Chillicothe, Ohio, Two Big Stills Captured by Pike Raiders
Waverly, Ohio – Two large stills, in full operation, and a quantity of moonshine liquor and mash were confiscated in a surprise raid in western Pike county Tuesday. One man was arrested on the scene, but three others escaped.
The liquor-making outfit was one of the largest turned up in Pike county in years, according to Sheriff Jesse H. Foster, who was assisted in the raid by Deputy Ralph Davis and Constable Kelly Wallace.
U. S. Agents Notified
Being held in the Pike county Jail at Waverly is Lloyd Hildebrand, 24, of near Latham. Sher. ill Foster said he has advised federal liquor agents in Columbus of the stills. He stated Hilderbrand will be turned over to federal authorities for prosecution. One still was of 50-gallon capacity while the other held 70 gallons. In addition to the stills, the sheriff found 10 barrels of mash, eight gallons of moonshine whisky, and an old 12-gauge shotgun.
Near Fairview Church
The two stills were located on a wooded hillside in Mifflin township, about 20 miles west of Waverly. Ironically, on the other side of the hill was Fairview church. No Trespassing” signs had been posted around the stills. Sheriff Foster and his deputies arrived near the church at about 10:30 a. m. Tuesday and surrounded the hillside where the stills were thought to be located.
The Sheriff crawled toward the stills, on his hands and knees, and uphill toward the moonshine site. About halfway he sighted the stills in full operation by the four men. He fired one shot, a pre-arranged signal, and the officers closed in. First on the scene, Sheriff Foster captured Hilderbrand., but three other men escaped into the woods.
Moonshine Stills Destroyed
The stills were dismantled, taken to Waverly, and destroyed. The Pike county sheriff said Wednesday he believed he had crippled seriously a moonshine ring that has been in operation in the western part of the county for some time. The three escapees were recognized by the officers, he said, and their arrests are expected momentarily. Chillicothe Gazette, Chillicothe, Ohio 14 Feb. 1951, page 2
Factory Worker’s Thriving Business in Moonshine Ends
Huntington, WV (AP) – Clyde Adkins of Greasy Ridge, Ohio, had what federal alcohol tax agents described as a thriving moonshine, business. Agents said he made the brew in a 110-gallon still on his farm, trucked it to Huntington, and then sold it to fellow workers at an industrial plant where he was employed during rest periods.
They estimated he sold more than 150 gallons in two years at $1.73 a pint or $10 a gallon. But Adkins, 34, was intercepted while taking his last “production” to the plant. He had destroyed his still after learning that he was under suspicion.
Arraigned before U. S. Commissioner J. W. Fitchett yesterday, he pleaded, guilty. He was released under bond pending the grand jury action. Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, Lancaster, Ohio 17 April 1951, page 1
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