Sheriff of Watonwan County Made the

Arrests in a Raid at Nearby Village Tuesday.

——–

QUANTITY

ALCOHOL FOUND-

ILLICIT STUFF

——–

Think Gang Who

Has Been Flooding

This Territory With Grog, Broken Up.

——–

With the arrest Tuesday afternoon at Madelia of alleged booze runners from Mankato, police and county officers of Blue Earth and Watonwan counties believe they have started the breaking up of the booze running gang who have been responsible for the flow of illicit liquor, which has streamed into this part of the state from the wholesale supply of the Twin Cities during the past year or more.

In the raid at Madelia, Albert Backhaus, Peter Fleischmann, Fred Miller and Peter Wittmers were taken into custody by Sheriff J. C. Bermel of Watonwan county, Leo Forester, deputy sheriff, and Policeman Holle of Madelia, assisted the sheriff in arresting the four alleged booze vendors.

Fleischmann was the only one to admit that his residence was in Mankato. Sheriff Ario of Blue Earth county declared that the other three are also residents of Mankato. Fleischmann and Miller served county jail sentences at Mankato in 1921, according to Ario.

What Was Taken.

The liquor supply taken in the raid by the Watonwan officers included a one-gallon tin of alcohol, two full pints, eight half pints and two half pints partially filled with alcohol. The booze supply was taken from the Dodge automobile in which the four men were seated when arrested by the sheriff.

The automobile was parked in front of George Rohe’s store on Main street. The booze loot was found in the back seat covered over with a robe. In addition to alcohol found, the raiders discovered an empty case of half pint bottles.

After arresting the four alleged booze runners Sheriff Bermel and the other two officers entered the Rohe store and an additional supply of liquor was found, according to the report of the officers.

In the back room of the store the officers found a paper cartoon containing a ketchup bottle partially filled with alcohol. In the top part of he desk in the front office of the establishment the officers uncovered two half pints of alcohol which had been cleverly concealed.

Brown County Journal,

March 21, 1924