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BOLAND-B3070

Prohibition actually began early in Washington state where saloons were ordered to close at midnight on December 31, 1915. However, alcohol was soon readily available as enterprising entrepreneurs produced "moonshine" from homemade distilleries, "stills," like the one pictured at (Old) City Hall in August of 1920. A long tube comes to a narrow point, allowing the liquor to drip conveniently into a bottle. (TDL 8/15/1920, pg B-5) G24.1-076


Prohibition--Tacoma; Stills (Distilleries);

BOLAND-B3068

Prohibition came to Washington State early, with its passage taking effect at 12:01a.m. on January 1, 1916. By 1920, local entrepreneurs were very savvy at brewing "moonshine" in homemade distilleries, or "stills." This pile was only the most recent installment of confiscated stills in Pierce County. (TDL 8/15/1920, pg B-5) G24.1-072


Prohibition--Tacoma; Stills (Distilleries);

BOLAND-B3069

At midnight on January 16, 1920, the United States went "dry." Overnight, breweries and distilleries closed their doors as the 18th Amendment made the manufacture, sale or transport of alcohol illegal. America was thirsty and enterprising individuals stepped forward to fill the void with alcohol made from home made distilleries, or "stills." Many of these apparatus, such as the one pictured at (Old) City Hall, were confiscated in Pierce County. (TDL 8/15/1920, pg B-5) G24.1-077


Prohibition--Tacoma; Stills (Distilleries);

BOLAND-B7781

Although this April, 1923, photograph resembles a scene from a cops-n-robbers movie, these six policemen from the Tacoma Police Department were not pointing their guns toward an unseen quarry but instead were practicing for a sharpshooting competition. Only the best shooters would be selected for the revolver team that would represent Tacoma in the Northwest Police athletic meet held later in June in Portland. From L-R: night patrol driver Lee Kane; motorcycle officer A.E. Paul; sponsor of the team Sgt. Charles Rohrs; Detective C.W. Brooke; "Dead-Eye Dick" Greenwood -in charge of the local elimination shoots; and "Two-Gun" Hubbard. Kane, Rohrs, Greenwood and Harry Shaner (not pictured) were members of the previous year's team which narrowly lost in Seattle. TPL-2053; G42.1-018 (TNT 4-20-23, p. 14)


Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Police--Tacoma--1920-1930; Firearms; Sharpshooting; Kane, Lee; Paul, A.E.; Rohrs, Charles; Brooke, C.W.; Greenwood, Dick;

BOLAND-B7925

Still. The man only partially seen on the left is Pierce County Sheriff Tom Desmond who along with Deputy Sheriff Theodore Mohrbacher of the county "dry squad" stands next to a large still recently confiscated deep in the woods east of McKenna. It was the biggest copper still ever unearthed locally as of May, 1923. 200 gallons of "moonshine" ready for sale were found close to the still and destroyed. The perpetrators vanished before they could be apprehended. People were still making illegal homemade hooch and daily newspapers of the '20s regularly reported upon the discovery and arrest of these liquor manufacturers. Stills and their products were then generally destroyed. G24.1-075 (TNT 5-12-23, p. 2)


Stills (Distilleries); Mohrbacher, Theodore; Desmond, Tom;

BOLAND-B9296

Illegal stills at courthouse. Theodore Mohrbacher, Joe Desmond and Jack Bodaylea, left to right, of the county dry squad examine confiscated stills at the county courthouse on January 19, 1924. These are just a few of the dozens of huge liquor stills that will be converted into junk by jail trustees in the near future. The stills are now piled up in the lobby of the county jail. Stills can range in size from small tea kettle types to huge commercial boilers capable of holding hundreds of gallons of mash. The manufacture of alcohol was made illegal by the passage of the 18th amendment and the Volstead Act, which went into effect in January of 1920. Prohibition was abolished with the passage of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution in 1933. (TNT 1-19-24, p. 1) G24.1-074; TPL-9895


Stills (Distilleries); Mohrbacher, Theodore; Desmond, Joe; Bodaylea, Jack;

BOLAND-B10905

H.L. Phillips and Willliam Farrar of the city dry squad are shown emerging from the tunnel dug under the home at 7813 A St. on September 6, 1924. The residence was raided that Saturday afternoon and after two hours of searching, elaborate moonshine stills were discovered and confiscated. Barrels, bottles and other distillation apparatus along with a shovel are pictured above. The stills and other equipment, including 200 gallons of finished moonshine, were taken as evidence. One man was arrested in the raid. (TDL 9-8-24, p. 1) G24.1-073


Stills (Distilleries); Phillips, H.L.; Farrar, William; Tunnels--Tacoma;

BOLAND-B10904

On September 6, 1924 the Tacoma "Dry Squad" dug out an elaborately concealed illegal bootlegging operation that was hidden in a "cave" under the house at 7813 A Street. Two stills were found, each with a capacity of 50 gallons. One man was arrested and 200 gallons of finished moonshine seized. The Dry Squad members who took part in the raid were: (l to r) Captain Adam Wiley, R.C. Mowre, H.L. Phillips, William Farrar, William Blacksmith and W.H. Warren. The Dry Squad had been in business since May 15, 1923. (TDL 9-8-24, p. 1) TPL-9488; G24.1-078


Stills (Distilleries); Wiley, Adam; Mowre, R.C.; Phillips, H.L.; Farrar, William; Blacksmith, William; Warren, W.H.;

BOLAND-B11507

Inexperienced safecrackers failed to blow open the massive safe at Bye Thompson Motor Sales, 3320 South G Street, on early Friday morning, December 5, 1924. The thieves abandoned their efforts when the explosives they used broke the windows in front of the safe and threw the office into disarray, but only succeeded in blowing off the combination dial on the safe's door, not in releasing the bars holding the door in place. This was the second time in less than a year that Bye Thompson Motors had been robbed; on December 18, 1923, thieves somehow carried away the company's 1000 pound safe and blew it open several blocks away. That robbery netted the thieves $362. This photograph was taken at the scene of the crime on December 5, 1924. G24.1-056 (TNT 12-5-24, p. 1)


Safes; Robberies--Tacoma; Bye Thompson Motor Sales Co. (Tacoma);

N604-1

ca. 1926. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fletcher pose in happier days on the steps with their grandchildren Charles (in lap) and Muriel Mattson. On the evening of Dec. 27, 1936, ten year old Charles Mattson was kidnapped from the family's home. His parents received several ransom notes, but despite frantic attempts to contact the kidnappers, were unable to do so. On Jan. 10, 1937, the boy's battered body was found near a snowy road in Everett. The kidnapper has never been identified or caught. (filed with Argentum)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Mattson, Charles; Mattson, Muriel; Fletcher, Charles;

BOLAND-B15563

Parked outside the Colonial Hotel, 701-05 Commerce St., on August 31, 1926, were a Tacoma motorcycle policeman and a very small open top automobile with its driver squeezed in. Several Tacoma police officers were included in the photograph. The minute car was being used to advertise the impending arrival of the silent film, "The Wise Guy," starring Mary Astor and James Kirkwood. The name of the film was prominently displayed on the hood of the automobile. G42.1-014; TPL-3553.


Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Police--Tacoma--1920-1930; Motorcycles--Tacoma--1920-1930; Signs (Notices); Colonial Hotel (Tacoma); Automobiles--Tacoma--1920-1930;

BOLAND G42.1-015

Six plain clothes detectives from the Tacoma Police Department stand next to a uniformed officer, perhaps the police chief, on March 18, 1927. The building to the rear is possibly the Elks Club on Broadway. Boland B16553, TPL-9068


Tacoma Police Department (Tacoma); Police--Tacoma--1920-1930;

BOWEN G24.1-055

A pile of slot machines awaits the sledgehammer of Chief Deputy Sheriff John Piper on October 9, 1929 at the county courthouse. These were a sample of the 39 slots ordered destroyed following seizure by county officers from various places of businesses in Pierce County. A total of $244.85 in nickels, dimes and quarters was taken from the machines. This amount, less $10 for trucking, was turned over to the county school fund. The machines, minus their cash, were taken to the waterfront and dumped into Commencement Bay. (TNT 10-10-29, p. 17) TPL-8466;

BOWEN G24.1-088

Pierce County Sheriff Tom Desmond stands next to the what is left of a $12,000 still at the County Courthouse on October 23, 1930. Somehow thieves managed to spirit away part of the still, a seven-foot contraption with twelve compartments and twelve faucets. The grain alcohol still, capable of producing 250 gallons of grain alcohol a day, was seized in a raid at Point Fosdick on October 18, 1930. It was put in a corridor of the courthouse near the entrance of the jail. The seven-foot part went missing on the night of the 20th. Consequently, two deputy sheriffs were fired for "gross carelessness." (TNT 10-23-30, p. 1)

TPL-6963

Large barn on J. Thomas Benston's Farm in Graham that held a bootlegging operation that operated for 6 months undisturbed before it was raided by federal agents in July of 1931. The barn was in clear view of the highway and received frequent shipments of fuel oil, sugar and supplies. It is estimated that it took 25 tons of sugar to produce 1 filling of mash for 1 of its 8 redwood vats. The highway also carried frequent shipments from the farm, trucks loaded with cans and kegs of alcohol. Little trouble was taken to disguise the enterprise and its operation was common knowledge in the neighborhood. The still operated for 6 months and produced over a half million dollars worth of alcohol before it was raided by federal agents. (TNT 7-17-1931. pg 1)


Benston, J. Thomas--Homes & haunts; Barns--Graham; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

TPL-6964

Unidentified men pose with several of the large redwood fermenting vats used in illegal alcohol production in the barn located on the property of J. Thomas Benston in Graham, WA. The barn contained eight of these huge circular vats, each having a capacity of over 5,000 gallons. It is theorized that the operation could produce $20,000 of alcohol every 24 hours. Little effort was made to disguise its operation, and it managed to remain in business six months before it was raided. Operators were said to have paid up to $8,000 a month in protection. In an odd twist of fate, the operators were producing their last batch and getting ready to clear out when the barn was raided. Benston maintained his innocence, stating that he only rented the barn and was not aware that it was being used for illegal purposes. (TNT 7/17-19/1931, pg. 1)


Benston, J. Thomas--Associated objects; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

TPL-6965

An insider's view of some of the details of the bootlegging operation at Benston's Farm raided by Federal agents in July of 1931. One Federal agent, in his sleeveless T-shirt, inspects a pipe on part of the still. Another agent climbs a wooden ladder. There are metal beds in the middle of the "room". The fire for the still had to be maintained 24 hours a day. There is a large stack of metal containers waiting to be filled with alcohol, the still actually used an automatic filler system. The distillery operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Ironically, the actual dismantling was done by inmates of McNeil Island, some of them incarcerated for bootlegging. The copper and vats from the distillery became the property of the prison and were put to legitimate use. (TNT 7/17-19/1931, pg. 1)


Benston, J. Thomas--Associated objects; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

TPL-6961

Two men believed to be Federal Prohibition agents worked on July 17, 1931, at dismantling the boiler from the still found in the barn at a Graham, Washington, farm. The illegal operation was as modern and complete as a commercial pre-Prohibition distillery. It was estimated to have been built for $50,000, was in clear view of the highway and operated for six months. The owner of the farm, a Pierce County road district employee, maintained that he rented out the barn and was not aware of the illegal activities. In fact, this location was probably chosen in part due to the respectability that the farmer lent to the operation. In an odd twist of fate, the bootleggers were preparing to abandon the still, or dismantle and move it, and were making their last batch when the raid was made. It is estimated that the operators manufactured over a 1/2 million dollars of alcohol before the still was shut down. 52,000 gallons of mash were seized in the raid. (TNT 7/17-19, 1931, pg. 1-various articles)


Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

TPL-6962

A federal agent stands beside one of the huge redwood vats found in the July 1931 raid of Benston's Farm in Graham, Wa., to demonstrate its awesome size. This vat was calculated to hold 7,500 gallons of fermenting mash. The Prohibition era illegal distillery set up in Benston's barn contained a total of eight of these vats. The still operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week and could manufacture 100 gallons of pure alcohol every hour. At a market value of $10 per gallon, the feds estimated that the plant produced $20,000 worth of alcohol every 24 hours. It was reported that the operation was set up by a California syndicate, that rented the barn from Benston, and that it was backed by local capital. (TNT 7/17-19, 1931, pg. 1)


Benston, J. Thomas--Associated objects; Prohibition--Graham; Stills (Distilleries); Police raids--Graham;

993-1

Elmer J. McCune, left, 40 year old Puyallup rabbit farmer, poses with Sheriff John Bjorklund after his arrest and sentencing for murdering his wife, Maude Bulgar McCune, with an ax. On the night of November 9th, 1935, during a brief reconciliation for the couple, after being almost continually separated during their six years of marriage; the couple argued at McCune's rabbit ranch 5 miles south of Puyallup on Pipe Line Road. McCune stated that he "lost his head" when his wife nagged at him and hit him with a stick. He responded by striking her in the head with an ax. The couple's seven year old son Leroy was asleep in the house at the time. McCune buried his wife's body on his ranch. One week later, Nov. 15th, he brought Ruth Dunlap, with whom he admitted having a relationship of several years duration, from Seattle to his ranch and presented her to his son as his new mother. McCune was sentenced to life imprisonment two days after his arrest. (T.Times 4/19/1935, pg. 1; 4/20/1935, pg. 1)


McCune, Elmer; Homicides--Puyallup--1930-1940; Bjorklund, John;

2700-14

This vacant and boarded up home stood about 200 feet from the home of the J.P. (Phil) Weyerhaeuser, Jr. family at 420 No. 4th. The Weyerhaeuser home is the one behind the tree at the right rear of the picture. The police suspect that the abandoned home may have been used a a hideout where the kidnappers could observe the Weyerhaeuser family prior to the May 24, 1935 kidnapping of nine year old George Weyerhaeuser. This theory was later abandoned and footprints attributed to an overly ambitious photographer trying to get a different viewpoint of the Weyerhaeuser home. (T. Times 5/28/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding months)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Abandoned buildings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

2700-16

In May of 1935, a group of newsreel cameramen and reporters were staking out the home of J.P. Weyerhaeuser Jr. at 420 North 4th Street waiting for a break in the George Weyerhaeuser kidnapping case. Nine year old George Weyerhaeuser was abducted around noon on May 24, 1935 as he walked from Lowell School at 1210 North Yakima to Annie Wright Seminary at 827 Tacoma Avenue North to meet his sister and go home for lunch. By May 25, 1935, the kidnapping had become a front page story across the United States. Reporters streamed into Tacoma. The boy was reportedly being held for $200,000 ransom, truly a fortune in the depression strapped times. The kidnapping remained a front page story until George was released on June 1, 1935, despite the fact that very little information was being released by either the police or the family. Most stories published were filled with speculation and conjectures. (T. Times 5/25/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding months)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Reporters--Tacoma--1930-1940; Photojournalists --Tacoma--1930-1940; Cameras--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

2700-18

A sample of George Weyerhaeuser's third grade school work. On May 24, 1935, the nine year old boy was kidnapped as he walked from Lowell School to meet his sister at Annie Wright and travel home for lunch. The ransom note demanding $200,000 contained George's signature. His school work was used as a comparison for the signature. The paper says "Lowell School. Oct 19 1934. George Weyerhaeuser 3b. When I was at the zoo I saw some (animals.) We drove out in out mothers' and teacher's (automobiles)." (T. Times 5/25/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding months)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Associated objects;

2700-4

Man holding a suitcase, taken for the Tacoma Times in conjunction with the investigation into the kidnapping of George Weyerhaeuser on May 24, 1935.


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

2700-B

The dislodged stone from the wall at Western States Hospital, possible ransom drop off spot in the George Weyerhaeuser kidnapping. In late May of 1935, US postal employee Fred Hipkins claimed that he had seen what he interpreted as an attempted ransom delivery. It consisted of a signal light high in a fir tree on Custer & Steilacoom Highways, a sedan parked near Western States with its lights off and people inside, and tire tracks and a dislodged rock the next morning in the stone wall surrounding the hospital. (T. Times 5/31/1935, pg. 1)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

2700-19

Fred Hipkins. This US Postal Service special delivery messenger became front page news when he reported that he had seen what appeared to be an attempt to deliver ransom money in the George Weyerhaeuser kidnapping. In a front page story of the Tacoma Times (not carried by the News Tribune), Hipkins reported that as he drove home to Lake Louise about 1:15a.m., he saw a very bright light suspended in a tall fir tree about 300 yards south of the junction of Custer and Steilacoom Highways. He felt that the light was a signal. Later on, near Western States, he saw a large black sedan parked with its lights out and four people inside. The next day, several stones in a nearby wall were found to be dislodged, possibly in an attempted ransom drop. This story was not repeated in the following days, undoubtedly a dead end. (T. Times 5/31/1935, pg. 1)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hipkins, Fred; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

2700-20

Evidence in the kidnapping case of nine year old George Hunt Weyerhaeuser; communication by letter from the kidnappers. The first ransom note from the abductors arrived around 6:30 p.m. in the evening on May 24, 1935 by special delivery. It demanded $200,000 in ransom in special unmarked denominations. It gave the family 5 days to raise the money and gave the instructions to take an ad in the Seattle PI signed "Percy Minnie." The typed letter was signed "Egoist, Egoist" and also bore George's signature. Later communications contained precise directions on delivering the money. The letters indicated that they were written by an educated, intelligent and organized person. (T. Times 5/25/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding days)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Correspondence; Evidence (Law);

2700-27

Entrance between hedges at Annie Wright Seminary to staircase; area where George Weyerhaeuser was kidnapped shortly after noon on May 24, 1935. Following the death of J.P. Weyerhaeuser, obituaries citing his wealth caught the eye of a trio looking for a fast buck. Harman Waley, his wife Margaret and William Dainard decided to abduct Weyerhaeuser's grandson 9 year old George and hold him for ransom. They took the boy as he walked from Lowell School to the Seminary to meet with his sister Ann and travel home for lunch. They held him for $200,000 in ransom. The sensational case forced everything else off the front page, including the lumber workers strike in Tacoma. (T. Times 5/25/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding days)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Annie Wright Seminary (Tacoma)--1930-1940; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

2700-6

Mrs. B. Lucille Berg; George Weyerhaeuser's third grade teacher at Lowell Elementary. On May 24, 1935, in what was Tacoma's most sensational crime, George Weyerhaeuser was kidnapped as he walked from Lowell Elementary at noontime to meet his sister Ann at Annie Wright Seminary and go home for lunch with her. He was held for $200,000 ransom and released on Tiger Mountain Road in Issaquah after payment on June 1, 1935. Mrs. Berg figured importantly in the case, supplying samples of George's handwriting to compare with his purported handwriting on the ransom notes sent to prove authenticity. (T. Times 5/25/1935, pg. 1 plus succeeding months)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Berg, Lucille; Lowell Elementary School (Tacoma); Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

2700-65

This US Postal Service special delivery messenger, Fred Hipkins, became the man of the hour when he reported that he had seen what he felt was an attempt to deliver the ransom money in the George Weyerhaeuser kidnapping case. The Tacoma Times carried a front page story that Hipkins had seen a bright light suspended in a tall fir tree near the intersection of Custer & Steilacoom Highways. He interpreted this as a sign from the kidnappers. Later, near Western States, he saw a large dark sedan with its lights off and people inside. The following morning, tire tracks and dislodged stones could be found in the stone wall surrounding the asylum, a possible ransom drop. This story occupied several pages in the May 31, 1935 Tacoma Times only to disappear and not be repeated. Obviously a dead end. (T. Times 5/31/1935, pg. 1)


Kidnappings--Tacoma--1930-1940; Hipkins, Fred; Weyerhaeuser, George H.--Kidnappings;

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