John Barnett had just been elected Sheriff of Madera County when Prohibition became the law of the land, although it didn’t mean that all Maderans followed the law. Moonshine ran freely, especially in the mountain areas, and Barnett did his best to stamp out the illicit liquor traffic. He, nevertheless, had his hands full. After all, there was enough crime to keep him busy without adding booze to his headaches. On December 11, 1923, Barnett busted a still near North Fork and brought the liquor-making machinery to the Madera courtyard. He put the moonshiners in jail for selling some bad liquor to a group of high schoolers who became ill from the stuff. After that, Barnett declared war on all illegal liquor. (Madera Images, Bill Coate)
