King County deputy sheriffs confiscate a still and 40 quarts of beer in Seattle on January 17, 1931.

  • By Greg Lange
  • Posted 2/25/1999
  • HistoryLink.org Essay 946
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On January 17, 1931, during Prohibition, a search warrant is issued to the King County Sheriff department to search 1227 Washington Street for liquor. The Deputy Sheriff finds 40 quart bottles of beer and one quart of moonshine (whisky) and they are destroyed.

On the same day another warrant was issued to search 2768 Westlake N. A deputy sheriff found a still used to make moonshine, and 10 gallons of mash, and they were also destroyed (Warrant No 9617 and No 9626).

Prohibition, outlawing the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages, took effect in Washington state in 1916. The year 1919 marked ratification of the "bone dry" Prohibition amendment to the U.S. Constitution, making the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages illegal throughout the nation. The Prohibition amendment was repealed in 1933.

Sources: Liquor Search Warrants Nos 9617 and 9626, Liquor Search Dockets, Volume 6, Justice Court, King County. Washington State Archives, Puget Sound Regional Branch, Bellevue Community College campus, Bellevue, Washington.
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Crime Law Society
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