The New York herald., 1921-07-18
lake PLACID CLUB
PUTS OUT DRINKERS
Twelve Real Blue BlOods Are
Cast Out for Flirting With
Barleycorn.
STAGED HOT OLD TIMES
No Mere Outsider to Learn
Names of Those Who Put
Dent in Volstead Law.
STAGED HOT OLD TIMES

Special Despatch to THE New YORK Herald
LAKE PLACID. N. Y, July 1.-THE
placidity Of the Lake Placid Club has
been profoundly disturbed by the
Eighteenth Amendment to the Consti.
tuition of the United States. DR.. Mel
vii Dewey. president of the club, for.
mer State Librarian, trustee of the
Chautauqua Institute and author oil
that memorable tome Decimal Classi-
flcation and Relative Index" has pu,
his foot down on bootlegging, and II
anybody doesn't believe it, look at the
list of expulsions now hanging in the
club library.
Twelve-count 'em, twelve-of the
best known. best pedigreed. best heeled
members of the highest priced social
organization in the Adirondacks have
been abruptly expelled by the unani-
nous vote of all the rest. If another
expulsion takes place it must be be.
cause some renegade has turned coat
and gone over to the enemy. But
for the moment, at least, the Lake
Placid Club is aridly, perfectly, Sa-
haraly dry.
Who was expelled? Ask DR.. Dewey.
He won't tell you. Why? The names
are those OF the best families. and one
can't drag the best families names into
things like this. Enough II Is that
twelve Of our best known financial, lit
erary, artistic. Chautauquan and other
wise social high lights have gone by the
board. Never again can they subscribe
themselves as members Of Lake Placid
Club or sign checks-we mean chits--
for anything whatsoever the club has %
SELL
Who said they were sad? Who killed
Andy volstead? Well. a lot of Lake
Placid members. perhaps an even dozen.
may go down to Wash. d. c.. some day.
and then--well. the Coroner still has
functions there even IL he doesn't exist
any more in New York.
There Is only one problem to this
tale. and that is. Who are the dozen who
brought booze into Lake Placid Club.
then got caught, then got expelled?
We can't tell their names. Dr. Dewey
feels that their names should never be
revealed. even though they were. as he
says. publicly expelled" Some day
somebody will get hold of 1922 roster
of the club and compare it with the year
1921. and then maybe we'll learn some
thing. Maybe well find that the Great
Mogul was a member and isn't. Maybe
but why draw out the agony? Maybe
yourself.
The next thing is. What happened? :?
Well, listen to DR.. Dewey:
There have been three distinct cases
Of violation" says the doctor. land all
Of them came within our primary rule
OF Make the club safe for the children.
These three cases were especially
hagrant-query, what about those
that we're not especially hagrant'-and
note one vote was given for leniency
or for the probation that was asked for.
Strong and wealthy men begged for
mercy when we caught them. But no
mercy was shown.
THE first case was that Of a common
drunken disturbance that kept the whole
corridor awake until after o'clock in
the morning--think of it--even after
two official warnings had been sent that
expulsion would result unless the noise
was stopped at once.
The next was for plain bootlegging
and in ten minutes after we got the first
wind OF It our club detective captured
six quarts of gin. Think of IT. six
quarts
"The next case concerned four who
were found drinking in the clubrooms
and acting in very disorderly manner
That was too fragrant.
"But our action in expellng these
members has been warmly indorsed by
all of the rest OF the membership" con-
tinued DR.. Dewey II there is a dis
sentient minority 1t has remained silent.
absolutely silent.
I'VE are willing the facts should be
printed" added DR.. Dewey. because we
want II known everywhere that by no
possibility can there arise a condition
where we shall not be true 10 our pledge
to parents that this club shall be kept
safe for children regardless OF family,
position or wealth.
Some OF those we have expelled have
been members of this club for twenty
one years, and they belong. I am frank
to say, to our most priced families. But
this is a private family club and for
twenty-seven years its slogan has been
the same: Make the club safe for
children
1--WE have from the first dropped
wrong persons who go, In. and in con-
sideration for their friends have sup
pressed publicity. But our council OF
thirty leading members. after two even
ings OF discussion voted unanimously
last fall TO send out 10000 explicit warn
ines 90 members not to Introduce for
club privileges any one who would de-
Iibcrately violate State or national laws
as we'll as club rules.