The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1927-02-10
PROHIBITION OFFICERS GET
FIVE ALLEGED OFFENDERS
Fair Exhibit Building Found To
Contain Still and Materials In
Course of Manufacture.

About two months ago application
to rent the fair exhibit building adj
Joining Oakland for the winter and
spring months was made to the Off
cials Of the association by George
Milton Edgar, who at that time was
occupying a bungalow located on the
abandoned State highway at Smiths
store on the banks of the Deep Creek
Lake, ten or twelve miles north of
Oakland who stated to the official hav-
ing the property in charge that he
had leased his own property and de-
sired to come to town to live. The
deal was made and Edgar moved in.
A few weeks later the finger of sus-
picion was directed toward the Fair
Associations new tenant, but no ac-
ton was taken until Monday after
noon when Prohibition Enforcement
Officer Cleveland D. Jarvis, accom-
panied by H. R. Stotler, of Keyser, w.
Va, and J. ]. Doerr, Of Belington, w.
d., dI1lNSu III odh1dllu. III COMPANY
with Deputy Sheriff Joy Griffith the
officers drove to the fair grounds and
after an inspection of the exterior of
the premises they entered and were
confronted with one Of the most mod
ernly equipped moonshine establish
ments ever found in this county.
The basement of the building was
used for the still, which was of 250
gallon capacity and as storage place
for raw materials. The first floor Of
the house was also packed with raw
material and material in course of
manufacture, the officers reported
that they found 1900 gallons of mash
in barrels and other containers, 2200
pounds Of sugar, eases of yeast and
numerous empty mash barrels. All of
this was destroyed, the officers first
placing the sugar in the cellar of the
house and then cutting a hole through
the floor the mash was poured out into
the basement. The still was chopped
to pieces and made unfit for further
use. There was also confscated L.
200 pounds of grain.
Edgar and Stanley Merle LETTERS,
who are alleged to have been the OPP
orators of the plant were arrested and
brought to town and placed in jail.
Edgar, who owns the Deep Creek
property, went on LETTERS bond for his
appearance, and Edgar was bailed out
by Hobart Harvey, farmer of near
Sand Flat, for his appearance.
On their way to Oakland Monday,
the enforcement officers stopped at
the home of John Browning, near
Thayerville, and placed him under ar
rest after finding in a recently con-
structed building a boiler and four
350-gallon watts, and in the barn Is
50-gallon barrels, one 5-gallon key of
liquor and 50-gallon barrel contain
ing ten gallons Of whiskey. Browning
was cited to appear before the United
States Commissioner in Cumberland
to give bond for his appearance at the
District Court.
The officers also visited the former
home of Edgar at Deep Greek in
which they discovered a pump and %
mash barrels and evidences of recent
moonshine operations.
Continuing their search for alleged
offenders on their way to town the
officers stopped at the farm of Will
liam S. Cooper, or William S. Nit
chell, as he was formerly called, locat-
ed at the watering trough seven miles
north of town. Here they found two
stills, both in operation, one of 100
gallons capacity and the other of So
gallons capacity, $50 gallons of mash,
$50 gallons of whiskey, 10 50-gallon
barrels and other material. The Off
GERS destroyed the stills and mash and
arrested Cooper, who came to this
section some time ago from the vicin-
ity of Davis, West Va.
The Cooper raid was made by en-
forcement officers and Sheriff Casteel.
William Lucas, who lives on the
Hahn place, a few miles south of Oak
land was brought in by the officers.
Tuesday night. Lucas is a Polander,
and has been living in the county for
several years. At his farm the Off
GERS found a 15-gallon still, IL gallons
'of whiskey and 8 barrels of mash.
A dwelling on Oak street, recently
vacated, was also visited and searched
by the officers but nothing was found
in it that would lead to the arrest of
the former tenant.
Officer Jarvis works under the d.
rection of H. M. Bradley, deputy Pro-
hibition Administrator Of Wheeling,
West Va, land is the chief enforcement
officers Of Western Maryland, which
is comprised of Garrett, Alleganv and
Washington counties, while the West
Vir~-'n cNrpnre who orcOmnan;nd him