The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-12-13
JAIL HELPS MEMORY
est. Petersburg independently

(St. Petersburg independently
Occupying a cell in the city jail,
with plenty of time for reflection, Is
very effective in stimulating the men,
DRY of man, and the prisoner is likely
to recall things that apparently were
wholly forgotten. Recently Judge
Freeman P. Lane, of the municipal
court, has been using the Jail to jog
the memory of men who were unable
ID recall the names of persons from
whom they purchased intoxicating
liquor. The treatment has been quite
effective.
When a man is presented before the
court charged with being intoxicated,
or with having liquor in his posses
sion, he is usually unable to recall the
name of the person from whom he
purchased his supply-or lat least,
he says he can not recall the name.
But if he is sent to Jail, there to re-
main until he does recollect, it is sur
prising how quickly his mind gets to
work on the problem. Usually one
night in jail is sufficient to bring back
to his memory the identity of the
bootlegger from whom he got the
whisky.
Judge Lane should continue his
policy of sending to Jail those who de-
cline to tell where they got their liq-
uor. It is absurd for the accused to
say he can not remember. He simply
does not want to tell. One way to
convict and break up the bootleggers
is to force the identification of the
LIQUOR sellers by men who are known
to have purchased it. A man who is
drunk obtained his liquor by purchase,
ir almost every instance, and if he
will not tell from whom he bought the
booze a term in Jail should be impos-
ed
The police and the local deputy
sheriffs, aided by Judge Lane, have
been active in fighting the liquor traf-
fic here lately, and have been getting
results. The local deputy sheriffs
have been working especially hard to
catch the bootleggers, and only those
on the inside can realize just how
much work Charlie Sims has been
doing to put check on violations of
the prohibition laws. Many searches
have been made of which the public
has heard nothing because no liquor
was found. The officers have been up
all night many nights trying to trap
the bootleggers and moonshiners and
have done a great deal more than the
public realizes.
But there is another phase of Judge
Lanes treatment which is worthy of
especial notice. That is his instilling
into the minds of the "drunks" that
they are honor bound to hide the iden-
tity Of the booksellers. That fool
idea has been very instrumental in
protecting many sorts of petty crimes.
But Judge Lane tells the man before
his court that the fellow who sold him
whisky has done himself and his fam
lily a great wrong and that he is
real enemy, and therefore instead of
protecting the bootlegger he should
turn him up" for punishment and
for the protection of others who may
fall into the booze path. This chang
ing the point of view is very effective
Once convince a man that his "honor"
demands that he should protect him
self, his family and society generally
from the law-breaker, rather than
that he should protect the criminal
bootlegger who preys upon the weak
ness of men, and the battle is won.
When all men take this view of the
matter the brazen violation of the
prohibition law and the law against
gambling will be put to an end in
short order.