Evening Republican, Volume 23, Number 260, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 October 1920 — Woodworth Raided Newland Still [ARTICLE]

Woodworth Raided Newland Still

Fifteen Gallons of Prune Whiskey Taken By Sheriff and Revenue Officers In Newland District Last Night.

ONE CAPTURED; BULLETS FAILED TO STOP OTHER. • * .• ... Ralph Ballard In Wiki Flight Through Newland Marshes And Is Still At Large.

The distilling and illicit sale of whiskey was handel a stiff jojt in the Newland district about 'ninethirty o’clock Friday night when Sheriff True D. Woodworth, accompanied by two Hammond revenue officers, made a sensational raid on a still, which it is alleged was operated bi Ralph Ballard on the farm be and his family occupy about three and one-half miles southeast of Newland. As a result of the raid fifteen gallons of prune whisky was destroyed by the officers and about fifty pounds of prune? confiscated. Roy Ballard, a brother of the alleged owner of the still, was captured and lodged in jail in this city. Ralph Ballard, clad only in a pair of overalls and. a shirt, made good his escape amid flying bullets, eluding the officers and disappearing in the thick underbrush of the Newland marshes, and is still at large.

The raid was the result of tips that A Sheriff Woodworth received about three weeks ago, and he had been working on the case since that time. There had been many reports of the distilling of liquor in the Newland neighboorhood but none of a nature that gave Sheriff Woodworth very much to work on. There had been considerable drunkenness in the NeWland and Kniman territory for several weeks and when Sheriff Woodworth made inquiries of the fanners in the Ballard neighborhood he found them very reluctant to cimmit themselves, merely stating that they thought it came from the “Ballard place. Dissatisfied with the lack of cooperation on the part of those living in the vicinity of the Ballard home and the lack of interest shown by the federal authorities at Hammond Sheriff Woodworth de-

cided to take matters into his own hands and on Friday morning tele- § honed the Hammond officials that f they did not care to take a hand in the matter he would make the raid himself. As a result the Hammond headquarters advised him that they would send two men on the evening train to assist him. The two men arrived on the evening train and in company with the sher* iff .left for Newland shortly after eight o’clock, abandoning the car which they left this city in and securing another at Newland better suited for a trip through the marsh country, and where they were joined by a Newland resident who was familiar with the territory through which they had to travel. Upon their arrival at the Ballard home the three officers proceeded boldly to the front door and knocked. The door was answered by Mrs. Ballard who called to her husband who was asleep in an upstairs room. The latter raised the window and asked what was wanted. Sheriff Woodworth replied that he just wanted to see him a minute, whereupon the latter replied that he would be down in a few minutes. Growing impatient the . officers opened the door and went into the house just as Roy Ballard came downstairs. The officers at once started to search the house and found 31 gallon. of ill-smelling liquor in the pantry and when Boy Ballard was questioned about it he replied that he did hot know where it came from but that his brother would be down and that perhaps he could tell them. The officers search also revealed three loaded shot guns standing in the comer of the living room. The shells were removed from, the guns just as Ralph Ballard put in his appearance. , The officers _ then turned their -attention to him, but his pyaSivo answers did not satisfy them and they continued their search. Ralph Ballard was standE near th/ door and as Sheriff iff Woodworth in hot pursuit. Sheriff Woodworth was fast closing in on his man when he ensuch an-oeeaaian. While the sheriff was freeing himself mcreaik b 5 called to him to halt, out Baiiara IS tinned ob his way, amid flying mil

lets. As the sheriff discharged his revolver for the third time Ballard dropped, but was up in • second and again on his way. disappearing behind a straw stack where his trail was lost. There was blood on 4he ground where Ballard dropped but the blood may have‘ been the result of cuts which he received while climbing through the barbed wire. - - A dredge ditch passes through the Ballard farm and the banks of it have a thick: covering oftAmder■brush. The three officers continued their search for-the fugitive for two hours but were unable to get trace of him, and he was still at large this Saturday noon. The still, or part of it, was located in a log house about one hundred feet from the house and was a crudely constructed affair, 'being of the type that is built with a washboiler, several coils, or the “worm” , and a drain pipe. However, the “worm” had been removed

from ii and ’the officers were unable to find it. According to the officers the very smell -of the wjskey was enough to drive one into delirium tremens, and the wonder is that the users of it had not died from drinking it. Roy Ballard was taken into custody by the officers and brought to town and lodged in jail where he remained over night. However* he disclaimed any knowledge of ' the presence of a still on the farm, and stated that he had come to the farm only a few days before from Chicago where he had been working that he might aid his brother with the crops. His physical condition is very, bad and upon his promise that he would report to them any time ' he was needed, the revenue officers permitted him to return to the | farm to care for the crop. In । the meantime the search for Ralph j Ballard continues. I The farm consists of two hundred and forty acres and is owned by; Chris Staler of Wolcott. The officers are of the belief that Ralph Ballard will ultimately give । himself up, as his crop this year is . a very valuable one and he will suffer a big financial loss if he is unable tb harvest it 1 The revenue officers continued downstate this morning.