The Union Daily Times

Marion, Ill., Jan. 20.—Liquor raids in Williamson county were resumed this morning by 500 members of the Ku Klux Klan, led by S. Glenn Young, dry worker, in which sixty alleged bootleggers were captured and seven stills reported found.

Shrouded in secrecy the raids which took ten hours to complete, were over before Major Omar J. McMackin, reconnaissance office of the Illinois National guard and the county sheriff's office had learned of the move.

Major McMakin had remained in the county when state troops were withdrawn last Tuesday following the announcement by Sheriff Galligan that conditions were peaceful in the county.

The raids were made at Weaver, a mining camp near Herrin and at Spillertown. Those arrested were eventually taken to Benton, where they were placed in jail or gave bond.

The raiders met at 2 a. m. in West Frankfort, it is reported, where they were sworn in as special deputies and then divided into teams of three each and given the names and locations of suspected bootleggers. This information was provided by S. Glenn Young, who asserts that warrants were issued by State authorities and the raids were conducted without a shot fired or a blow struck.

"It is the first of the renewed raids," Young said, "that will completely clean up Williamson county."

"We will make no promises," he told Major McMakin and Chief Deputy John Layman when he met them in Herrin later and they asked him if he intended to raid Herrin. "If the chief of police cannot enforce the law in Herrin we will help him."

Raids were made simultaneously in Weaver. In twenty houses stills or liquor was found, it was reported. Forty-one 50-gallon barrels of wine, fourteen barrels of mash, 118 gallons of home brew and 26 gallons of "whiskey" were found.

While the major raids were conducted in Weaver, the klan raiders with the assistance of friendly officials conducted raids in Ziegler, in Franklin county, searching 125 houses, arresting 25 men and confiscating illicit liquor and stills.

In Williamson county, it was reported, raids were conducted at Spillertown, where five men were taken, at Starretus mine where five men were arrested and at Paulton and Carbondale, where one arrest at each place was made.