Finchtown Thieves
Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 May 1921, page 13
THREE MEN ARRESTED AT FINCHTOWN WITH LIQUOR
Thieves broke into the Old '76 Distillery on the Licking Pike,
near Newport Ky. early yesterday morning and stole 74 cases of whiskey, valued
at more than $7000. According to Lawrence H Odenthal, Superintendent of the
distillery, he received a telephone call from John Mason, watchman at the plant,
to the effect that several men who had driven up in three or four automobiles,
had gained entrance by pulling a staple of the lock on the front door of one of
the warehouses. Odenthal notified the Newport police and Detective Dave Murphy,
Sergeant Edward Kearns and Patrolman Charles Debea, Michael Scheben and Walter
Courtney responded.
As the police approached the distillery, they saw a man leaving the warehouse carrying a case of whiskey. The man dropped the case and fled. Police opened fire on the fugitive, but he apparently was unharmed. Shortly afterward Patrolman Scheben saw another man running toward the Licking River. Scheben fired several shots at the man and saw him fall. However, when Scheben approached the spot no trace of the supposed wounded man was found. Police believe he swam across the Licking River.
In a large touring car found abandoned near the warehouse were five full cases of whiskey and two empty cases. The automobile was confiscated. Later Sheriff Joseph Dietz and Deputies Emil Howe, Harry Drames, County Detective Edward Hamilton and George Ebert obtained a search warrant from County Judge A M Caldwell and visited William Guegel's soft drink place on the Licking Pike near Finchtown, known as "The Spot."
The officers recovered 17 more cases of whiskey. Two gallons of moonshine also were confiscated. The officers say they found two men engaged in removing labels from whiskey bottles and burning cases which they had broken apart. The men said they had been employed to do this work by Guegel
Guegel and the two men, who were registered as John Fisher, 26 years old and Vicanti Decora, 43 years old, were arrested on charges of having received stolen goods. Their bonds were fixed at $2000 each. Guegel was released on bond. Police said several other arrests are expected today.