Member Joe Blum sent his column from New Washington Herald May 30 2013 “Booze Tree Incident” - I always heard there was an incident during Prohibition that brought our local “Booze Tree” to state attention. I recently found articles in the 1929 New Washington Herald and Bucyrus Telegraph Forum that explained what happened. The New Washington “Booze Tree” was located south of town across from what is today Kenny Burgers’ driveway. It was used by local bootleggers during Prohibition to sell their homebrew. Buyers would leave their customary two dollars a bottle in a hollow spot in the tree and return in about 15 minutes to find the booze at the bottom of the tree.
A large sign “THIS IS IT” was posted on the tree after some customers started leaving money on other trees along the road.
On June 1, 1928 three Attica Ohio youths according to the Bucyrus Telegraph Forum drove a Ford without a speedometer south of New Washington and picked up four bottles of homebrew under a cottonwood tree. Later that night they were arrested in New Washington by town Marshal, Henry J. Pessefall. He found the young men parked in the Ford extremely intoxicated. The alcohol was sent to Columbus and was tested over 34% alcohol.
One of the young men later sued Marshall Pessefall for $50,000 in damages. He claimed he did not buy the illegal alcohol. However, he testified that on June 1 of every year booze grows under the tree. As part of the trial on June 1, 1929, the Attica young man, his lawyer, a police officer, a Bucyrus Telegraph Forum reporter and the judge returned to the New Washington “Booze Tree.” After a two-hour wait nothing was found under the tree but; unruly grass, a garter snake, several dozen crickets and one toad. There were no signs of any booze bottles coming out of the tree trunk or growing around the roots. The trial resumed the next day and the jury threw out the $50,000 damage suit against Marshall Pessefall.
The “Booze Tree: blew over in a windstorm on the afternoon of August 13, 1975. A piece of wood from that tree is on display at the New Washington Museum.
