-
ton agents to gather prepared to
start on an armed expedition, when, ne
declared, is to "clean up Iron County.
The Michigan State Constabulary Will
be asked to cooperate in the eXpedl-
ton. Grove, accompanied by Lleuten-
ant r. G. StrOpe and Troopers Masters
and Kind, of the State Constabulary,
seized IL barrels of wine at mine two
miles from Iron River, he reported to
Major Dalrymple. The wine is SAID
to have been made by John, Peter and
Steven Scalcuci, wealthy Italians,
who own several business houses IN
Iron River. Grove loaded the liquor
into a sleigh and started to move II
to Caspian, headquarters of the State
Constabulary in that section OF the
peninsula. When the sleigh reached
Iron River it was met by Prosecuting
Attorney p. A. McDonough, Deputy
Sheriffs Chard and Jesse Allen, Police
Chief G. HI. Sensba and Police Captain
Claude Brown.
McDonough, according to Grove:
repOrt told the Prohibition Super
visor that he was under arrest To-
having transported liquor" and or
dered his men to seize the wine
Grove began to fight, but was over
powered. The wine, he says, was re
turned to the Scalcuci brothers by NC
Donough, who, the report adds, toll
the brothers to post an armed guar
over it, with orders to shoot II tn
Federal agent tried to regain posses
sion. After receiving the report MaJo
Dalrymple asked that Attorney Ger
eral Palmer instruct the Unite
States Commissioner in Marquette
Mich, to issue the warrants. GroV
reported that District Attorney M!
ron H. Walker, of Grand Rapids, ma
ordered the Commissioner to issue n
warrants without first submitting thel
to him, which would require from
Is days.
Samples of the wine, seized IN
raid some time ago, tested Ii Pr
cent alcohol. Iron River is a villat
in the mining district a few miles fro
the Wisconsin line. The population
the county is composed largely OF ltf
ians and Sicilians, according to Gro
and 'bootlegging" has been rampa
in the hills and woods for month
The Michigan State Constabulary trl
TO "clean up" the county few mont
ago. and Captain Marsh, of the 90
sfabulary, was shot by "bootleggel
Attorney General Palmer, who ste
ned in Chicago for a few hours,
route to Topeka, Kan, told neWspal
men that his office was ready to II
nish all cooperation possible to {
prohibition agents.
An appeal addressed through Dan
C. Roper, Commissioner of Inter-
Revenue, in the regular way, wo'
hiring an investigation of the Michlg
case. he said 1t might be possible,
added, to perfect arrangements vine
by the United States Commissioner
Marquette might use warrants with'
waiting to submit the facts to Dlstr
Attorney H NJ. Walker, OF Ora
Rapids.