Walt Case’s reputation as a longtime leading brewer and distiller of the southwest part of Clarke County caused him to be called the “Bootlegger King of the Grand River Bottoms.” Walt lived down in the corner of the four counties southwest of Hopeville, conducting operations in Decatur, Clarke,and Union counties. His activities were likely to break out in any one of them. It took officers from most of these counties to find Walt in the right county.
After hibernating in his house across the line for some time, Walt appeared at Hopeville a day before being arrested. He purchased 100 pounds of sugar and a dozen cakes of yeast. In the back of his wagon was a still and coil. The conclusion was that he was getting ready to run off a batch of his famous concoction that would make a wren spit in the face of a chicken hawk.
The Sheriff got word and staged one of his dawn raids in Doyle Township, accompanied by the county attorney and night watchman. Walt was found asleep at the Doss home southwest of Hopeville where Doss did some soldering and repairing. Walt was having his still repaired as fresh solder was seen about the joints. The complete still, a one gallon jug and a two gallon jug each partly filled with liquor were found. Walt, the still and the liquor were all taken to Osceola.
Walt was hailed before the Justice and waived to the Grand Jury. As he was not able to furnish necessary bonds, he patiently waited in the city bastille until the wheels of justice would grind out the deserved punishment or find him innocent and set him free. On a number of occasions, Walt was raided and punishments of various kinds meted out to him.
The summer before state agents with local and Union county officers raided Walt and found considerable hootch, some mash and a still. Walt was taken to Creston, and since he was suffering from a malignant disease, he was returned home. Apparently, he did not reform.
Walt is bad again. Officers thought Walt would be getting his Fourth of July Whoopie Juice ready and Sheriffs of Ringgold, Union and Clarke Counties arranged a hunting party for daybreak, meeting at the filling station south of Murray at 4 a.m. and then driving to Walt’s country estate. Walt was not home. They waited at his place. A big tub of potato mash was bubbling merrily near the house. Walt arrived about 8.
Leaving a deputy with Walt, the raiders started a sightseeing tour of the nearby country. Walt had hired one of the neighbor boys to drive his team for him back in to the hills of Sand Creek, and there in a secluded spot they had loaded a still and some barrels into the wagon. It had become late and they had driven off of the road and slept in the wagon until daylight when they started for home.