The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-01-19
DEMAND DRY
AGENTS FINISH
/ JOB AT MUNC|E
Pastor Tells YeIIowIy City
Wants Cleanup, Publicity
or No Publicity.

Whether the newspapers do or do
not pay any attention to what is
going on, Muncie, Ind, citizens ex-
pect the Federal prohibition de-
partment to finish the cleanup it
started.
This was the word passed to Dry
Administrator E. G. Yellowly at Chi
cago by the Rev. Clyde H. Ravens,
pastor of the Methodist Protestant
Church of Muncie, in a letter to
Yellowly made public today.
Ravens and other churchmen had
protested to Yellowly by telegram
against the removal of Sanford S.
= StarkS, Indianapolis, former dry
agent, from Muncie, about the time
Starks was beginning to strike pay
dirt" in the investigation which fol-
lowed the wholesale liquor raids Of
October.
When Yellowly would not send
Starks back to Muncie from Chi
CaSO, SCarKS resigned.
Too Much Publicity Charged
United States Senator James E.
Watson promised to aid the Muncie
dryS and, it is understood, had some
communication with Yellowly.
Despite this Starks was not sent
back on the job. Instead, another
agent was sent, kept in Muncie a
few days and then withdrawn.
Yellowly, answering the Muncie
pastors telegram, wrote in letter:
cat the same time received tele-
grams from four other churches re-
questing the same action. 1t seems
that these kilograms were inspired
by some one who was more interest
ed in Mr.. Starks than in the desire
to have a complete and thorough
investigation of conditions in that
county. Not only was Mr. StarkS an
inexperienced man in this work, but
the fact that SO many congregations
in Muncie and so many people knew
before the investigation was COM
pleted that he was engaged in that
work, shows more of desire on his
part to gain publicity rather than
efficient and successful investiga-
ton"
Yellowly promised to send an eff
Gent agent.
Fire in Pastors Reply
The reference to publicity drew
fire in the pastors reply to Yellow
1y:
IT share the anxiety that you
shall send an efficient man to Mum
Gle to care for our situation, and de-
spite whether he shall receive pub
licity or not receive publicity he may
be able to remain to complete the
job"
Regarding the charge that he got
too much publicity to work eff
GENTLY, Starks, now selling insur-
ance here, pointed out that the day
he was sent to Muncie, George L.
Winkler, deputy dry administrator
here, under whom he worked, an
nounced that he was sending StarkS
and invited citizens to give him all
the information they had about dry
law violations.
"Such information as newspapers
got about my activities in Muncie
was gathered by reporters, who fol-
lowed me about" said Starks.
Call Farley for Saturday
Efforts to pour oil on the troubled
waters was seen in the announce
ment today that Federal prohibi-
ton officials will gather at Muncie
Saturday for a conference with
church people and others inter
ested in law enforcement"
Winkler, who called the confer
ence, will be unable to attend be-
cause of death of his father. He
announced that among the officials
will be Alexander Jamie, Chicago,
Yelloowly's assistant, and r. c.
Minton, chief of the legal division.
They will make plans for carry
ing forward to completion the work
started by Starks, Winkler said.