A Twist of Tobacco

One of the blog readers, after reading the articles previously published about the arrest for making blackberry wine, was reminded of the story of Elijah Gaddy in the Lukin neighborhood and his arrest back in November 1876. Seems Elijah raised tobacco on his farm and regularly sold it to his neighbors without paying the government the required taxes. He got caught. He was arrested, taken to Springfield, and held on $500 bond.

Elijah was sentenced in US Court in Springfield in January 1877 and fined $10 with costs that amounted to a much larger sum! The Robinson newspaper at that time said some of our citizens better keep a lookout or they would find themselves violating the US Revenue law, too!