Edi smiled as Barrett started the car.

The next day, Barrett drove to Washington County to buy a 9mm handgun for three-hundred and twenty dollars. He had planned to take it with them next time they went mushroom hunting. But she never wanted to go again.

1919

January 16, 1919. The Armin Reporter

MISSOURI RATIFIES—ARMIN WILL SURVIVE

Missouri ratified the federal prohibition amendment today. The house concurred 104 to thirty-six after the Senate had passed the amendment by a vote of twenty-two to ten. Speeches were made by many members of the Senate and House for the amendment and they were met with wild applause. Even dissenting Senators acknowledged the fervor and vowed to honor the wishes of the majority.

One year from today, every winery, saloon, distillery, and brewery must close their doors as the sale of liquor in any form will be outlawed.

While many business owners and citizens in Armin are fearful of the events to follow, many Churches and Citizens rejoice. The Anti-Saloon league holds weekly meetings and anti-liquor societies, sororities, and fraternities have organized in Armin and surrounding areas. The realization that victory has come to these organizations has been met with a bittersweet feelings to the members, who have expressed some fear about the repercussions to the local economies, as the local wineries have been a powerful industry for such a small town.

Kathy Garland, a local homemaker and organizer for Women Against Liquor, states that she is not worried about the impact on the local economy.

“God does not reward temperance and willpower with punishment. I am sure that Armin will be blessed. Even if there is a bit of troubling times, I would prefer that than to live in a country that embraces lewdness and degeneracy.”

The Schneider Winery is an award-winning winery and one of the top ten largest wineries in all of the USA. It employs around one hundred and thirty men. It had been primarily shifted to making alcohol for medicinal purposes for the US Army prior to the end of the war and had been preparing to resume full-time winery purposes, but now it appears the Winery intends to shut its doors for good. Paul Schneider, the owner of the Winery and son of the founder, declined to comment.

Silas Weber, a long-time employee of the winery, had this to say.

“I will head to the city to try to find work as I do not think I can find work here. I just don’t see it happening. I just see most of us, the guys I work with, their families, trying to go up north or to St. Louis to try to find some industry.”

Many of the remaining wineries have planned to fight the amendment in court on the grounds that it was not adopted by two-thirds of the congress and that the seven-years limitation on it invalidates the measure. They further claim that a ban on liquor violates the simple promises given by the Constitution.