Did you know that the term ‘blind pig’ originated in the United States in the 19th century? According to
Cornell Law School, a blind pig
refers to an illegal establishment that sells alcohol, a term most commonly associated with the Prohibition Era (1920–1933), when the sale and consumption of alcohol were outlawed in the U.S. Historical cases, such as those from Michigan, illustrate that blind pig was frequently used as a synonym for a speakeasy, an illicit venue for selling alcoholic beverages.
In today’s report from Devils Lake, the term blind piggers appears, and we wanted to ensure that both we and our readers fully understood its historical significance.
PUBLISHED ON MARCH 9, 1905
SENTENCED AT DEVILS LAKE.
Half a Dozen Blind Piggers Given Deserts by Judge Cowan.
Devils Lake, N. D., March 8, 1905. — The adjourned January term in the district court closed here with the sentencing of the convicted prisoners.
There were six convicted and sentenced for violating the liquor laws. J. H. Connors, Gunder Tweeten, H. O. Merry, Theo Tweeten, and Olaf Nelson. Each received four months in the county jail with $200 fines.
Wm. R. Chapman came away with three months in jail and a $200 fine. Pat McBride was fined $50 and costs for selling mortgaged property. John and Alfred Fitzgerald, John Arsenault, and Owen Olson, the youths who robbed Ramun’s candy store last year, were let off on a sort of parole.
If they commit any act between now and the next term of court not satisfactory to anyone, they can be taken up immediately and sentenced to a term in the state reform school. They had “better be good” for the people are watching them.
Unearthed in Richland County and a Dozen Arrests Made.
Hankinson, N. D., March 8, 1905. — This city seems to have been harboring some decidedly tough characters, and as a result of the actions of the Richland County officials, ten men and two women are in jail, held as suspected members of a gang of robbers.
The robbery of a farmhouse and an aged woman near here led to the investigation, which caused the wholesale arrests. Sheriff Robbins and deputies came here and gathered in the suspects. A lot of goods were found in possession of the prisoners, and some of it has been identified as that stolen from Schouweller’s store at Fairmount.
One of the men attempted to escape by driving from Hankinson to Wyndmere but was overtaken and, at the point of a revolver, compelled to return.
PANAMA CANAL WILL COST $230,000,000
PANAMA CANAL ENGINEERING COMMITTEE MAKES ITS FIRST REPORT.
GIVING DETAILS OF INTEROCEANIC PROJECT AND OUTLINING THE PLANS.
A sea-level waterway is recommended to the commission, and the committee estimates that the work can be completed in ten to twelve years—objections raised to a lock-based system.
Washington, D.C., March 8, 1905. — The engineering committee of the Panama Canal Commission has just submitted its report, presenting the first definitive plans for the construction of the interoceanic canal. The committee, consisting of Commissioners Davis, Parsons, and Burr, has been working on these plans for over a year, with members personally inspecting the proposed route.
The principal recommendations are summarized in the following resolution:
“Resolved, that this committee approves and recommends for adoption by the commission a plan for a sea-level canal, with a bottom width of 150 feet and a minimum water depth of 35 feet. The plan includes twin tidal docks at Miraflores, with usable dimensions of 1,000 feet in length and 100 feet in width, at a total estimated cost of $230,500,000. This estimate includes an allowance for administration, engineering, sanitation, and contingencies amounting to $38,450,000, but does not account for interest during construction, expenses related to zone governance, or collateral costs such as water supply, sewage systems, and street paving in Panama City or Colón. These local infrastructure costs are expected to be repaid by the inhabitants of the respective cities.”
The committee asserts that the project could be completed within twelve years under these plans.
READ MORE FROM PANAMA CANAL STORY HERE
Read more news from March 9, 1905 here.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.