The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-08-11
STILL AND MASH
SEIZED ON FARM
YOUNG DIsTILLERY TAKEN
OVER BY OFFICERS
FIND WAS IN RAvINE
Another Thrilling Chapter Is
Written Of Old Ledbetter
Premises

- &S4kA&SS8
Another -cnapter was written in
to the already lurid history of the
raVine just west of the old Ledbet.
ter farm, north of Mankato. yestar.
Jay afternoon when Deputy Sheriffs
Ell kiugherz and William Harris
discovered and raided the largest
ana most efficient moonshine still
ana ali the appurtenances of a first.
class amateur distillery and in adj
dltlon to seizing all the apparatus.
spilled but eight barrels Of mash
smashed jugs and pals and seized
ABOUT twelve gallons of alleged fifty
PROOF moonshine liquor which Ia
now In the county jail.
Wnlle the officers were ENGAGED
IN tearing down the layout" shot
them and today it was learned that
the firing was done by Ed. Hunt.
a farm hand helping Wendell Drum
mer during the harvest rush but
VINO has not been regularly en-
months.
No arrests resulted from the raid
as there was no one in sight when
the officers were doing their work
out 1t Is considered a distinct coup
since the largest still ever seen in
the county has been put out of BUST
ness. -,
According to Deputy Kluebe1
Hunt is a brother. In law Of r
Hesse, who now has an appeal
pending In the supreme court On a
CONVECTION for selling moonshine
which was found in the Blue Earth
district coutr and as the officers and
a passenger were leaving the Led
better farm today, they passed a
Mrs. Hesse.
How the Plant Was Laid
About 300 yards from the old Led
peter barn, west and a trifie north.
Is a. ravtne which Is almost mac
cessible and il is not less than
forty and possible fifty feet below
the prairie fields which surround
It. To arrive there from the road
1t is necessary to drive through
stubble field and then 60 dow h an
almost straight incline 10 the f4or
o. the rav1ne which. has been 1eQal
"a on Tor the dist1I1ins mechin erv L
a small water cCur1e passes 10 cre
side Of the ravine but No water
lows there except after rain and
for those occasions, the Still oper-
ators built small bridge which
VIII not dam the course and will
allow al water to drain on rapidly.
The big still, which is of a sixty
five gallon capacity is made of COP
per and is one OF the finest ever
seen in this section. A standard
made Of iron supports the big boiler
and below this is a fine heating,
system made up Of eight kerosene
lamps which are fed through an
automatic arrangement. The pine
to the cooling coil and the coli it.
self are made of the finest kind of
pipe known TO the distilling trade
and Is said to be worth not less than
81 rs per foot The coil works in
side an oak barrel and has a faucet
at the dripping end
In addition to the big still there
were at least three other stills of
the wash boiler size which had evil
IDENTIFY been operated with the big
OUTFIT. The hospitable pail of noon
shine and the tin cup which also
graces all first class stills was
there and had evidently been used
for handing out favors to friends
and for giving samples to prospec-
tive purchasers.
Place To Hide Still
Near the location of the big still
there has been dug hole inst large
enough In diameter to hold the
large still and the pit is about four
feet deep, deep enough to com
pletely hold the arrangement but il
was evident from the disposal OF
the property there that there was
entertained little fear of detection
since the eight barrels OF mash
were standing about promiscuously
and no effort had been made to
conceal these.
:, The ne set set was on PROPERTY owned
BY Griffith Jones Of this city but he
stated to the officers that IL there
was still there he knew NOTHING
Of it and that he would be pleased
to have them locate it If such a
thing existed.
At the Drummer place TODAY
there was none who knew ANYTHING
OF the still or of the name of the
operators according to their state
ments and the only information
cleaned was that Hunt fred the
shot heard by the officers during
the raid yesterday.
The task of the officers can be
count that all the heavy equipment
was necessarily carried up a hill
v hich is almost impossible to climb
unhindered. For the deputies it was
necessary to lug all the jugs, kegs, !
stoves and stills as well as a barrel
the coil to the. top of
this hill in order that they might be
loaded on dray for transport to
the Jail ~
: There was a gauge for measure.
ment of proof in the layout and It
was this guage that the officers de-
termined the status Of that factor
In the product seized.
While no statement as to the ma
ture of the next steps has been
made at the office of Sheriff Anton
Osten, it is believed that the officert
are in fair way to make several
arrests soon and it was also said
today that there win be evidence
which viii warrant a conviction.