Gabriel J. Mitchell

On this date in 1920, police in Fargo arrested Ed Letofsky for selling illegal liquor. Claiming he sold only to “accommodating friends,” Letofsky was sentenced to ten months in prison for marketing his homemade raisin whisky. His operation was based in his own house, and the still in his basement was so large that officers had to call back to the station for help removing it. After his arrest, Letofsky quickly confessed and even explained to the court how he produced and sold the liquor.

Kate Richards O’Hare was one of the leading speakers within the Socialist Party in 1916. She spoke at Bowman, North Dakota, on July 11, 1917, on behalf of the Non-Partisan League.

John Gabriel Halland had a tumultuous end of the century in the years leading up to 1900. Originally the head of the History Department at Fargo’s Agricultural College, he ran for Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1898. As often happens in campaigns, every detail of his personal life was dragged into the spotlight.