In the winter of 1927, Federal Prohibition Agent Wesley Allen Fraser, a 34-year-old White male, was diligently enforcing the nation's liquor laws. On December 9th, he and his partner, Agent Carl Olson, discovered an active still in the basement of a residence on Fifth Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota. Their investigation led to the arrest of three individuals found operating the illegal distillery.
Weeks later, on the cold morning of January 2, 1928, Agents Fraser and Olson returned to the
St. Paul residence with a truck, intending to seize the remaining distilling equipment and dismantle the operation for good. As they worked in the basement, the property owner, Gulop Nicholich, arrived with several other men. Without any warning or exchange of words, Nicholich knelt and fired two shots through the open basement window.
One of the bullets struck Agent Fraser, inflicting a mortal wound. Nicholich also attempted to shoot the driver of the government truck, but one of his own companions intervened, preventing further bloodshed. Wesley Allen Fraser succumbed to his injuries while being transported to a local hospital, his life cut short in the line of duty.
In the aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement acted swiftly. Gulop Nicholich was apprehended and faced justice for the murder of Agent Fraser. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder, and following a trial, he was convicted of the crime. The court sentenced him to life in prison for the cold-blooded killing of the federal agent.
