The 18th amendment is not our most popular amendment. And enforcing the prohibition of alcohol was p

The 18th amendment is not our most popular amendment. And enforcing the prohibition of alcohol was probably not a super fun job. The Joseph H. Johnson papers offer a brief glimpse into the life of a federal prohibition agent. Working out of Greensboro, NC during the early 1920s, Johnson spent long days on the road tracking down illegal stills hidden deep in the woods and searching for potential informants.

He kept detailed notes of his trips in several pocket-sized notebooks with notes about suspected lawbreakers kept alongside a rather thorough listing of his daily lunch menu.

He also sent more formal reports to his superior with information about an illegal still including the location, the equipment confiscated, and whether the owner was taken into custody. In one report, he confesses that the still owner, Mr. Prince Ferington, escaped after his bulldog attacked Johnson and his partner.

Perhaps most interestingly, Johnson received tips from a number of local informants. One wrote a letter and supplied a hand-drawn map directing Johnson to the suspected moonshine still. Informants were paid $10 for such information.