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  A HOT REPRIMEND
 Given Federal Officers for
      Insolent Actions.

   From time to time people read in
the newspaper of alleged disgraceful
actions of officers in enforcing the
prohibition laws, but usually take it
for granted that these accounts are
sent out by persons opposed to en-
forcement.  Last week Clyde had the
"privilege" of seeing the manner in
which three federal officers conducted
themselves here, and the history of
the case is best told in the following
account, which is clipped from Thurs-
day's Toledo News-Bee:

   Federal prohibiton agents are ex-
pected to be gentlemen.  That is the
attitude of Chief Agent Dan Crane
of the Toledo Office, who had occas-
ion to express himselg in connection
with the detention of M. J. Lacer,
Clyde druggist, on Wednesday.
   Crane directed his word to Fed-
eral Dry Agents Kirk and Leonard
after the latter were accused of bull-
dozing tacties and insolence, follow-
ing a session in Crane's office in the
Nicholas Building early on Thursday.
   The report is that Druggist Lacer
last summer purchased a quantity of
whiskey from the estate of a Clyde
doctor and reported the purchase to
Prohibition Director J. A. Russell at
Columbus.  When federal Inspectors
came to check up the prescripitions
with the quantity of whiskey Lacer
had on hand, it was found that he
was two pints short.  Lacer says he
believes the late owner caused the
shortage by issuing pints instead of
half pints.
   The federal inspector immediately
sealed the cases and the permit to
Lacer was revoked.  Just before
Thanksgiving Lacer reported that
Kirk or Leonard arrived at his house
about 10 o'clock one night and wanted
to take possession of the whiskey.
   Lacer says he refused the agent's
request, not knowing if the demand
was regular.  He told them to come
during business hours.  Some time
later the drug store was burglarized,
according to Lacer, and all the
whiskey taken.  On Wednesday
Agents Kirk and Leonard appeard
at his store and told him to come
with them to Toledo.  Lacer was
just recovering from an attack of
the fly and said he had to use much
persuasion before being permitted
even to get his overcoat for the ride
in the open Ford auto to Toledo.
   Lacer was taken to the Central
Police Station and held incommuni-
cado, but Attorney Thad Powell,
hearing of the case, secured release
by order of Agent Crane late on
Wednesday night.  Kirk and Leon-
ard did know of the release it is said.
   Early on Thursday morning when
Judge Silas Richards of the Court
of Appeals, old friend of the Lacer
family, went to Crane's office to offer
bond, if necessary, for Lacer's re-
lease, Kirk and Leonard were there.
   Judge Richards said Kirk and
Leonard were very insolent to them
and treated Lacer in particular in a
disgusting manner.
   When Crane came Judge Richards
said the two agents were called on
the carpet.  According to the Judge,
Crane said to Leonard:
   "You used to be a policeman down
at Findlay.  But you want to forget
that stuff now.  You are a federal
officer and are expected to act like a
gentleman."
   Judge Richars declared Crane
acted most courteously at the session
in the prohibition office.
   Crane released Lacer and reported
the whole matter to Director Russell.
   "Lacer was acting in good faith,
as were the two agents," Crane said
on Friday.  "The druggist reported
to Director Russell.  We may be able
to show before we get down that this
whiskey was not taken by burglars."
   When the agents appeared at 
Clyed on Wednesday afternoon, con-
siderable consternation resulted.
Word was passed along that there
were some suspicious characters in
Lacer's store.
   M. M. Lee, butcher, borrowed a
repeating rifle from Clyde Sav-
ings Bank and informed the cashier
of his suspicions.  The cashier, I. R.
Clapp, concluded to help, so he took
a sawed-off shotgun and started out.
  John Hawk, freight handler at the
N. Y. C. station, is a giant in size.
He stepped into the Lacer store just
as one of the dry agents refused
Lacer permission to get cigars out of
the case.
   "What's the trouble?"  Hawk
asked.  The agent threw back his
coat showing a badge.  The federal
authority was then respected.
   On the way to Toledo Lacer said
he was subjected to constant abuse
from Agents Kirk and Leonard.

   Mr. Lacer returned to Clyde on
Thursday.  He states that there was
mo charge against him, so far as he
could learn, and that the whole pro-
cedure was unwarranted and that the
actions of the officers indicated that
they were trying to provoke him into
resistance.  The most vicious crim-
inal could not have been treated
worse, he states.
   It is pleasing to know that Com-
missioner Crane severely reprimand-
ed the officers for their bullying
actions with Mr. Lacer and with
Judge Richards.  It is a part of Mr.
Crane's duty to see that the prohibi-
tion law is enforced, and we behave
he is doing it conscientiously.  he
realizes, however, that even a fed-
eral officer need to be a bully, and
that prohibition enforcement cannot
be popularized by discrediting it in
such a  manner as was done in Clyde
last week.
   The outcome of the matter will be
watched with interest.  Mr. Lacer
says he has done nothing unlawful,
and that he is just as anxious as
anybody to see the prohibition law
enforce.  Naturally he is not pleased
with his experience, nor with the
unjust notoriety to which he has 
been subjected.  What further action
will be taken with the reprimanded
officers remains to be seen.
   The decent people of the country
want the prohibition law strictly en-
foreced, but they want it done in a
decent manner.
----