Orange County has always had access to alcohol and prohibition was no
exception. With the number of guest hotels in the area, there developed a
trade in the illegal brew and our ancestors were only too happy to supply
their thirst.
The following article, from 1932, details one such raid on the local
sellers, including my great ganduncle, Grant S. Beatty.
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Spring Valley Herald (February 18, 1932)
FEDERAL AGENTS ARREST LOCAL MEN
Evansville Men Swoop Down on Alleged 'Leggers; Case , Beatty are Caught.
Federal prohibition agents working out of Evansville swooped down on
French Lick and West Baden late yesterday afternoon and arrested seven
persons in the two towns. All were charged with the sale of liquor.
James Case, who was arrested on February 8th on a charge of possession
of liquor, was again taken in yesterday's raid. He was out on bond of $2,500
pending trial of his previous case when he was re-arrested.
Dr. G. S. Beatty was the first French Lick man arrested by the officers.
He was also charged with sale of liquor. This is the third time Beatty has
been arrested on this charge, he having served two terms on the previous
charges.
Fred Garrison, Earl Knight, Roscoe Charles and Alfred Elledge were the
other four arrested in French Lick in the latest effort of the prohibition
forces to dry up the town.
The officers arrived in French Lick a few minutes after four o'clock and
went right to work rounding up the alleged sellers of liquor. The officers
then went to West Baden to pick up "Shiner" Meadows, but were unable to
locate him. He was later found, but his case was entered in the Orange
Circuit Court at Paoli.
All of those arrested yesterday were taken to the Federal jail at
Evansville, and are held on $2,500 bond in each case.