John H. Wynkoop,
Chief Field Agent of the
United States Prohibition Forces.
Welcome to the days of Bootleggers and Feds, California style, in the late 1920s!
John Harley Wynkoop, Chief Field Agent of the United States Prohibition Forces, was a colorful character. An Army veteran, he cut a wide swath through the underworld of Los Angeles in the summer of 1926 and then ran afoul of John Law himself, spending most of 1927 trying to disentangle himself. On Friday, October 28th, 1927, John's car was found by police in San Jose riddled with bullet holes! His wife claims he had left for Los Angeles long before the car was "stolen" from in front of their apartment that evening.
His wife, Dorothy, by the way, was a piece of work herself. On January 28th, 1928 she was arrested in San Francisco with Vincent Lucich, a suspect in the murder of Tim (Red) O'Callaghan, asserted hijacker, and was held for 24 hours as a witness, before being released. Apparently Dorothy liked her company a little rough around the edges!
John served a sentence of a year and a day at McNeil Island Prison and then dropped from view until June of 1933, when he was arrested once again, this time when Federal prohibition agents stopped his sedan in Los Angeles and found 60 gallons of alcohol and a half-gallon of whisky inside. I haven't been able to find out anything more about this particular infraction since any news about Wynkoops was overwhelmed in the coming months by the sensational Wynekoop murder case in Chicago.
It's entirely possible that John was let off with just a slap on the wrist. The Volstead Act, aka the 18th Amendment, was on its way out and prohibition agents were given their walking papers within days of John's arrest.
John was a descendant of John H. Wynkoop of Hancock County, Illinois. Richard Wynkoop, in the 1904 edition of the Wynkoop Genealogy in the United States of America, has this to say about his great-grandfather on page 175:
935. John H. Wynkoop, (Evert 539, Johannes 306, Evert 124, Johannes E. 36, Evert 4, Cornelius 1,) born June 29, 1819, in Oneida County, N. Y.: died June 7, 1870, in Augusta, Hancock County, Ill.: married, in Beardstown, Cook County, Ill., Lydia Yates, born October 13, 1826, in Johnstown, N. Y., daughter of C. E. Yates. John was an engineer.
Children of John H. and Lydia Wynkoop:
1469. Christopher Evert: b. Sept. 4, 1847, in Beardstown: he was a conductor on the C. B. & Q. Railroad.
1470. John Henry: b. June 11, 1849, in Rushville, Ill.: d. May 14, 1850.
1471. John B.: b. Jan. 25, 1855, in Quincy, Ill.: d. Apl. 5, 1855.
1472. Richard Griffin: b. Mch. 6, 1856: planter.
1473. Harriet Louise: b. Mch. 8, 1858, in Appaneese, Ill.: d. Aug. 11, 1860.
1474. Jeannie Maria: b. Oct. 22, 1859, in Augusta, Ill.: d. Oct. 19, 1862.
1475. Caroline Belle: b. Sept. 8, 1861.
1476. Frank C.: b. Aug. 8, 1863.
1477. Frances Theresa: b. Jan. 27, 1867.
1478. John Catlin: b. Nov. 1, 1869.
My own research into John Harley Wynkoop's background has resulted in this family tree:
Descendants of John H. Wynkoop.
Generation No. 1
1. JOHN H.8 WYNKOOP (EVERT7, JOHANNES6, EVERT5, JOHANNES EVERTS4, EVERT3, CORNELIUS EVERTSZ2, EVERT1) was born June 29, 1819 in Oneida County, New York, and died June 07, 1870 in Augusta, Hancock County, Illinois. He married LYDIA YATES Abt. 1847 in Beardstown, Cook County, Illinois, daughter of CHRISTOPHER E. YATES. She was born October 13, 1826 in Johnstown, New York.
Children of JOHN WYNKOOP and LYDIA YATES are:
2. i. CHRISTOPHER EVERT9 WYNKOOP, b. September 04, 1847, Beardstown, Cook County, Illinois; d. Augusta Township, Hancock County, Illinois.
ii. JOHN HENRY WYNKOOP, b. June 11, 1849, Rushville, Illinois; d. May 14, 1850.
iii. JOHN B. WYNKOOP, b. January 25, 1855, Quincy, Illinois; d. April 05, 1855.
iv. RICHARD GRIFFIN WYNKOOP, b. March 06, 1856.
v. HARRIET LOUISE WYNKOOP, b. March 08, 1858, Appaneese, Illinois; d. August 11, 1860.
vi. JEANNIE MARIA WYNKOOP, b. October 22, 1859, Augusta, Hancock County, Illinois; d. October 19, 1862.
vii.CAROLINE BELLE WYNKOOP, b. September 08, 1861.
viii. FRANK C. WYNKOOP, b. August 08, 1863.
ix. FRANCES THERESA WYNKOOP, b. January 27, 1867.
x. JOHN CATLIN WYNKOOP, b. November 01, 1869.
Generation No. 2
2. CHRISTOPHER EVERT9 WYNKOOP (JOHN H.8, EVERT7, JOHANNES6, EVERT5, JOHANNES EVERTS4, EVERT3, CORNELIUS EVERTSZ2, EVERT1) was born September 04, 1847 in Beardstown, Cook County, Illinois, and died in Augusta Township, Hancock County, Illinois. He married SARAH J. She was born Abt. 1839 in Illinois.
Child of CHRISTOPHER WYNKOOP and SARAH J. is:
3. i. EDWIN HENRY10 WYNKOOP, b. August 1869, Illinois; d. Abt. 1934.
Generation No. 3
3. EDWIN HENRY10 WYNKOOP (CHRISTOPHER EVERT9, JOHN H.8, EVERT7, JOHANNES6, EVERT5, JOHANNES EVERTS4, EVERT3, CORNELIUS EVERTSZ2, EVERT1) was born August 1869 in Illinois, and died Abt. 1934. He married ROSE ELLEN BRUBAKER Abt. 1894. She was born November 1877 in Indiana.
Children of EDWIN WYNKOOP and ROSE BRUBAKER are:
i. HALLIE M.11 WYNKOOP, b. November 1894, Oklahoma.
ii. DORSEY E. WYNKOOP, b. March 1896, Oklahoma.
iii. JOHN HARLEY WYNKOOP, b. March 27, 1898, Oklahoma; d. November 1967, Salinas, Monterey County, California; m. DOROTHY, Aft. January 05, 1920; b. Abt. 1899.
If you have any information to share with me about John please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. I'd love to see a picture of him and learn more about his background. I have the feeling that he was handed a raw deal at the time of his first sentencing and that not much went right for him again.
All my best,
Chris
Dry Violator Faces Fine or Jail Today.
From the Los Angeles Times, Saturday, 19 June, 1926.
Frith Names New Aides.
From the Los Angeles Times, Sunday, 20 June, 1926.
'Miracle Man' in Custody on Liquor Charge.
From the Los Angeles Times, Thursday, 24 June, 1926.
Changes in Arizona Dry Force Near.
From the Los Angeles Times, Monday, 28 June, 1926.
Dry Raiders Arrest Five.
From the Los Angeles Times, Sunday, 4 July, 1926.
Southland Dry Force Recruiting.
From the Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, 6 July, 1926.
Dry Agents Get Still in Paint Shop.
From the Los Angeles Times, Friday, 23 July, 1926.
Plant Raid Yields Still.
From the Los Angeles Times, Saturday, 24 July, 1926.
Warehouse Distillery Discovered.
From the Los Angeles Times, Thursday, 29 July, 1926.
Dry Ranks Shift Sighted.
From the Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, 4 August, 1926.
Drys Find Wine and Women, but Silent on Song.
From the Los Angeles Times, Saturday, 7 August, 1926.
New Forces in Local Rum War.
From the Los Angeles Times, Monday, 9 August, 1926.
Hisses for Witness in Rum Trial.
From the Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, 10 August, 1926.
New Arrests in City's Rum War.
From the Los Angeles Times, Sunday, 15 August, 1926.
Tender Flees, Leaving Coat, Hat and Still.
From the Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, 18 August, 1926.
Woman Held in Rum Case.
From the Los Angeles Times, Sunday, 29 August, 1926.
Exciting Chase Over Rooftops Ends in Arrest.
From the Los Angeles Times, Friday, 3 September, 1926.
Salt Water Leads To Rum.
From the Los Angeles Times, Saturday, 4 September, 1926.
Chinese Importers Seek Seized Liquor.
From the Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, 8 September, 1926.
Hic! Dwelling Gets Soused.
From the Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, 8 September, 1926.
"Radio Liquor" Plant Seized.
From the Los Angeles Times, Thursday, 9 September, 1926.
Four Taken in Drive on Rum Trade.
From the Los Angeles Times, Friday, 17 September, 1926.
Police Locate Near-by Still.
From the Los Angeles Times, Thursday, 23 September, 1926.
Padlocks For Wet Cabarets.
From the Los Angeles Times, Friday, 1 October, 1926.
Former Aide of Drys Indicted.
Wynkoop Accused of Misuse of Seized Liquors, from the Los Angeles Times, Thursday, 21 October, 1926.
Wynkoop Asks Judge to Decide if Liquor Exists.
From the Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, 9 November, 1926.
Liquor When in Officer's Hands Ruled Property.
From the Los Angeles Times, Thursday, 25 November, 1926.
Ruses of Dry Agents Cited.
From the Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, 16 March, 1927.
"Dry" Caught in Own Trap.
From the Los Angeles Times, Thursday, 17 March, 1927.
Convicted Dry Agent May Get New Trial.
From the Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, 22 March, 1927.
Wynkoop Will Take Appeal to Higher Court.
From the Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, 12 April, 1927.
Officers Check Woman's Story of Riddled Car.
From the Los Angeles Times, Monday, 31 October, 1927.
Score Arrested in Bay City Drive.
From the Los Angeles Times, Saturday, 28 January, 1928.
Ex-Prohibition Agent Seized on Liquor Charge.
From the Los Angeles Times, Friday, 16 June, 1933.
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