Wheels West Day in Susanville History – August 17th, 1923

Volstead Act Wrong in Being Discriminatory
August 17th, 1923

A Susanville dispatch states that three trucks were required to move the contents of George Wingfield’s cellar from the recently sold Meadowbrook Ranch in that town to Reno, Nevada.

The three trucks, the announcement says, were as carefully guarded as the shipments of gold bullion from the mines in the early days. Two revenue officers accompanied the expedition and guards with sawed-off shotguns guarded the treasure. One car preceded the trucks to see that no enemy was lurking in ambush and another brought up the rear guard to prevent a surprise from that quarter.

That is a very weak spot in the Volstead Act. Because Wingfield is a millionaire and an influential politician he can stock his cellar with the choicest liquors in sufficient quantities to last him a lifetime if he were to live as long as did Methuselah. But the poor man who has been accustomed to a glass of beer or wine with his lunch is denied that privilege and would be arrested and thrown into jail if a bottle were found on his hip pocket.

Pre-Volstead Stuff
When Wingfield’s big estate in Lassen county was sold recently to the Lassen Box and Lumber Company the contents of the cellar were not included, for it has become known that said contents are now in Reno, transferred under a special guard appointed by Captain J.P. Donnelly, federal prohibition agent.

Under the provisions of the Volstead act an owner of liquor purchased prior to the act becoming effective, may transfer such property after obtaining a permit from the federal prohibition authorities.

It is understood that only one truckload of the rare stuff was brought to Reno from Susanville, F.F. Smith, a deputy of Captain Donnelly, checking it when it was loaded aboard the truck at the farm, and checking it again when it was unloaded, and he reported that not a drop was lost en route.

From Susanville, however, comes the report that three trucks were required to transport the precious cargo; that two revenue officers guarded the expedition with sawed-off shotguns, and that every bootlegger in the vicinity was envious over the solicitude of the government officers.