Hide Article Text (OCR)
by 16, 1920, the 18th Amendment was passed and it instantly became illegal to manufac ture, sell or transport alcohol. Behind every bush was an entre preneur who seized the opportunity, and small businesses were created immediately. Elis County led the way with strong local support. Our citizens weren't outlaws, they just chose their laws on a logical basis. Actually there were some legal loopholes in the law. There was the medicinal reason. It required a doctor’s prescription. One common prescription was: “take three ounces every three hours as a stimulant unt stimulated.” All pharmacies flourished. During this period, Walgreens went from 20 stores to 512. Some “speakeasies” registered themselves as pharmacies Several of the New York speakeasies still exist. One is the “21 Club.” For the most part, I don’t think many here bothered with the niceties of the law. It appears our local businesses had a plant in the courthouse. You remember the story of the farmer in suburban Victoria who received a call from the court house “source” they were about to be raided. They fed the mash to the hogs and then had to call for help to drag the sleeping hogs into the shade. I don’t know if the low side knew they had leaks. Maybe the correct question should be, which ones knew what? In another situation, county attorney Norman Jeter was giving an enthu siastic charging statement against a bootlegger; Sheriff Joe Bellman sidled up and whispered “the evidence is missing.” Evidently the volume of activities in Ellis County attracted attention of the “federalizes.” Headlines in the Ellis County News of Jan. 22, 1931 reported: “Five are arrested in six liquor raids.” “Federal Officer Finds Evidence on the O’Loughlin Ranch.’ “R.R. Maiden, federal prohibi tion agent, caused the arrest of five more Ellis County men this week, in his relentless effort to curb the sup ply of liquor in the county. A large capacity operation was found on the O’Loughlin Ranch. “Authorities said ‘the combined plant’ (40- and 60-gallon stills) had a capacity of 100 gallons of liquor a day. Brewing, selling and distributing 100 gallons of moonshine liquor a day would be no small operation.” The O’Loughlin Ranch was located 7 miles north on US Highway 183 and 2 miles west on Buckeye Road. The McIntosh farm was the 320 acres, and half of it was on the north east corner of the O’ Loughlin ranch. Federal agent R.R. Maiden, Sher iff Pete DeBoer and his deputies conduct ed the raid Jan. 22, 1931. Arrested that day were James McIntosh, his son Alex and “Shorty” Debbs, the straw boss of the ranching operation. Although the plant was on the O’Loughlin property, it was operated by James and Alex McIntosh and Debbs. John O’Loughlin and all of the players were related by marriage. John O’Loughlin never was arrested. ‘The portion of the article I have did not include the extra five raids or others arrested — and what, if anything, happened to those arrested after the federal agent left. Grandson John Byers O’Lough lin relates: “I have often wondered where the stills were located on the ranch. Why were they built on the ranch side of the fence, rather than on the McIntosh farm? Perhaps, because it was farther away from any section-line roads, or perhaps my grandfather, John O’Loughlin, encouraged them to locate it on the O’Loughlin ranch in return for a piece of the action.’ In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president. One of his campaign promises was repeal of the 18th Amendment. Faithful to his promise, the 21st Amendment was passed in 1933 repealing the 18th, and nationally it was now legal to sell liquor. Kansas opted out and prohibition continued — the entre preneurial spirit lived on. Although local manufacture continued, another profit opportu nity opened — transportation.The closest source was Nebraska. This was the quickest and easiest way for monetary reward — and quality was more dependable. Innovation flourished. One leading citizen from our area — rec ognizing the need — was brilliant. To sure this need was regarded in the same manner as the “Berlin Air Lift.” From Wiesner’s Department Store, he and his sister-in-law purchased wardrobes for a nun and priest. One day returning from a Nebraska run, they found themselves in a traffic stop and search. He approached the agents, told them he was late for a Mass and needed to be on his way. He was waved on through — and was able to continue serving his constituents in their time of need. In 1948, Kansas finally repealed the prohibition law. This action terminated the need for stills or road trips to Nebraska. A friend told me this finally forced his return to college. Some names have been omitted to protect the guilty. A look back in history through the eyes of Stan “Bud” Dalton. He is a mem ber of the Generations Advisory Group. DD . = COMMENTARY
Newspaper Details
The Hays Daily News
Hays, Kansas, US
Wed, Sep 14, 2016
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Jeannie J.
USA 10 Jun 2026
Other Publications Near Hays, Kansas
The Hays Free Press
The Hays Daily News
