Sheriff Potts and the moonshiners

Washington's ban on the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages became effective in 1916, making the state one of 33 that banned alcohol before the 18th Amendment to the Constitution made it illegal nationwide in 1919. This story is taken from the March 3, 1921, edition of the Mason County Journal. (Prohibition was repealed nationwide in 1933.)

In mid-March 1921, Mason County Sheriff Ralph Potts and his deputies, aided by federal officers, raided two moonshine distilleries that were in active operation in Mason County. They took the operators into custody and confiscated a large quantity of "makings." The stills and equipment in both cases were quite elaborate, turning out moonshine in large quantities. Two men were taken into custody in each case and sent directly to Tacoma to answer to federal charges.

The first raid took place on a ranch near Beeville, which had been leased from the owner and was ostensibly operating as a chicken ranch. Louis Prinorach was the only one at home, and seeing officers coming at him from several directions, made no attempt to resist the search. It required considerable hunting to find the still, but it was finally located under the floor of a large chicken house where several hundred hens were kept. The officers discovered a trapdoor under a large pile of bird droppings and in the room below found a well-made 25-gallon capacity still, 50 gallons of moonshine, 500 gallons of mash, a pressure tank and coil, seven sacks of corn and a sack of sugar. At this point, Prinorach "threw in the towel" and admitted he had been operating the still since the state went dry, and had made over $15,000.

"I use sugar, corn and yeast and have been doing a good business," Prinorach said. "It has a kick like a southern mule."

Prinorach marketed his product in the Aberdeen-Hoquiam area and Tacoma, where it was handled by a ring of Austrians working mainly in cheap restaurants. He offered to pay the officers well to be left alone.

After Prinorach was taken to Tacoma, several officers remained on the ranch, hoping to apprehend his business partner John Kovski. On the following day, Kovski drove up in a "high-powered automobile" and began to unload supplies, in ignorance of what had occurred to his partner. He brought nine sacks of sugar and a sack of corn out of the vehicle, and he was carrying a small revolver. He was arrested and sent to Tacoma.

In federal court, Prinorach was fined $500 and given a jail sentence of 90 days. Kovski claimed he had no money and his trial was set for March 28.

On the day after Kovski's arrest, the sheriff's party raided another still in the Beeville area, which had been under surveillance for some time. Joe Gill and Jesse Armstrong were each tending 20-gallon stills "merrily steaming in a cellar dug under the house on the Gill ranch." In addition to the stills full of hot mash, officers confiscated two oil stoves, a proof tube and 12 gallons of home-made moonshine. The men were sent to Tacoma and got off with $250 fines. They claimed to be making the product for their own use, but the existence of two stills made it seem more likely they were doing a good business in selling their product.

Sheriff Potts took all the equipment to hold as evidence in trials that would be held in the county. Warrants had been issued for all parties and would be served as soon as the men were released from the federal charges.

In addition to being Mason County sheriff, Potts was at various times a city councilman, Shelton school clerk, city water superintendent, street commissioner and fire chief. He also ran a livery stable and for many years was the only licensed veterinarian in Mason County. According to his obituary, he "earned the reputation of being one of the best law enforcement officers of the area, and personally brought many hardened criminals to justice, although he was but a small man himself."

■ Jan Parker is a researcher for the Mason County Historical Museum. She can be reached at [email protected]. Membership in the Mason County Historical Society is $25 per year. For a limited time, new members will receive a free copy of the book "Shelton, the First Century Plus Ten."