Jackson County IL Archives News.....TONY BONZA IS AGAIN TAKEN IN HILL BOOZE RAID December 14, 1921
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Karima Allison quest@insightbb.com and Mary Riseling riseling@insightbb.com July 12, 2006, 4:19 pm

Murphysboro Daily Independent December 14, 1921

    Tony BONZA, the man who beat sheriffs to his mash house in the hills of
Pomona last summer and fired it and fled, following the arrest of the LANGE boy
with a big mash boiler and five-gallon whiskey conveyers here one midnight,
again languishes in Jackson county prison.

    With him was arrested in the hills Tuesday night a negro named Cornelius
JACKSON.  The two men were taken in an old shack on Bear creek when shucking and
throwing corn into a dugout beneath the floor of the shack.

    Bonza was in Murphysboro Tuesday afternoon.  A warrant for his arrest was
drawn at noon day following the appearance before State's Attorney John SEARING
of a Pomona township man, whose name is withheld.

    Utmost secrecy was attached to the preparations of officers to conduct a
raid in the hills last night.  Despite all, however, Bonza at the last moment is
said to have rushed homeward and frantically done away with certain valuable
evidence.

    Deputy Sheriff A. G. DAVIS, Earl GIBSON, son of Sheriff Gibson, and Charlie
TUTHILL and Bob KIMMEL of Elkville, friends of Deputy Davis, conducted the raid.

    According to Deputy Davis, they found where Tony and the negro had soured
mash up and down Bear creek near the Bonza farm of 40 acres, where they had
buried kegs of whiskey from time to time to secret them and where kegs had only
a few hours before been removed from hiding places in the creek sands and
elsewhere.

    Quantities of mash found at the Bonza shack near the creek had been poured
out and other mash moved.  Several barrels of mash were found in the dugout
beneath one end of the shack, the other end of which had been used for storage
of stock foods, according to Deputy Davis.

    Bonza's still was found as the result of an expedition up a deep canyon
breaking away through the hills.  The Negro, Jackson was forced to lead officers
to the still, Deputy Davis declared.  It had been recently moved away from the
shacks.

    No whiskey was found.  Officers regret this.  Good corn whiskey is being
made in the hills of old Pomona.  It would have served as added evidence against
Bonza.

    It was Bonza's place many weeks ago that sheriff's on their first raid found
1500 gallons of corn mash in the embers of what had been Bonza's home.  The mash
was in great wooden vats made of heavy boards.  A part of it was still simmering
from heat and running over the edge of a burned vat through a patch of Irish
potatoes.

    For some cause or other Bonza's case was "continued for service" after he
had served and had given bond to Sheriff Gibson.  And Deputy Sheriff Davis said
the "continued for service" once it was entered in the docket, held good.  Thus
Bonza has never been brought to trial on the original charge of illicit distilling.

    Deputy Davis said that certain Pomona township people are implicated in
moonshine operations with Bonza and that certain others are afraid to expose him
or others who are moonshining in the hills.  He delcared that while no whiskey
was found in last night's raid, officers have as witnesses persons who actually
caught Bonza making moonshine, or so he alleged.

    Tony at the time of his arrest and later in his cell declared that he didn't
know a thing about moonshining on or near his farm.  He admitted he had noticed
certain barrels and utensils and corn mash around about there, but knew
absolutely nothing of the ownership of the same.

    The still and some mash was brought to the sheriff's office.  The still is
not as large or as modern as the still which was captured in the first raid in
the hills country.  The conviction obtains at the jail office that Bonza is
being backed by men with money in moonshine operations in the hills.  Deputy
Davis and his aids say last night was ideal for raiding operations in the
mountainous country south of Murphysboro.  The deputy sheriff suffered a gash to
his right knee when he ran into a barbed wire.  

    The party went heavily armed and prepared for a fight.




Additional Comments:
Transcribed by Mary Riseling from her grandfather C. E. RISELING's collection of
old newspapers.

File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/il/jackson/newspapers/tonybonz64nnw.txt

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