The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-30
RECORD LIQUOR
PLANT IS FOUND
ON BUSH ISLAND
CONTINUED from First Pses.,


set. the. intruders down for what
they appeared to be. Just . party
of outdoor sports to whom fate had
been unkind in the hunting.
"You men live lonely life here. :
Deputy Sehnert remarked, by way
Of opening the conversation, after
had gone around.
Eyes, sir" answered one OF the
men from the shack, as he motion
ed to rustic chairs for the party.
"But we're close to town and
our business is profitable.
That gives you away" one OF
the hunters" answered. BE care
full that we don't tell on you" A
hearty laugh at this sally was en-
joyed.
Tell Details Of Work,
The moonshiners waxed conf
and told some details OF
their work. In turn they were re-
called with tales of the hunt. But
it was getting late.
About time to tell them what
we're here for, isn't it, John?"
asked Prendergast, turning to the
sheriff. The agent, at the same
time, pulled his coat back SO as to
disclose the government service
badge on his vest.
1.-The light that failed" had moth
ing on the sunshine of life within
the two distillers, as it executed a
neat eclipse at this moment. Sad
eyed and with elongated faces
they witnessed the dismantling of
their hooch factory and its carting
to Rock Island in a big truck. With
no other comment than reproach-
full glances, they attended their
erstwhile guests to the county prl-
son, where they spent Sunday night
waiting for their hearing.
The one still which broke the
record, was a tank the size Of a
dining room table, oblong in shape.
about five feet long, three feet wide
and four feet high. Its capacity
was estimated at 200 gallons. So
great was the vaporization in this
huge plant that two towers" on
top were necessary to carry the
steam into the coils, and its out
put was many gallons day. Heat
for it was furnished by large
camp stove.
Flat Boat Used.
But once the identity of the
hunters" became established and
they proceeded about the business
in hand, a troublesome question
arose. How to. get the evidence Oh
the island and into the city? That
was the perp1exing problem. Scout
ing around the shore, one OF the
raiders discovered a large fat boat,
but which when pressed into ser
vice of the law was capable of hold
ing only half Of the moonshiners'
apparatus. With 60 gallons of fin
ished hooch on hand, it became
necessary for the officers to de-
stroy 40 gallons on the spot in or
der to bring the stills and other
hooch to the mainland in two loads.
The moonshiners had an immense
supply of mash on hand-97 bar
rels to be exact AS is customary.
barrels and contents were rendered
hors du combat without any for
mality. The officers welded wick
ed axes in reducing the barrels to
mere strips and turning the mash
over to mother earth.
The six stills were all located
after some skirmishing about the
timber and bushes. They were all
established within radius of Isl
yards of the shack, but with ap'
parent effort at cOncealpent from
prying eyes. A huge copper kettle
converted into an approved still
was found suspended from an over
head bar la Kentucky mountain
style Heat for this was furnished
by a wood fire, the embers of which
we're dying by the time the officers
took possession.
But the biggest still of the out.
fit-that's what made the officers
shudder. Capable of turning Out
more hooch than all the Others
combined, the raiders inspected its
construction and found it to be cor
rugated iron material. The acit
formed from contact of the mast
with the iron of the still formed Z
deadly poison, which was transmit
ted to the finished product, in thu
Nopinion of the officers. All Other
stills were copper.
Rye as Basis.
The moonshiners used rye as ba
sis for their hooch. When the mast
reached the stage where it became
necessary to shield it from chill
before going into the stills, it wa!
carefully consigned to a hole il
the ground, to which was generated
a mild sort of heat. This hole wa'
deep enough to hold from six tt
twelve barrels and was lined will
| galvanized sheet iron.f
Sampson protested that he Wa
merely employed at the camp. HI
said man" had approached hin
| on the streets of Rock Island no
long ago and offered him "job" a
$25 per week and board. He SAT-
he was sent to the island. Strang,
enough, he could not remember VIII,
his employer was.
Fandrey showed less concern. H,
admitted they were making hoocl
and we're selling it. He said he re
ceived IS per gallon for the output
However, he refused to name tn
purchasers. With only 60 gallon
on hand, the officers presume'
that the pickup" man had cleane'
house on the occasion of his Sat
urday night trip down the river
There was a woman on the job. Sh
proved to be the wife Of one of tn