The next meeting of the Tazewell County Genealogical and Historical Society will be Tuesday, April 8th at 7pm.  Gary Gillis of Pekin, formerly of Barrington, will present a program about the “Battle of Barrington.” This will be a great program so don’t miss it.  You’ll learn about Pekin’s unique link to Chicago’s depression era crime wave. Meetings are free and open to the public.

Fruhlingfest, or Swiss-German Springfest, is back! Join the German-American Central Society on Sunday, April 6th at the Avanti’s Event Center. 

All history is local until it is woven together with other stories to become part of the National fabric and there is no aspect of National history that doesn’t touch Tazewell County.

Since Gary’s program will feature Chicagoland gangster activity from the 30s, it seemed appropriate to reveal a little of the prohibition era hijinks that went on in Tazewell County during the 1920s and 30s in this month’s column.

Prohibition Began Under Sheriff Clay
Sheriff Robert Clay began his second term on December 1st, 1918.  The 18th amendment passed January 16, 1919 triggering the beginning of prohibition on January 17th, 1920.  Clay was dead less than 8 months later as a result.  

The September 3rd, 1920 East Peoria Post described the melee with hi-jackers at Wesley city:

“It was some pitched battle Sheriff Clay, the two Whitmore boys, Pat and Earl, and Deputy Donahue had with Leo Schneider, the Peoria pugilist, Whitey Jackson, a gambler, “Dutch” Cooksley, police character, and “Doc” Henricks, “Dutch” Hosteller and Earl Brockamp, switchmen, below Wesley.”

[Readers should know that Pat would later become Sheriff and Earl would become Pekin Police Chief. Deputy Arthur Donahue would later take a turn at both.]

Clay was shot in the ruckus, lost a lot of blood, and was eventually transported to Proctor Hospital in Peoria.  He died September 4th, 1920 and was buried in Lakeside Cemetery in Pekin.

It was shortly after Midnight on the 2nd that the sheriff received word that twelve barrels of alcohol had been stolen from a shipment on the Big Four along the road between White House crossing and Wesley City by parties who came along the road and saw the loaded truck.

Sheriff Clay, accompanied by deputies Pat and Earl Whitmore and Arthur Donahue, started at once for the scene.  They pulled their car across the road to block the truck and commanded the hijackers to halt.  It is stated that the men opened fire.

At any rate, a terrible encounter ensued, and it was when Deputy Donahue thought one of the men was about to draw a revolver on Sheriff Clay that he struck him on the head with the gun.  In the melee, Leo Schneider, one of the rum yeggs, was shot. Arthur Hendricks, Roy Kirstetter, Dutch Smith, and Whitey Jackson were also injured but all five survived and went on to be charged with receiving liquor in prohibition territory.

All of the alcohol stolen on this occasion at this place was recovered and brought to the sheriff’s office, being later taken over by the federal authorities.  The same night a quantity of alcohol was stolen from an L E & W train near East Peoria.  

Robert Ingersoll Clay (1869-1920) was the only Tazewell Sheriff to be killed in the line of duty.    

Bootleg King’s Death Boat
Sheriff Ernest Fleming was in office when the dead body of Thomas Miller was found in his cabin boat near East Peoria early one morning in 1927:

Miller had been shot in the back, the shotgun which was used by Nick Kepper, who admitted the shooting, evidently having been placed close to Miller’s back when the shot was fired.  The charge from the gun went entirely through Miller’s body, tearing a hole through him.

Coroner Allen, when notified, went to the scene with States Attorney Dunkleberg and Deputy Sheriff Bowles.  Nick Kepper, who admitted he did the shooting, was placed under arrest, brought to Pekin by Deputy Bowles, and placed in jail.

According to the story told in connection with the case, there were two witnesses to the murder.

Kepper and Miller lived on adjoining cabin boats, which are located north of the Peoria wagon bridge up in a slough that runs back from the river, north of the plant of the Illinois Light and Power company.  The place could only be reached by using a boat and when the officers arrived at Kepper’s boat they found him in bed, apparently asleep.

He admitted having shot Miller, it is said, and his only excuse was that he was afraid that Miller was going to shoot him.  According to the story which Kepper is alleged to have told, he shot twice at Miller, the second shot causing instant death.  

He gave no alarm and did not notify any officer of the killing, but went to his own home and went to sleep, he told State’s Attorney Dunkleberg this morning.  The two men who first told of the shooting are under arrest at Peoria and are being held as witnesses.

When the officers went to the Miller cabin they found a large still in operation and a considerable quantity of liquor of various kinds.  The place is said to be one of the most complete outlaw distilleries found in this locality for many months.  Two deputy sheriffs were placed on guard at the Miller cabin this morning and this afternoon the sheriff was arranging to have the still and liquor brought to Pekin.

The officers are inclined to believe that a dispute over the operation of the place or a division of the spoils of the illicit trade had something to do with Miller’s murder.

Kepper who is about 40 years old, is said to have been mixed up in the shooting of another man several months ago but he was acquitted of the charge.  His wife is dead and his children have been taken from him and declared dependent, it is said.  Miller is about 35 years old and unmarried. –Excerpts from 19 Sep 1927 Pekin Daily Times

Bootleg King’s Death Boat Brought to Pekin
The cabin boat belonging to Tom Miller, the bootlegger king who was shot to death at the doorway of his cabin by Nick Kepper, attracted much attention as it lay at anchor at the foot of Court Street, guarded by Deputy Sheriff Frank Smith.

After investigating the murder of Miller and ordering his body removed to Pekin, Coroner Allen had arranged to have the cabin boat removed to the East Peoria boat yards where it would be more accessible.

There was some misunderstanding about the arrangement and the boat was towed down to Pekin.  The Miller boat is one of the most complete distilling outfits ever found in this locality.  Arranged around the sides of the boat were 19 barrels each containing about 50 gallons of mash and all working.

In the center of the boat were two fifty-gallon copper stills.  Each still stands on two 3-burner oil stoves and to the side of the stills were ten-gallon stone jars, into which the alcohol was run.  The outfit was in full operation when the officers reached the boat yesterday morning and the fact that the owner of the boat had lain dead on the floor, for at least ten hours made apparently no difference to the stills for they were under a full head of steam and percolating perfectly.

Two 100-pound sacks of sugar stood in one end of the boat, up in a cupboard were a few extra lamp wicks, an old heating stove which had been knocked partly over stood near the front door of the cabin and 14 glass gallon jars filled with hooch, indicated that the supply had not been allowed to accumulate in any great quantities.  Part of this hooch was colored, the other light and slightly cloudy just as it had come out of the cookers.

It was said that Miller ate and slept in his distillery cabin but there was no sign of a bed or cot in the place, no dishes or pans, and no food of any kind.  A pump conveniently arranged, about in the center of the boat furnished the means of providing the river water used by Miller in the hooch manufacturing joint.  – Excerpts from 20 Sept. 1927 Pekin Daily Times

These stories and others like them ran in the 2022 TCGHS Monthly publication in more detail.  It was a fun series to research.  We can tell the readers that although Peoria claimed to be the Whiskey Capitol, there is no doubt that East Peoria and its environs was the Moonshine Capitol during prohibition.  For more information on the era, stop by TCGHS and read the stories in more detail.

The Tazewell County Genealogical & Historical Society is an award-winning 501c3, all volunteer organization that has been in continuous service to our members and the public for 47 years.  TCGHS operates an archive, library, and research facility at 719 N. 11th St., Pekin.  Visit our website at www.tcghs.org to learn more about us.   If you have any point of interest that you would like to know more about, stop in at TCGHS or drop us a line.