The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-07-28
LEGAL STEPS Will
HALT BOOZE MOB
kAIHLESSNESS IN NORTH
STATE VILLAGE
GRACE IN LONG FIGHT
Federal Action Has Been Taken
and Cleaning Up commu,
~. nifty Is Aim :
rUns.ed Press Dispatch. ]

Ktnssdale, MINI. July 25,-For
nine years Charles R. Grace has
eas been fighting lawlessness alone
in this little settlement. sucked away
in the woods. Today the federal
government backed him up, Grace
and federal agents are lined UP
against q band otEtwenty- I'VE moon
sinners that. holds the entire com
munity in terror. So far the moon
sinners have
Burned Graces' lumber camps
with losses Of $4,000.
Dyuamited his $4,000 hotel.
Shot up the town with re-
volvers and rifles.
Driven four preachers out Of
the community.
Threatened Grace and his
family with humiliation.
Threatened citizens that were
Grace"
Driven a 500 line agent who
was friendly with Grace out OF
town.
Openly defed Pine county
authorities.
Established an armed camp
in the thick woods near the
junction of the st. Croix and
Tamarack rivers.
Insulted Grace's young dauga-
tiers and his wife.
inundated Andrew Gilman,
postmaster and storekeeper.
Hiding Place Is Known
The federal government is power
less to prosecute the band for the
burnings and dynamitfng without
evidence. Agents have the names
OF nine of the band but have no
evidence against them.
An organized raid on their cache
would undoubtedly result in blood
shed. Tneir hiding place is known,
but there are seutries at far out
posts with long range rifles. The
band knows the almost impossible
wood, while agents are ignorant OF
the passes in theswildernes-
Grace moved to Kingsdale nine
years ago from a ranch between
Pierre and Chamberlain, South Da-
kota- He went to the north woods
to recover from hay fever.
He bought the town site from the
north woods to recover from hay
fever.
He bought the townsite from the
500 line and a large tract Of tim
berland surrounding 1t. For six
years he reigned as car over tae
district The three or four hundred
lumberjacks :. who work in the dis
uict in the winter were pretty or
Derry. -
Then came prohibition and moon
shine. Before the prohibition
amendment they drank beer by tae
barrel andfgood whisky. in the last
three years-sinee they began
they haveTbeen crazy" said Grace.
II have been expecting them to
get me any time" he said. 81
thought they mighthsioot me- from
behind a tree In the woods. / have
never gone armed, because 1t would
do me no good If they wanted TO
get me.
would endanger my family. I had
been warned they would dynamite
the hotel, but I didn't think taey
would go that far. But they did.
The blast broke every window in
the building. 1t was felt five miles
away. Ny daughters were hurled
5Lk1oo NoS
my hired man and a guest.
mo we will not leave town,
1 am going to stay here and fight to
the finish Ny family will not de-
sert me. They are going to stick"
Grace and sis wife have three
daughters, Ida and Elizabeth,
twins, twenty years old and Flor
ence, eighteen his son Chester j.
Grace is twenty three. After the
explosion, the daughters in khaki
breeches and army shirts Joined the
men in clearing up the debris.
County Officials Active
Associated Pr~Ss DisIatch.1
Pine City, Mimi, July 25.-S. G..
L Roberts, county attorney Of Pine
county declared today that every
effort Is being made by, county Off
cials Comprehend those responsible
for-the~ dynamiting sof the Gracel ho-
tel at Kingsdale ten days ago but
that no stateror federal assistance
fslneeded in curbing the activities
of moonshiners in the Kingsdale
section
The moonshfners and lawiess
element which was In the vicinity
of Kingsdale have departed and
aensinn." Mr.. Roberts said. THE
situation presents only one serious
phase and that lies in the difficult
ties which surround the arrest OF
theS persons Irresponsible for the dy-
namfting of: the Grace hotel.
In my mind there lis no doubt
but that the moonsmners are re-
sponsibhe for that act of.lawlessness,
due to the. fact that HMr. G. R. Grace
owner of sthe property wastact1Ve In
the fight against moonshinmg, and
succeeded in driving out OF the Vi
cinfty Of Kingsdale, large percen-
tage of gthose4 so engaged.
"Hngsdale is ideally located for
the reprisals which the moonshlners
and their assistants practiced. Their
activities cIMbed in Kingsdale, the
Iawiess ones gave up that territory
as a base of operations, but before
leaving took vengeance on Mr..
Grace, one of the leaders IN the
ffght against them. 1t is a sixty
mile drive from here to Kingsdale
and when members of the sherihs
office arrived there the moonshiners
and their accoLplices were well
over the Wisconsin line and 1t may
he that those responsible for the
Kingsdale raid are now in hiding in
the north woods of Wisconsin.
Shot Up Village
Last Saturday night near mid
night shots rang out and windows
crashed as the moonshiner rode
through the four blocks tlat form
the settlement. There were about
ffteen of them, all heavily armed.
fortunately none of tae shots