The following stories tell about a little of the moonshine making days in North Olean during Prohibition. Although there were bootleggers a plenty in Olean and vicinity that were involved with the manufacture and selling of the forbidden liquid, these stories took place in that colorful part of my world, North Olean.
On a cold winter night in March of 1922, at about 11 o'clock, armed with a search warrant Officers Wittenburg and Locke, with the assistance of Deputy Sheriff Knight, descended upon the at the homes of John Wojcik and his landlord, Joseph Slodoski, who resided respectively at 218 and 214 E. Pine Street. It just so happened that the timing couldn't have been at a better time for the law. They descended upon the places while the owner and occupants were engaged in supplying of the cup that cheers. When the police walked into the Slodoski place there were three up-town residents, two town characters and a woman enjoying the fruits of dissipation.
At the Wojcik place the officers confiscated a steamink wash boiler that contained about twelve gallon of the stuff in process of distillation. The boilers, bottles of whiskey of all colors, a coil and a pail were taken to police headquarters to be held as evidence. The boiler was of copper construction and the place on the cover where the handle should have been was covered with part of an old suit of underwear and the cover itself was stuck to the boiler with a gummy mess of paste. It had the appearance of a garbage can. The police were at a loss to understand how a man could drink the poison that had been distilled from it.
The police said that the proprietors of each had purchased a gross of bottles the previous day preparatory to running a lot of the stuff and were ready to fill them up when interrupted by the police. The police were of the opinion that the whiskey that had been sold by Wojcik had been purchased somewhere else as there was no still parts anywhere in evidence. Between fifteen and sixteen gallons of raw moonshine whiskey were the fruits of the raid and in the hands of the police department. Officers Blakeslee, Grandusky and Randall made no arrests. The warrants stated that they should be permitted to conduct a search for the moonshine, and not to make any arrests unless an attempt was made to stop them.
The following day, John Wojcik asserted to the Herald's statement that a still being found in his place was incorrect. He produced the receipt of the police department giving a list of jugs, bottles and home brew that was confiscated at his place by the police. The still was not listed. Wojcik went on to say that the still that was confiscated by the police was taken from Slodoski's place. Wojcik said that he had been out of work for fourteen months and so took up the hooch game, which made it worthwhile, so much so as to make it inadvisable to look for a regular job.
The following month John Wojcik and Joseph Slodoski were served with bench warrants by Sheriff Frank H. Annis, and were arraigned before Judge Dennis Keating. They furnished bail of $1,000 each to appear in court at Little Valley the following Monday.
Slodoski had stated to the arresting officers that he never made any moonshine to sell but only some for his own use. He had a family of eleven children and claimed to have been laid off of work a year ago. He claimed, while some moonshiners make stuff with the proof of TNT, his was only from 60 to 80 proof. "I don't like it so strong," asserted Joseph. "Why, look what they are doing up in Buffalo", he said. I was up there last week and on the Broadway Market they were selling copper stills openly, labeled 'gasoline tanks.' Those, which would hold twelve gallons, were $12 and those holding nine gallon, $9. Just at the rate of a dollar a gallon, eh! What you know about that.
Joseph also asserted that, while his alleged moonshine was harmless, as he drank it himself, the mash from which some folks make liquor is deadly. He knows it. Only last summer, a neighbor in the same block threw out some mash into the yard and Joseph's chickens got at it and ate it.
"Them chickens, they were drunk," asserted Joseph. "They walked funny and they laid down and they died."
At Little Valley, Joe Slodoski pleaded guilty and was fined $100 and his six-month sentence was suspended. On the other hand, John Wojcik, who had previously pleaded not guilty at Little Valley, changed his plea to guilty. He was not fined but was sentenced to serve three months in the Monroe County Penitentiary,
HIVES BLOSSOM ON WOMAN AFTER MOONSHINE FEST
"Made in Olean Moonshine Whiskey", direct from the wash boiler stills in North Olean had been accused of growing boxing gloves on rubber trees, of being capable of enabling the most docile of make creatures to attempt to batter down the towering hulk of the heavyweight champion fighter of the U. S. A. and many other serious offenses, but it was the first time in the long list of experiences of a local physician that it aided in bringing out the hives on the human body. The moonshine was alleged to have been of a poisonous nature by Mike Magira, when he appeared in police court on a morning in April 1922, to testify against Mr. and Mrs. John Nagourney, who resided on Walnut Street. The man and his wife had been arrested on a charge of violating the state liquor law.
Magira claimed that he purchased a pint of the alleged fire water from the prisoners the previous Thursday and another on Friday at the market price of $1 a pint. He further stated that he and his wife occupied chairs on each side of the front door on Sunday and that the moonshine that was bought from Nagourney was poured into glasses for consumption. Filling up a two ounce glass, one for himself and one for his wife, Magira took a sip of his glassful and claiming that it tasted like "tea and coffee" threw it away. However, the glass that he gave to his wife was drunk. About fifteen minutes later, Magira claimed that his wife was unable to stand up or see.
A local physician was immediately called in and attended to the woman. According to the doctor, he was of the opinion that the hives were about ready to come out on the woman and that drinking the whiskey no doubt aided them somewhat.
Mr. and Mrs. Nagourney waived examination when they appeared in court and were held for the grand jury. Judge Keating fixed bail at $1000 each.
Moonshine Days in North Olean
