Dying for a Drink

How a Prohibition Preacher Got Away with Murder

By: Patrick Brode

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Paperback | 14 February 2019

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FINALIST FOR THE 2019 ARTHUR ELLIS AWARD FOR BEST NON-FICTION CRIME BOOK

Known to history as "The Fighting Parson," Reverend J.O.L. Spracklin broke into a notorious Windsor roadhouse one chilly November night in 1920 and shot and killed barkeep Beverly "Babe" Trumble. Easily acquitted by reason of self-defense, he never served a day of time. A provincial liquor license inspector already known for his brash tactics, Spracklin's audacious tactics solidified across North America the Detroit-Windsor borderlands' reputation as the new Wild West-an uncivilized outpost where whisky flowed freely, warrants were forged on the spot, and ministers toted guns to keep the peace.

To the rest of Ontario, a dry province, Spracklin was the saviour they'd been waiting for, the answer to the lawlessness of the Border Cities-that is, until he shot a man at point blank range. In this exploration of the period, decorated Ontario historian Patrick Brode unpacks this infamous piece of Prohibition lore and asks: Why did Babe Trumble die? What led to a hotheaded reverend taking the law into his own hands, killing a man, and getting away with it? Full of fire-and-brimstone preachers, crooked politicians, wily rum runners, grandstanding lawyers, and innocents caught in the crossfire, Dying for a Drink is a fascinating read that will captivate anyone interested in the real stories behind this fabled time.

Industry Reviews

PRAISE FOR DYING FOR A DRINK "A brisk read that aptly describes Canada's temperance movement and the move towards prohibition...quite enjoyable." -Canada's History "Nicely researched...Fast-paced...This slim, lively volume illuminates Ontario's pre-Jazz Age cultural and legal history and that of prohibition in an informative fashion." -Publishers Weekly "Brode brings to his account a wealth of local knowledge about Windsor and its Prohibition-era past...well researched and peppered with fascinating characters." -Literary Review of Canada "A fascinating book, thoroughly researched and tightly written." -Windsor Life

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