Moonshine Bust in Prohibition-Era Unionville

There was a moonshine operation that was busted just outside of Unionville in 1930. It occurred at the “Armand Farm” on the south side of the “duck pond.”

In 1930 the Armand Farm was sold to “L. Saunders” (named elsewhere as Al Saunders and Albert Sanders) of Paterson, N.J. who was said to be making it into a “first-class boarding house.” (“Armand Farm Sold,” Sussex Independent, June 27, 1930.)While improvements were being made to the farm, the workers were staying at the house. One morning, the forty-one year old supervisor, John Malone, was found dead in his bed though he had not complained of feeling ill. ( “John Malone Found Dead,” Sussex Independent, June 27, 1930) This is particularly suspicious considering the events that occurred at the same property just six months later. State Troopers raided the barn there and found a moonshine operation. They took six men into custody, having found “more than 15,000 gallons of mash, seven 3,000 gallon vats, a 2,000 gallon water tank, three 1,250 gallon copper stills, a forty horse power boiler, two two-and-a-half horse power water pumps, several hundred five gallon cans, a large storage tank and several hundred gallons of alcohol” all estimated at $20,000. ( “$50,000 Plant Seized By Officers,” The Wantage Record, December 12, 1930.)

Also found there was a Scottish man named John Northcote who had been kidnapped and forced to work for the operation without pay. (“Armand Club Place Scene of Dry Raid,” Middletown Times Herald, December 6, 1930.) In fact, it was Northcote’s status as missing that alarmed a friend and led to the discovery of the still after the friend contacted the police. The Times Herald Record explains further that, “The prohibition squad arrived at the farm at two o’clock Saturday afternoon and after taking pictures of the interior of the distillery, worked until after dark destroying the plant and equipment.” (“Six Unionville Raid Victims Are Arraigned,” The Times Herald Record, December 8. 1930.)

John A. Bryant, Albert Morgan, Charles Saunders, Samuel Saunders, Thomas Inelli, and Frank DeGerear were brought to jail in Newburgh, charged with “possessing unregistered still and manufacture and possession of alcohol” and  soon released “free under bail.”(“Men Taken in Still Raid Free Under Bail,” The Time Herald Record, December 9, 1930.) Another article has them named Samuel Sanders, Charles Sanders, Andy Snillo, Albert Morgan, Frank DeGrado, and J. A. Bryant. ( “Paterson Men Seized in Raid,” The Morning Call, Paterson, NJ, December 8, 1930.) Most of these are just changes in spelling, but perhaps one man, Thomas Inelli / Andy Snillo was giving a false name, for a later article of the sentencing calls him Andy De Matta. ( “Unionville Men Get Suspended Rum Terms,” The Times Herald Record, January 8, 1932.)  He and Bryant were at sentencing “dismissed on motion of Assistant United States Attorney Paul Williams,” but the other other men pleaded guilty, with two of them receiving suspended sentences of two years, and the other two given suspended sentences of one year. Assistant United States Attorney General George Pfan consented to the suspended sentences saying the men were amateurs in the liquor business. The owner of the property, and presumable ringleader of the operation, “Al Sanders” was “not yet apprehended” even two years later. (“Unionville Men Get Suspended Rum Terms,” The Times Herald Record, January 8, 1932.)

In 1932 the farm was again raided and a 5,000 gallon still and 150 five gallon cans of finished product were found along with “three Italians [who] were at work.” (Wantage Recorder, March 4, 1932.)

Finally the operations ceased when the farm was sold in November of 1932 to Andrew P. Davison. ( “Andrew P. Davidson [sic, Davison], of Brooklyn, has purchased of the United Trust Company, of Paterson, the Armand farm of 105 acres near Unionville.” – The Wantage Recorder, November 11, 1932.)

According to one article, “Years before the advent of prohibition when William T. Doty was Commissioner of Internal Revenue he raided the Armand barn at Unionville and destroyed a liquor still then in operation.” (Times Herald Record, Mar 9, 1932). WIlliam T. Doty had Served as Deputy Internal Revenue Collector for the 14th District of New York from 1914 to 1915.” So this indicates that the owner even at that time, Clement Armand, was doing some home brew himself.