PROHIBITION IS OLD HAT

                              PROHIBITION  IS  OLD  HAT

                                       NORMAN  V.  KELLY

 

Peoria’s favorite song in 1925 was a national favorite called, “I’m Sittin’ On Top Of The World” and it appears that Peoria is riding pretty high.  It is hard for local folks to believe that for them, Prohibition was nine years old.  Remember for us, it all started in 1917.  For those cities that never owned a distillery or a brewery, the impact on them was not felt until January 16, 1920.

 

Peorians celebrated New Year’s Eve and the dawn of 1925 with the typical gusto of a bawdy, wide-open city.  All the hotels, motels and empty spaces were occupied and the town stayed wide-awake most of the early morning hours.  All the soft drink parlors were crammed and the hotels had fancy balls and parties in many of the rooms. At the now famous Inglaterra dance hall crowds thronged the dance floor and shuffled to the beautiful “Always,” and “Sleepy Time Gal.” For a town that was supposed to be a DRY town, Peoria rocked, as the kids would say today, and JAZZ was king.  Peoria is known as the ‘heart of Illinois, and the lure of Peoria, Illinois was a dominate force for folks in this area.

 

Folks with ‘splitting headaches’ might have stayed in bed all day that January 1, 1925 because Peoria, Illinois was frozen in along with the rest of the Midwest.  It was bitter cold; blowing snow and no promises of anything much better in sight and spring a long way down the pike.

 

The big political battle for mayor would pit Mayor Woodruff against Louis B. Mueller, a very successful businessman.  He went on to defeat Woodruff in the early spring election.  As usual, it is a battle between the more religious DRYS and the typical Peorian…the WETS.  Folks that think Woodruff allowed too much vice, corruption and gambling in town always voted for Woodruff’s opponent.  Since Woodruff won the election eleven times, I think you can understand how much of the voting public felt here in Peoria, Illinois. I can assure you it was not always a fight between the Democrats and the Republicans, because our history shows a win or two by Independent candidates. I actually can tell you with a straight face that they actually argued ‘issues’ in those days, and I have told you what those usual issues were. Don’t get the mistaken idea that WETS were not religious…they just took their religion with a little sip of booze that’s all.

Woodruff always said that ‘Peoria was a liberal town’ and that was the platform he ran on year after year. Anyway Peorians loved their politics and enjoyed the sparring between their candidates.

                        

 

                                    A  BEAUTIFUL  HOTEL

 

Downtown folks enjoyed watching the construction of a huge hotel that was being built on Main Street and the ‘sidewalk engineers’ gathered early every morning to watch the action. The hotel management wisely decided to ask the locals what name they should give it.  It was the talk of the town for a month or so and finally the hotel opened and the name was the Pere Marquette Hotel.  The interest in that hotel was amazing and 41,243 names were suggested. Some were duplicates of course, and finally the Pere Marquette took its stately place in downtown Peoria and was an immediate success.  Local folks quickly began calling it the ‘Pere’ and that name has stuck with the building until this very day.  Many celebrities and famous people stayed in that hotel as well as every Peorian that could save up the price for a special occasion. It had wonderful restaurants and bars and convention rooms and folks flocked there to be part of the ‘scene.’

 

As I mentioned fires were always with us and early in 1925 two men died in a storm and fire at the Isaac Walker hardware business. Every week or so Peorians were treated with a new scandal that the local newspapers took pride in publishing.  Early 1925 brought news that Justice Edward Owen was charged with extortion and an elected constable pled guilty to a charge of extortion in some kind of ‘shake down’ scheme.  April brings the new administration of Mayor Mueller and as always the new broom swept clean.  The mayor picked all the police big wigs and quickly Chief Shirley West banned punchboards from the parlors and other gambling places.  People liked to make fun of his girly name, which was ‘Shirley’ and the spring of 1925 did not get off to a good start among some Peorians who liked to play the punchboards and the new administration was much to strict.

 

                              IT’S  STILL  PROHIBITION

 

Some folks have to be reminded that it is after all still Prohibition in America and some Peorians made silly mistakes and ended up under arrest.  The dry agents made a huge deal out of what they claimed were 2,000 gallons of Peoria County still whiskey, which they poured into the Peoria sewers.  Folks jokingly complained that the poor fish would get drunk and run into boats if they kept doing that. Most folks did not believe it was all whiskey and told the press they thought a lot of it was ‘just plain water.’ The agents had a rough year in 1924 and were just trying to ‘gain some respect.’

 

 

Charles Duryea visited Peoria where he built his first automobile.  For you folks that may not know it…his three-wheel auto is on display here in the downtown Peoria library. I often wondered what would have happened to Peoria, Illinois had he gained financial baking here and went on to manufacture them here.  Another Detroit, Michigan?  Heaven forbid.

 

Our states attorney wanted very badly to try the two fallen dry agents and went to court to get the job done. First his Grand Jury indicted them and the FEDS stepped right in claiming jurisdiction. The battle raged…but of course the FEDS won.  Now I bet you are guessing that they were acquitted…right?

That is exactly what happened when a Federal jury let them walk in very short order.  All that did was strengthen the hatred most drinking Peorians had for the dry agents and their lawyers. The dry agent’s names were Asher ‘The lone wolf,’ and a man called Hartzig.

 

The next big headliner in town was the trial of Jose Ortez, a killer the locals called ‘Mexican Joe.’  He was tried and found guilty of killing a beautiful Mexican girl that lived in a place called ‘The Mexican Colony’ located in what is now known as Morton Square. He also shot a young white man in the face, but fortunately he lived.  The jury took little time in convicting him of first-degree murder and the judge sentenced him to death by hanging.

 

Our police department took a lot of criticism during the early years in Peoria and the main complaint against them was they were ‘just too damn rough’ on people that they ‘ran in.’ In March four officers were charged with brutality on a prisoner and Peorians wanted something done about it. The Mayor ordered the police commission to have public hearings on the matter and the cops were severely disciplined. Local folks thought it very suspect when the police came out with new badges…without numbers. People thought that the police were too damn sensitive when people asked for a cop’s badge number.  It didn’t take too long before the badges were changed to those with numbers.

 

A huge still was raided over on Madison Street and the talk is frantic around town. Now this is close in and folks wonder how a man could ‘cook that stuff right out in public.’  They suspect the dry agents…but remember they actually hated them so their judgment was tainted.  Our local judge, Judge Greene disliked them as well. He had a big hearing on the subject and subpoenaed every dry agent that had anything to do with Peoria, Illinois.  Of course, they ignored the summons and Greene was irate.  He stated he did not like their tactics and especially those of ‘The lone wolf.’ Of course it all quieted down and Judge Green went back to work granting 93 divorces before the spring term was over. Peoria, Illinois…never a dull moment even among the judiciary.

 

                                          RISKY  BUSINESS

 

Judge Greene got a little revenge on the FEDS.  The dry agents raided a suspected whiskey seller, John Mable and gunshots erupted between him and the agents.  He ended up in a county jail and Judge Greene quickly let him out on a ‘technicality.’  The WETS cheer and the DRYS tell the press that the city is riddled with sin. Those stories in our local papers remind everyone that the law is there just in case they feel a little reckless. The arrest kept the price of booze rather high and the buyers understood the risk sellers were taking procuring the booze.  It is all just part of the game and believe me we have a lot of players at all levels here in Peoria, Illinois.

 

Peoria is proud of the fact that folks around the country are singing “Oh I Wish I Was In Peoria.”  It was written by Irving Berlin and Billy Rose, but a Peorian, one Paul LaRocca had a version of it as well. Chicago and Saint Louis newspaper reporters loved to come to Peoria.  They caroused all night, gambled, drank and raised hell then they wrote quotes like this one from the Chicago newspaper.  “Peoria, Illinois is a wicked city, full of skullduggery, cloak and dagger stuff and campaign smears.”  Peorians got irritated with this kind of treatment so the local newspapers were smart enough to defend Peoria rather than take off on us as well. Comments like this are what made Peoria the draw that it was, and in the end simply brought more people here.

 

People miss Mayor Woodruff, although they are thankful that the new mayor, Louis Mueller so far has left the soft drink parlors alone.  Mayor Mueller took over as mayor in 1925-1927 and to the surprise of many he was re-elected for the 1927-1929 term.  Mayor Woodruff, who would retain the name ‘mayor,’ the rest of his life, stayed busy running his ice and fish businesses.  He was not finished politically and as I said, always maintained a power base in Peoria, Illinois. Peorians by the thousands went downtown for the open house and dedication of two buildings that still stand here in Peoria to this day.  The magnificent Scottish Rites Cathedral brought people in from all over the United States.  The armory building was more of a local draw, but even at that thousands marvel at its size and potential use.

 

Peoria’s eyes were riveted on the newspaper as they stared at the first photograph that was sent over the AT&T wire.  Folks shook their heads at the marvel of a picture being sent over a wire…some simply did not believe it. In 1925 Peoria had just over 7,000 women voters and they were a force to reckon with, and local politicians were always maneuvering to obtain their votes. As I once mentioned suffrage was a much larger issue politically here in Peoria than Prohibition ever was.  The WETS never considered Prohibition a political issue until it was too late.  However…most men here in Peoria were dead set against women voting…period.

 

                      1925 FADES  AWAY

 

Dancing and music were always big in Peoria and during the fall of 1925 couples flocked to the dance floors of the ELKS, the ING, the Roof Gardens and the MOOSE.  JAZZ is still king, and small orchestras are steadily employed in the many parlors and dance halls. The latest census is 92,186 and there was always a new building going up in one part of town or the other.  Out in Henry, Illinois a ‘tribe of bandits’ swept down on a train and took ten thousand gallons of good, safe whiskey.  The WETS are always concerned about their next drink and stories like this warm the cockles of their hearts believe me.  Over at the Gipps Brewery they were busy as bees producing something sinister sounding like ‘carbon chemicals.’  Local folks have very little interest in what they were making since they couldn’t drink it.

 

Radio in Peoria was even bigger with shows like Amos ‘n Andy, which has a Peoria connection and Allen’s Alley along with wonderful mystery shows. 

Peorians allowed their movie to be interrupted for shows like Fibber McGee and Molly, another Peoria connection.  Young men flocked to see the ‘It Girl,’ a take-off from the Flapper.  These pretty ladies wore her hems a bit higher and her stockings were rolled down. They dressed in something called a ‘cocktail dress’ and were fond of posing with their hips forward and a long, dangling cigarette holder clinched between their pretty lips.  They are the ‘cat’s meow,’ and were more apt to fire off a few cuss words than the flappers were.  These ladies boldly arrived on the scene in ‘small packs’ and to the young men in Peoria they were ‘a sight to behold.’ Every week brought a new saying for the young folk, like “how do you like them apples,” among countless others.

 

 

1925 brought something new to Peorians and that was major auto accidents.  In fact 98 people were seriously injured, leaving twenty-one Peorians dead.  The cars of 1925 like the Maxwell could obtain speeds just over fifty-eight miles per hour in 58 seconds and of course the ‘in’ thing to do was to race around like mad men…which they were.  Alcohol played a large roll in those accidents and the police vowed to crack down on the violators of these new traffic laws.

 

Nationally 640 banks failed and some local folks didn’t trust them.  More and more accounts were closed and Peorians took to keeping their money ‘under the mattress’ which was a common saying here in 1925.  Now if you think folks in these parts did not lock their doors you are a victim of a myth. A common old folks saying was …”Them that got… keeps.”   How do you like them apples?

 

                                  1926:  PEORIA, ILLINOIS 

 

By now in Peoria each year was not welcomed with the thought that this would be the last year of Prohibition.  So far no politician with any clout had stepped forward with the promise that he would work to appeal the 18^.th Amendment to the United States Constitution.  Hell, no local politician could help and the Congressional men from this district made no such promises. So, the average Peorian went about his or her business obtaining alcohol when they could and otherwise giving up on the idea that Prohibition was ever going to be abolished. The people that were making all the money off Prohibition, and there were many of them, certainly had no hankering to destroy their golden goose, that was for sure.

 

“The Jazz Singer is playing to long lines here in Peoria, Illinois.  No it was NOT the first ‘talky’.  They did have Al Jolson actually talk, but the synchronized version of making moving pictures made its debut in a movie called “The Lights Of New York,” and that was not until 1928.  Peorians were nuts about movies of any kind, and for some it was their only form of  any real entertainment. For some people life was a pretty tough ordeal and only in the movies could they escape that fact of reality. The theaters brought people to downtown Peoria and that benefited every business down there.

 

Music continues to mesmerize people here and our dance halls and private clubs and parlors tried to keep up the demand.  Folks were dancing to “Someone To Watch Over me,” and “The Red Red Robin Came Hopin’ Along,” in early 1926.  The incredible “Birth Of The Blues,” bedazzled Peorians as well as a tantalizing song called, “Blue Moon.”  More strange sayings like ‘apple sauce,’ and ‘so’s your anchove,’ came from the mouths of the ‘hip and hep’ young people, and all of that was ‘the cat’s meow.’

 

Peoria’s famous bartenders are pretty much back on the scene in the local parlors. A few refused to serve soft drinks, but once the booze began to flow into the cola glasses most of them went back to the job they loved so much.  Men like Skimmer Hines, Slats Schroder and Bathhouse Charlie never came back and that was a loss to the saloon scene.

 

Here in Peoria on June 12, 1926, a huge crowd was milling about the Peoria County Jail and inside the chosen witnesses to the hanging of Jose Ortez were making their way to different vantage points.  Only those men that had gotten an invitation were allowed in and not one woman was permitted inside the jail during the execution. The trapdoor was up on the third floor and the gallows were built just a few yards from Mexican Joe’s cell.

 

The sheriff was late for the execution which was set for 10:00 A.M. Finally at 10:18 the bottom dropped out of Joe’s world and he was pronounced dead at 10:25.  Ortez was the last man hanged within that old county jail. All together Peoria hanged eight men for murder, Ortez being the last in 1926.  In 1935 Gerald Thomson was convicted of murder here in Peoria as was a man named Weber in 1947.  Both men were executed by electric chair in Joliet, Illinois.

 

         1926  SLIPPED  AWAY

 

Lindbergh bailed out of an airplane not far from here in a little village called Wedron, Illinois. Gasoline was seven cents a gallon and if Peorians pumped their own gas they could save a penny or two.   By the end of 1926 police had arrested 312 people, charging them with drunken driving or being drunk in public.  Now these were not raids on parlors or men involved in selling booze, they were simply drunk.  The police superintendent stated that it was an ‘epidemic’ and that his officers would continue to enforce the laws.  The FEDS were not interested in making drunk driving arrests and as usual their focus was only on the sale and the manufacturing of alcohol. 

 

I mentioned before the number of car thefts in Peoria, Illinois and when the news about the chief of police and one of his detectives being arrested surprised very few people.  These men were charged with some kind of “hot car” scheme wherein stolen cars were held for ransom by the police.  It took a long time for the department to recover from that scandal.

 

                                PEORIANS  WAKE  UP  TO 1927

 

Peoria could have used some ‘Global Warming’ back in January of 1927, with the temperature at 26 below zero.  Folks in those days sure as hell did not need any silly ‘wind chill’ babble to tell them how damn cold it was. As I mentioned that meant death to some of the unfortunate people and of course, automobiles rarely started in that kind of cold.  I remember my dad telling me that if I ever got a car that started in the winter, “make sure you keep it.”

 

Peoria received a wonderful gift from Tom Detweiller when he gave, in his father’s name, the magnificent Detweiller Park.  I have often stated that we never honored Detweiller enough.  He was so generous to us and he also included a bird park down by the river. At least it is still called Detweiller…I guess we will have to be content with that.

 

Caterpillar wanted to expand and that was good news for the local work force and the city.  The company wanted another bridge to be built and if Caterpillar wanted it…so be it.  CAT was good to Peoria way back then and is certainly the best thing that ever happened to the city and remains so to this day. Peoria was stunned when they woke up to the news that a well-known druggist in a downtown drug store had been robbed and murdered.

In all of Prohibition the City of Peoria, Illinois recorded 79 murders.  During that very time up in Cook County and that area 701 murders were committed according to FBI statistics. Of course they are densely populated but I can tell you Peoria never had any gangster problems during Prohibition. In a city our size we averaged six murders a year during Prohibition. Does that sound like a gangster haven to you?

 

                          THE  SOFT  DRINK  PARLOR  SCENE

 

Folks in Peoria apparently made it clear to the new mayors that they wanted the parlors left alone. Here in Peoria in 1927 we had 230 of them and they were alive and well. From darkened taverns and saloons the parlors came back with a vengeance.  It is pretty openly known that they did serve booze and of course many people still carried their own. Remember it was still illegal to sell the stuff, but by now the system is pretty smooth.  Peorians are talking about Babe Ruth’s 60 home runs and the great entertainment job Eddie Rickenbacker did while in town. Of course Peoria drank coffee…lots of it and now they could drink it while they hummed “You’re the Cream In My Coffee,” and in the evening they danced to “Honeysuckle Rose,” if they could get away from the drunks trying to sing “Stout Hearted Men.”  At the ING and most every place else, folks danced to “Am I Blue?” and remind their lovers to “Button Up Your Overcoat.”  Later they admit to “Makin’ Whoopie,” and all the men seemed to have been in love with “Sweet Loraine.” Even some of the women are getting a bit bold when they told their men to “Love Me Or Leave Me.”

 

Within a nine-mile radius we had 112.659 souls and more growth is just around the corner. Peoria was doing well, and the downtown area had everything a person could possibly want. Peorians were watching “Steamboat Willie” on the screen and when they were home they could switch on their new electric fans.

 

 

                                  EXCITING  1927  ENDS

 

1927was a good year for Peoria, Illinois and it brought a lot of new, exciting things to town. The end of the year statistics were always eagerly awaited by folks that read the newspapers, and that was most of them.  There were 5,600 arrests in Peoria and the surprising stat was that almost 4,000 of those arrests had to do with traffic incidents, crashes and violations.  That is a lot of tickets issued and the city coffers greatly benefited.  Of course there was talk about hiring more cops…naturally.  Alcohol played a major role in an awful lot of those crashes and a large number of people violated not only the Volstead Act but local traffic laws as well.  Of course that is how they got in trouble with the police department and ended up a statistic.

 

The 1927 automobiles were awfully powerful and very few people had any real driving experience because to many people owning an automobile was something very new to them. Police reported that in Peoria car thefts annually are still around 400 and of course cars are being used as get-away-cars for robbers and other thieves.  High-speed chases were pretty common in the city and injuries often resulted.  The automobile had been a boom to Peoria and its businesses but there were consequences connected with its popularity. The chief of police indicated that in his opinion drinking alcohol and then driving an automobile is out of control in Peoria and again he warned the public that his men would use every effort to stop it.  Of course the do-gooders agreed and again, quite naturally for Peoria the WETS ignored the warning.  The city collected a lot of money on the fines so the game pretty much stayed the same.

 

Motorcycle cop, Jimmy Walker died going after a speeder and he was given the full police honors here in the city. Peoria had races of every kind, dogs, horses, cars, motorcycles, bikes and boats, which brought in the crowds.  Little Jimmy Walker, as people called him died trying to control the traffic during a dog race.  Newspaper reporters coined the phrase ‘vampire drivers,’ to indicate a hit and run driver, like the one that killed Walker. A lot of that was going on here in town during the 20’s and people considered that crime despicable.

 

                                       HIPPICANARIOUS

 

Newspaper reporters, the best historians there are, loved to go about the night spots on New Year’s Eve getting quotes about Peoria and of course New Year’s resolutions.  One reporter was told that tonight in Peoria “would be a hippicanarious night.”  I don’t think anyone in Peoria, except the man quoted knew what the hell that meant.  The city father’s must have agreed because they allowed special ‘Owl Streetcars’ to run well into the early morning hours that New Years Day of 1928.

 

It has been a total of eleven years since Prohibition of one kind or the other blanketed Peoria, Illinois with doom and gloom.  But, history showed us that the folks in this town managed to overcome everything their government threw at them.  Here it was the dawn of 1929 and Peorians felt that they had pretty much ‘weathered the storm.’  However what 1929 would shower upon them was a whole lot worse than Prohibition. Most folks in Peoria in 1928 knew what depression meant, and that it was considered a mental state. In 1929 depression would take on a whole new meaning.  Stay tuned.