The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1924-05-22
PETER LAIR GIVEN s.
YEAR FEDERAL TERM
ST. CLOUD SOFT DRINK JOINT
OWNER TO DO TIME FOR
SHOOTING OFFICER
HERMAN PLEADS GUILTY
co. COMMISSIONER FINED $1,000
IN CONSPIRACY TO VIOLATE
PROHIBITION ACT

las Lanr Oh ST. cloud, pleaQeO
guilty to shooting a federal officer
and was sentenced to six years in
the Leavenworth federal prison and
to eleven months in Jail on other
charges, in dramatic midnight ses-
sion in federal court here last night,
Four other men implicated in with
drawals of beer from the Pitzl Brew
cry at New Munich, Mimi, also were
sentenced at the same session, receiv-
ing fines ranging from $500 to $1,000,
and ordered to Jail until these fines
have been paid.
The flour sentenced for the New
Munich affair, were Valentine Her
man, who said he was county COM
missioner of Stearns county, and
Stanley Dobis, restaurant owner,
each receiving fine of $1,000; Al
vim BONNER, who runs meat market
at Avon, $3.50 and Joseph Sigmeth,
farmer $500.
Lair previously changed his plea
from not guilty to guiltA.
As he raised his eyes to the judy
es' face, he saw, standing directly
behind the judge, the man he adj
mitted shooting in raid on Lahr's
soft drink establishment in st. Cloud
Ole P. Olson, premier prohibition
enforcement officer of Minnesota.
Besides the six years in Leaven-
worth, Judge Cant sentenced Lair
to three months in Jail for selling
liquor, eight months for maintain
ing a nuisance, and fined him $500
for illegal possession.
7 ob,. will bic -, Al !,
federal prison first, and then will be
sent to the ST. Louis county Jail
to serve the 11-month Jail term.
Technically, the shooting charge was
for resisting federal officer with a
dangerous weapon.
Fergus Falls, May 16-Val
Herman, Stanley Dobis, Albin Bob
mier and Jos. Sigmuth appeared be-
fore Judge Cant shortly before mid
night tonight to receive sentence for
conspiracy to violate the Federal
Prohibition laws by removing beer
from the Pitzl Brewery at New Mu-
mich. When they appeared, the true
story of the New Munich raid was
made public for the first time.
1t appeared that on Oct. rs, 1923,
the government seized the New Muu-
mich brewery and placed under seal
3,640 bottles of beer and 20 cases of
beer. On the morning of Oct. ~,
Matt Pitzl, head of the brewing
company, telephoned the officers that
someone had visited the brewery the
night before and stolen part of the
beer.
Federal Prohibition Agents A. E.
Whitney, Maurice Silverman and
Louis F. Cole were ordered to pro-
coed to that place, arriving about 8
o'clock in the evening, and secreted
themselves in an ice house near the
bottling works.
They remained in hiding until
o'clock in the morning, at which time
a Cadillac car drove past the brew
cry, turned around Sand drove away
again. Very soon afterwards, a
large International truck arrived,
closely followed by Ford truck. The
men in the truck began loading up
beer. The agents waited for them to
get it we'll loaded and waited too
long. The truck started unexpected
ly and got away.
The Ford truck was being loaded
up, and the agents decided it was
time to make capture. They rushed
from their hiding place, and three
men fled, but Jos. Sigmeth was
caught with sack of beer bottles in
his hands. He confessed, and Her
man, Dobis and BONNER were arrest
ed the next day, on the strength of
his statement.
Following the seizure of the Ford
truck and the arrest of Sigmeth,
Agents Whitney and Cole got into
Coles car, which was concealed in
the neighborhood and started in pur-
suit of the International truck that
had gotten away. They had no diff
Guilty in following the. tire tracks of
the truck, as the country is sandy.
They followed it for twenty-five
miles, and finally drove upalongside
of it. Whitney jumped from the
automobile onto the running board of
the truck as the two vehicles were
abreast. Cole drove on and turned
his car caross the road in front of
the truck.
The truck turned out and drove by
him, and he could see nothing OF
Whitney, who was expected to halt
the driver but he did see q fashlight
turned upward in the road. He ran
back and found Whitney lying on the
rodside with his skull fractured. Civ
ing up,.the pursuit of the, truck, ne
took the injured man to hospital in
st. Cloud, where he remained UNI
conscious for days, but finally recoV-
cred.
The plot to rob the brewery was
connected at q soft drink parior in
Avon, according to the evidence Sc
cured by the government. Stanley
Dobis was the owner of the Ford
truck and Valentine Herman was the