Law & Order: Bootleggers Beware

Much of the court's time was taken up with illegal alcohol activities once Bloomington illegalized alcohol under the local option. The city was so determined to enforce this law that a special investigator was hired to seek out bootleggers. This man was George F. Moore and he was kept busy visiting every house of vice in McLean County and especially all of the local fairs, where men would sell flasks of whiskey to enhance the fair experience.

Mr. Moore was not popular with the local criminal element and during one of the trials, a local vice house owner, Mrs. Schreiber, accused Moore of entering her house with one May Brown. Moore denied this flatly. He defended himself in the press and stated that he did not enter the house with May Brown, "whoever she may be." In the same statement to the Pantagraph, Moore stated that he shadowed May Brown to the Schreiber house.

Mr. Moore further stated that the police force in Bloomington was very good to him and paid his fee regardless of whether there had been any arrests of bootleggers.