Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-05-08
Twelve Are Hailed Into
Court on Liquor Charge
PRIVATE DETECTIVES SECURES
EVIDENCE IN VISIT HERE A
FEW WEEKS AGO

Clayton Keaton, Jake Wiedeman,
Dan Burns, Albert THAN, Peter Buban
ovich and Jack Garihee, who had re-
Gently moved to Merrill, appeared be
fore the federal court commissioner
at Rhinelander Tuesday to give bonds
in the sum of 100000 each for their
later date to answer to charges pre-
ferred against them for violation of
the federal prohibition laws. John and
Dell Dussault of Conover and two
residents of the town Of Sugar Camp
in Oneida county also appeared there
for the same purpose.
The above is the substance of a
highly sensational news story carried
by the Rhinelander Daily News, Mon
day. According to the writer, who is
wasting his life away when he spends
it around any newspaper office in
towns like Rhinelander, when he
should be writing thrilling movie
plays for the film producers out in
Hollywood, California, conditions
around Eagle River are very bad The
prohibition officers informed the
News correspondent that they consid
cred it the wettest spot in the state
and that in their haul toward the
courts of justice they had been fortu
nate in getting one man who was rec
ognized as the king Of all bootleggers
in northern Wisconsin. Previous to
this it had been impossible for them
to secure sufficient evidence as the
manufacturers and vendors OF moon
shine were so strongly and perfectly
organized that even occasional visits
were tipped off to them in advance
and as result every ones house or
premises was in perfect order when
they arrived.
The arrests were the result of
visit made about one month ago by
a man and woman who proceeded to
rent rooms and look the town over
with view to engaging in some line
of business. The man claimed to be
an automobile mechanic and one who
liked his drinks frequently. He volun
teered the information that he had
had several encounters with prohibit
ton enforcement officers as result of
handling little moonshine at times,
After spending a week or two in town
he became acquainted with quite a
number and it is said that he was
very liberal about providing liquid re
freshments when ever he met his
chance acquaintance. In this way he
secured the evidence wanted and
shortly before leaving town in some
way dropped hint of his real bust
ness, so that his arrival in town Sat
urday in his official capacity was not
a surprise to those who had met him
before.
We are informed by District Attor
ney O'Connor that Mr.. and Mrs. Walt
er Sunderlin, who secured the evi
dence in the case are not federal pro
hibition officers, but private detec
tives engaged to collect evidence
which would enable the federal author
tiles to act in the matter.
No resident of Eagle River disputes
the fact that there, is unlawful manu-
facture. sale and possession of intoxi
eating liquors in Villas county. They
most firmly dispute any claim that
there is any more of it here than in
other counties, some of them pretty
clerk of court will show that although
some prohibition officers may not
know it, that there has been many oc
casions when violators have been ar
rested, fined and imprisoned for their
offenses. 1t is presumed by only the
most radical dry or temperance ad-
vocates that, the conditions will ever
be thoroughly removed to the point
of where none is made sold or drunk
at least during the lifetime of many
accustomed to drinking of intoxicants
before national prohibition became eff
fective. Whether the new method as
practiced in this instance will tend to
make the prohibition law more popu-
lar than it now is, is some what un
certain, personally, we believe that if
put in practice every where, it will
help to bring about the passage of a
light wines and beer law, and in that
way, practical return of the old
time saloon, faster than any other
method the wettest could name.