Adams County Witness

MAKE RAID ON
GEORGE YAKE

Federal Agents Fooled and
Let Bootlegger
Get Away

NOW A FUGITIVE

Eighteen gallons of moonshine liquor was the net result of a raid staged Saturday by Deputy United States Marshal John Voegtlin and Prohibition Officer Harry Bendel, of the Indianapolis office. The raid was made on George Yake of Adams county, six miles northwest of Berne. The booze was found in a farm house on what is known as the John Roth farm. According to information from officers the house has been tenanted by George Yake, a bachelor, aged probably 35 or 40 years.

The booze that was confiscated was in five-gallon earthen jugs. It was learned that when the federal officers arrived at the farm Yake was working about the premises. The house was locked, a custom followed by Mr. Yake to prevent intrusion. As the story goes, the officers had been told that there would be no one there but Yake, and when they arrived they addressed the man as Mr. Yake. He promptly informed them that they were mistaken, that Mr. Yake was up town and that he was only the hired man. His statement was accepted and they informed him that they were federal officers and had warrants to make a search. At first he protested a bit and said that his boss would certainly get mad at him if he ever found out. Finally he told them that he had no keys and that if they wanted to get in they would have to force their entrance. "Use an ax for all I care", he is reported to have said.

The officers broke into the house and the story has it that Mr. Yake helped them load the stolen booze. The officers then took Mr. Yake's tip that Mr. Yake (?) would return from town about three o'clock and that his advice would be for them to hide in the garage. He then told them that he had to go over to the neighbors to get a scythe to mow some weeds around the house, following the instructions of his boss who had gone to town. The officers gave Yake no further heed. It is said that the officers finally called up Bluffton officers for descriptions. When they heard them they realized at once that the man they were talking to was the real Mr. Yake and that they had been fooled. There is a warrant out for Yake. He is a fugitive. He filled up his gas tank at Linn Grove, bade them good-bye and left.

Two other places in Adams county were raided but nothing was found. This also occurred at Garrett, where soft drink parlors were searched. The raids were the result of complaints that have reached the marshal and prohibition officers. The raiding officials found no still or other manufacturing outfit, and there is strong suspicion that the wet goods were imported from some distant plant and that the place raided was a point for dispensing the wet goods.