Southwick's Curious Coop

It was not the henhouse itself, so to speak, that sparked much curiosity among some Southwick residents in 1922, but more so the placement of it; and the fact that it had something other henhouses were lacking: a chimney.

Local carpenter Thomas Adamowitz was no stranger to authorities. He lived on Southwick Road in Westfield and had constructed the cute little henhouse about three-fourths of a mile away on a property in Southwick, not far from the Southwick-Westfield town line.

He also set it back in the woods, roughly three-fourths of a mile from the newly constructed state highway. (College Highway was officially dedicated on May 22, 1923.)

Nearby, a small brook that once trickled into the valley had been dammed-up using large boards buried deep in the sand.

Perhaps it was the chimney, or rather the smoke coming out of it, or maybe it was the townsfolk's gossip that eventually caught the attention of a suspicious deputy sheriff, who then filed a complaint with federal authorities.

Acting on that complaint, federal Prohibition enforcement agents Edgar R. Davis and J. Albert Tomlin traveled to Southwick to investigate. Immediately seeing something was amiss, they raided the henhouse on the night of July 26, 1922.

Some 100 chickens were milling about as the agents, fighting off rats, took notice of other oddities besides the chimney. First, they thought it strange that the floor was concrete, quite a luxury for a chicken coop.

Second, they questioned why there was no stove to match the stovepipe. It looked like the stovepipe stopped and was level with the floor, yet smoke was pouring out of the chimney.

One of the agents suggested they dig around the henhouse. So, they obtained some shovels and started digging. With much effort, they dug and dug and dug; finally, one of them hit something hard: a piece of board.

Freeing and removing the board revealed that it sealed the stone entrance leading to a cave under the henhouse.

They were immediately taken by surprise when out of the pitch-black darkness of the cave came two dogs, an Airedale, and an Irish terrier, each with a half-inch thick chain around its neck, rushing towards them.

Agent Tomlin was able to duck out of the path of the attacking dogs. He then turned, drew his gun, and fired a shot, killing the Irish terrier. The gunshot startled the Airedale, who released his grip after having sunk his teeth into the rear end of Agent Davis, tearing his trousers in the process. As a precaution, they permanently silenced him too.

The agents got some lanterns to light their way. Once inside, they found a large, 25-gallon still, with double coils and several condensers, busy making the evil brew of Prohibition. Also found was the piping used in diverting the dammed-up water of the brook.

Nearby sat five gallons of illegal whiskey. Several barrels and containers filled with some 200 gallons of mash were scattered about.

Confident they had their man, agents Tomlin and Davis headed to the Adamowitz residence to find Thomas.

Now, Thomas Adamowitz gave authorities the slip before. It was a move that boosted his self-confidence, but he became cocky. In a highly embarrassing situation about a year earlier, authorities had stopped him in Westfield and searched his trash only to find household garbage.

This time would be different. But little did the agents know that the barking and growling of the now silenced dogs had alerted Thomas' wife. However, the agents were still able to serve notice on her bootlegger husband that he must appear before the federal commissioner. (The commissioner was wrapping up a month-long vacation which delayed the case.)

The agents broke up the dam, and the little brook flowed again. They seized evidence needed for trial, and with the henhouse quiet, they went over to the Southwick Inn, where they recounted their exciting tale. And everyone got a good laugh when Agent Davis ruefully displayed his trousers with the torn seat.

But the agents' laughter was short-lived after a United States commissioner ordered Adamowitz discharged on September 9.

When Adamowitz was arraigned back in August, he pleaded not guilty to the illegal manufacturing and possession of alcohol. Agent Davis testified on behalf of the government at the September 9 hearing. Following Davis's testimony, the commissioner declared the raid illegal because it lacked a search warrant.

Now a former agent, Tomlin was not present at the hearing, for he had been arrested and charged with stealing five barrels of seized wine and hard cider from the government. The illegal drink was in transit to the Bay State storage warehouse when it went missing following a raid on the Jarry farm in Southwick. Agent Davis and another man, who posed as an agent during the theft, were arrested and later tried. Davis, who turned a blind eye after failed attempts to stop then-agent Tomlin, was found not guilty and was able to return to work.

Thomas Adamowitz was arrested again, this time in 1925, for keeping and exposing liquor for sale.

Massachusetts voters repealed state enforcement of Prohibition in 1930, but at the time, it remained a violation of federal law.