A newspaper article from Oct. 13, 1922, tells the tale of federal prohibition agents raiding the farm of a well-known Carroll County political leader.
The agents were most likely from the Federal Bureau of Prohibition. That group was formed in 1920 as a unit of the Internal Revenue Service — to enforce the Volstead Act, also known as prohibition, which went into effect on Jan. 29, 1920.
The October 1922 newspaper headline read, " 'DRYS' MAKE RAID — Dump 16 Barrels Of Cider At Joseph Wimert's — Released on $2,000 Bond After Arrest For a Hearing In Baltimore Today."
"The Drys" and "dry agents" were nicknames of the federal agents involved in such raids.
A dispatch in the Baltimore American said that, "Joseph D. Wimert, a well-known farmer of Carroll county, three years ago a candidate in the Democratic primary for nomination as county commissioner, is again in the toils …
"This morning Federal agents … of Washington came to this city. State's Attorney (Theodore F. ) Brown procured for them a search warrant from Police Justice R. Lee Hutchins of this city and accompanied them to the Wimert farm …"
Apparently, it was not Wimert's first brush with the law. The article continued, "About six months ago, Federal agents, with State's Attorney Theodore F. Brown co-operating, found in the cellar of his home, three miles from this city, near Tannery, several hundred gallons of mash and a small quantity of moonshine liquor, but located no still. In the United States Court at Baltimore, defended by Edward O. Weant, he put in a plea of nolo contendere and a nominal fine was imposed."
I recently caught some of the latest documentary, "Prohibition," by Ken Burns on PBS. Whether your interest is sociology, history, law and order, alcohol or just plain good TV, Burns' documentary is intoxicating.
Many folks are not aware that Carroll County went "dry" six years earlier than our nation, in 1914. That move closed Westminster's 21 saloons.
Prohibition in Carroll County was politically adventurous. According to research by historian Jay Graybeal, published by the Historical Society of Carroll County, "Although Carroll was … dry, the subject was a bitterly contested issue in the November 1915 state election. Local voters were urged to elect a slate of non-partisan 'dry' candidates by T. M. Hare, superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League of Maryland.
"Production at local distilleries continued even after Prohibition began. ... These rural distilleries became tempting targets for gangs," according to Graybeal.
The Anti-Saloon League, a national organization that existed from 1893 to 1933, was quite active in Carroll County.
In October 1915, the league declared, "A thorough survey of the situation in the county convinces us that the strongest ticket possible is as follows: John B. Baker and G. Fielder Gilbert, Democrats; Herbert R. Wooden and Frank Ely, Republicans.
"We believe these men are worthy."
Well, on Nov. 2, 1915, the voters only found two of the league's candidates worthy, and elected Republicans Charles B. Kephart, Edward Frank Ely, Herbert R. Wooden, and Jesse Leatherwood to represent Carroll County in the House of Delegates.
According to a history of "Carroll County Election Results for Federal, State, and Local Offices, 1837-2000" by local historian Charles William Albert; under the Maryland Constitution of 1867, Carroll County was granted four delegates to serve from Carroll County, for two-year terms. Carroll maintained four delegates in the General Assembly until September 13, 1966.
In the November 1915 election, the four Democrats who ran unsuccessfully for the House of Delegates were Nathan G. Dorsey, Jacob Frederick, G. Fielder Gilbert and John B. Baker.
Curiously, the four candidates running on the Prohibition Party ticket all came up "dry" — dead last: David S. Ebaugh, A. Harland Greene, Samuel F. Hess and Ira D. Perkins.
When he is not a couch potato watching PBS, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at kevindayhoff@gmail.com