Sheriff Church Makes Raid and Gets the Still
March 12, 1922
Makes Big Liquor Haul in Standish Territory.
On Monday he made a trip to Standish in search of Vincent Del Fino (sounds like damfino) whom he suspected of being of the bootlegging fraternity.
The sheriff located his man one half mile east of town and unearthed a still of large portions as well as five barrels of mash and one and a half gallons of the finished product.
Del Fino’s place of concealment was the most unique that the sheriff has ever seen in his experience with bootleggers and their ways. He had a trap door in his stairway going to the basement which was invisible to the casual visitor to his place.
It was only after a most diligent search had been made by the wily sheriff that the entrance to his underground cavern was discovered. Del Fino was brought to Susanville along with his equipment as evidence.
On Saturday before judge Arnold he pleaded guilty to the charge and the judge let him off with a fine of $500 and sixty days in the county jail.
When Del Fino saw that he had been caught he told the sheriff he had been found out and that the still was out in the haystack.
