Millenium Countdown, Day 54: Five arrested after big booze party

Paper: Carson City Daily Appeal - 74 days to the millennium 74 years ago - Wednesday, Nov. 18, 1925

Editor and Publisher: Leslie J. Blake

Published daily except Sunday at Carson City.

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By today's Nov. 18, 1925, edition Prohibition is in full swing. Across the state, raids by "prohi" are keeping bootleggers wary of strangers and court cases are piling up faster than the single U.S. District Court Judge Farrington can move them through his court. In fact cases have been stacking up since 1919, a year before the nationwide ban on alcohol was imposed. At one time in 1922,110 defendants were set to appear before him in one day.

5 ARRESTED AFTER

BIG BOOZE

PARTY

VIRGINIA CITY, Nov. 25 - High life in an Austrian household on the Divide between this city and Gold Hill, brought about the arrest yesterday of five foreigners on a charge of liquor law violation and the placing of charges against four of them for an attack upon the fifth.

Peter Milolor is said to have been stabbed in a melee Monday night when a gun, knife and axe handle were brought into play and as a result Mr. and Mrs. Stocich, Mike Ronevich and John Krzanich were arrested by local officers and the weapons seized as evidence.

Yesterday Federal Officers George Brady and H. Parise raided the Stocich hoe on the Divide confiscated 350 gallons of wine and arrested the five Austrians on charges of possession of the liquor.

Nov. 24, 1925

MINERAL CO. LIQUOR

MAKER GOES TO JAIL

Joseph Mardi whose distillery at Thorne, Mineral county was said by prohibition officers to have been the source of Mineral county's liquor supply, pleaded guilty in federal court this morning to charges of possession of liquor at Thorne and Yerington and maintaining a nuisance. He was sentenced by Judge Farrington to serve four months in the Washoe county jail and was fined $250.

COMSTOCK PRISONER

RELEASED FROM JAIL

Charles Shields arrested at Virginia City on a bootlegging charge six months ago was released from the Ormsby county jail last night. He stood trial in the federal court and a jury in his case disagreed.

Oct. 17, 1924

FORTRESS HOLDS OUT

AGAINST PROHI ASSAULT

Nevada prohibition agents discovered another "fortress" yesterday. Heavy blows of a sledgehammer made a few dents in the bared door and sent the sledge bouncing back but the entrance remained closed.

The establishment conducted under the namer of the "Tavern" is at 129 Douglas Alley. After beating harmlessly on the threshold for a few minutes the door was opened from within.

Federal Agents Toohey and Parise found a few empty milk bottles and water running in a sink but no liquor other than that deposited by a visitor who was seen to cache his flask as the officers suggested a "hip" search.

The man who said he was employed in Sparks and had obtained the liquor there was not held after a hearing before U.S. Commissioner A. A. Warren. No arrests were made of the "Tavern" owners.- Reno Journal

By now even the "prohi" agents sent to enforce prohibition laws are tiring of the process.

On Nov. 19, the Appeal talks about how former federal prohibition Director Capt. J. P. Donnelly was caught not turning in liquor cases for prosecution.

"A jury found Donnelly guilty of a misdemeanor in failing while he was a federal prohibition director for Nevada to report to the United States attorney the seizure on September 2, 1922 of a truckload of beer, which was being transported by James Curran on the South Virginia Road near Reno.

He was found not guilty of an alleged felony in failing to report the activities of Gabriel Scott in collecting money from bootleggers for promised protection and also not guilty of failing to report and investigate the hauling of a second truckload of beer by Curran on September 18, 1922 and an alleged cache of liquor in Reno which had been reported to him on March 31, 1923.

Donnelly faced a maximum sentence of one year in a county jail or a fine of $500 or both.

Aug. 14, 1922

ONE CASE HEARD

IN FEDERAL COURT

Although the United states district court calendar called for the disposal of three criminal cases daily until about sixty are disposed of, the first case had not been completed this afternoon and it was believed impossible to dispose of more than the one case today.

The case was that of William Starke, of Gardnerville, charged with having liquor in his possession unlawfully. Attorney E. T. Patrick is defending Starke and the claim was made that the liquor was for Starke's personal use. The defendant was on the witness stand at three o'clock.

While United States District Attorney George Springmeyer is attempting to dispose of the case before a trial jury, his assistant, Charles Cantwell is presenting new cased to the federal grand jury for action.

The following editorial followed the page one article about the backlog of cases.

ANOTHER JUDGE NEEDED

The growing congestion in the United States District Court makes imperative that another judge be named to assist Judge E. S. Farrington in disposing of the increasing scores of criminal cases arising from violation of the national prohibition and narcotic laws. Better still, a judge should be named to handle these cases exclusively and to permit Judge Farrington to perform other duties imposed upon him.

The presiding judge is doing all in his power to expedite the trial of the cases, but its a hopeless task. There is the prospect of finishing one set of cases in which indictments have been returned only to find another set waiting, for both the trial and grand juries are sitting at the present time.

The attempt to dispose of three cases daily is too much for a trial jury and at the present writing it is probable that the disposition of three cases in two days will be good work.

There is an injustice to the jury men, too, in being called to sit for weeks at a time in bootleggers' cases when their business or work at home requires their attention.

A new federal court system is needed.

Aug. 16, 1922

In the federal court today B. Borda of Gardnerville was tried on a charge of violating the prohibition laws. He was defended by Attorney George Sanford of this city.

William Borda and Bilboa were last evening found guilty on similar charges the former being convicted of one count of an indictment and the latter on two counts. Sentence has not been pronounced.

Aug. 15, 1922

TRIAL JURY OUT IN

SECOND BOOZE

CASE

The possibility that the United States district court trial jury will dispose of one case a day instead of three as had planned became apparent today with the jury wrestled with the Bilboa and Borda case. the case was still being heard this afternoon.

Late yesterday William Starke of Gardnerville was found guilty on a liquor charge. Aug. 17, 1922

THREE TRIALS HELD

IN FOUR DAYS SESSION

In the United States district court this forenoon B. Borda of Gardnerville, was found guilt of violating the prohibition law. Borda is a relative of the other Borda convicted yesterday on a similar charge. Since the court resumed the job last Monday there have been three trials finished and in each case the jury has brought in a verdict of guilty. It was expected that at least three cases would be gotten through with a day, but thus far, four days have been used up in the trial of three of them, so that it looks as though this session of the court will be long drawn out.

Aug. 22, 1922

HAUSER, AND STARKE

BEFORE COURT

Leo Hauser, charged with violating the national prohibition law in Washoe county, was on trial in the United States district court today. A jury has been secured and a verdict is expected before recess tonight.

William ("Pop") Starke was in Carson today and it was explained that if he does not plead guilty to one count upon which the jury in his case disagreed he will be tried again on that one count. The jury found him guilty on one county, not guilty on another and disagreed on the third. His case will come up again next Monday.

Hauser was sentenced to four months in the Washoe County Jail.

"FLYING SQUADRON" IN

RAID ON RENO BARS

Members of the western "Flying squad" of the federal prohibition officers, the Cossacks of the enforcement service who are here one day and there the next, appeared in Reno yesterday and in conjunction with Nevada officers raided four places in quick succession, seized whiskey and win and made five arrests, the Journal reports.

The Louvre and the Star Barrel house on Center street, the Colombo on Lake street, and the Mecca saloon on East Commercial Row were entered. Liquor was found in every establishment, the officers declare.

75 STILLS AND 700

GALLONS BOOZE TO GO

An order for the destruction of approximately seventy-five stills and 700 gallons of moonshine liquor has been made by Judge E. S. Farrington in the federal court and the marshal's office is ready to proceed within the next few day with the destruction of the merry mucilage.

Lack of storage space to house the incoming specimens to the museum prompted Judge Farrington to do away with the old collection. Prohibition officers declare that the large storeroom is completely filled.

A large number of sacks of sugar and corn meal, said to be accessories to the stills in the crime of making moonshine, are also on hand.

The court suggested that these food stuffs be kept from the main marts of commerce, and be sold to charitable institutions of the state for a nominal sum.

The system is backlogged throughout the west. On Aug. 28 Judge Farrington went to San Francisco to lend a hand.

Under the headline "Farrington Goes to Assist SF Judiciary" the Appeal wrote: After the case of Frank McKeown has been disposed of today there will be no more federal court hearing for about three weeks, Judge E. S. Farrington announced today. The judge is going to San Francisco tonight to assist judges in the federal court there to clean up their over-crowded calendars.

McKeown, proprietor of the Royal bar at Reno, is charged with prohibition law violation.

William Starke of Gardnerville appeared for sentence this morning after having been found guilty of liquor law violation and was fined $500 and costs.

Gino Ricci, who also had been found guilty, was sentenced to serve twenty-five days in the Washoe county jail.