100 years ago in Valleyford: Acquitted of arson, busted for bootlegging

Louis Lilge, the former caretaker of the D.C. Corbin house, was acquitted of arson in April 1921 – but now he was in jail accused of bootlegging.

Lilge was arrested during an early morning raid near Valleyford.

Deputies had been tipped off about a still at Valleyford ranch. They crept up on the farmhouse and found Lilge asleep in the barn. They arrested several other people, including the rancher, for possession of liquor. They found 5 gallons of moonshine and parts of a still.

Lilge had earlier been accused of plotting with Corbin’s widow to burn down the landmark home in order to collect the insurance money.

From the juvenile beat: The two “boy bandits” who terrorized the Springdale area were captured by deputies at a lumber mill.

Verd Moser, 16, and Jakey Clark, 12, were apparently waiting to hop aboard a freight train.

They were armed with a .22 rifle – which one of them had used to injure Mrs. L.H Anderson. But when deputies approached, the boys offered no resistance. They were taken to Colville.

Two deputies had been on their trail since early morning.

From the fire beat: Campers making careless fires were threatening to rob Mt. Spokane “of its virgin beauty.”

The caretakers said that several fires had been started near the top of the mountain as the result of campers failing to extinguish their campfires.

These fires were put out, but an out-of-control fire could “sweep the mountain in 40 minutes.”