John Oswald Leslie Spracklin (called Leslie; December 4, 1886 – May 1960) a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

minister from

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada, noted for his involvement with

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

issues. Spracklin shot and killed a man who was engaged in the illicit liquor trade and was later acquitted of manslaughter, after which experience he decided to emigrate to the United States.

Background

In 1918, Spracklin took up the pastoral charge of Sandwich Methodist Church,

. He was noted for the eloquence of his rhetorical style. Spracklin's ministry occurred during a period when

— which was especially promoted by the

United Farmers of Ontario The United Farmers of Ontario (UFO) was an agrarian and populist provincial political party in Ontario, Canada. It was the Ontario provincial branch of the United Farmers movement of the early part of the 20th century. History Foundation and r ...

' Provincial Government — was regarded as a pressing issue by Spracklin and many of his parishioners and supporters.

Dubious supporters

These supporters included the brothers W. H. and S. M. Hallam, who, in the

area, were known less for their religious observance than for their muscular activities in support of questionable causes. The Hallams thus joined Spracklin in

Attorney-General William Raney's

enforcement team, as part of the Attorney-General's policy of bypassing the regular police forces in favour of using sub-contracted, private groups of enforcers. This varied component recruited by Spracklin was subsequently to cause William Raney considerable embarrassment.

Geographical context of the Detroit River to Spracklin's ministry

The proximity of the

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' border to the Sandwich suburb of

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

, where Spracklin fulfilled his ministry, and the huge cross-border trade - legal and illicit - gave heightened focus to the concerns and activities of Spracklin and his zealous followers. This proximity undoubtedly bore relevance also to Spracklin's eventual emigration.

Prohibition controversies and events of 1920

On August 26, 1920, the cruiser ''Eugenia'', was stopped in the

Detroit River The Detroit River is an List of international river borders, international river in North America. The river, which forms part of the border between the U.S. state of Michigan and the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ont ...

after the speedboat ''Panther II'', with Spracklin and his associate W. H. Hallam on board, fired on the cruiser; nine men were arrested and accused of attempting to smuggle whiskey into the US.Chad Fraser, 'Lake Erie stories: struggle and survival on a freshwater ocean', p. 187 It was reported also on August 27, 1920 that Spracklin had accused the mayor of

Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town ...

, W. Fred Park, of harbouring large quantities of alcohol; Mayor Park was subsequently fined $1000.00.

Ministerial benevolence doubted

It was claimed that the pastor was not distinguishing between his spiritual and alcohol inspection duties. Complaints abounded. To skeptics, his enforcers seemed not to act with adequate restraint or oversight. A

lawyer claimed that Spracklin's men, allegedly exceeding their proper duty, would arbitrarily fill in blank search warrants at will.

Distrusts among even his own parishioners

It was also claimed that Spracklin showed excessive zeal, and that this demonstration of zeal extended to his treatment of his own parishioners. The attention of these Spracklin would engage while preaching in the interior of Sandwich Methodist Church; meanwhile, in the parking area outside the building, his uninhibited enforcement associates would surreptitiously search his parishioners' cars at random.

Pastor's wife escapes spray of bullets

On Halloween night, 1920, Spracklin's wife Myrle Welsh narrowly escaped death when the Spracklins' manse was sprayed with bullets from an unproven source. At the time it was assumed that this violent incident was perpetrated on the behalf of persons in the illicit liquor trade disadvantaged by Spracklin and his men; this assumption was never seriously questioned. It subsequently proved to be pivotal but somewhat obscure to establish whether this traumatic event led to later actions on the part of her husband.

Manslaughter charge and trial

On November 6, 1920, Spracklin, as part of

Attorney-General Raney's

enforcement team, shot and killed Beverly Trumble, proprietor of the Chappell House hotel, who was engaged in illicit trade in liquor, City Council Minutes, September 5, 2006, City of Windsor, p. 27
and in whose hand Spracklin later claimed to have seen a gun. However, any direct linkage between the occurrence of this violent death only a few days after Myrle's alarming experience on Halloween Night remained unclear.

Acquittal

At his subsequent trial, Spracklin was acquitted of manslaughter. The transparency of the process by which Spracklin's acquittal emerged was evidently called into question by some, since this verdict was met with considerable surprise in some quarters.

=Widespread comment evoked by Spracklin's fate

= Much discussion and comment ensued following Spracklin's trial and acquittal. The fact that historical records of Spracklin's actions on November 6, 1920 differ in emphasis underlines the controversy which arose from the series of events leading to his acquittal.

=Varying opinions asserted

= The tenor of one historical account is suggestive that Spracklin should have been charged with murder rather than of the manslaughter of which he was eventually acquitted. Other descriptions seek to stress that the evidence should be interpreted as indicating that Spracklin acted in self-defence.

Later life

A more distant relationship between Spracklin and the Hallams emerged. In 1921 Spracklin relinquished his pastoral charge at Sandwich Methodist Church. Spracklin's resignation appears to have occurred without another parish charge having been made available to him, and with the events surrounding his manslaughter charge and acquittal very much in memory. Following Spracklin's resignation, the nature of his pastoral work underwent changes.

Development of itinerant ministry and emigration

The ministerial vocation of Spracklin thus evidenced significant development in its emphasis into itinerant activities in place of localized, parish ministry. Spracklin later emigrated to the

, and there he continued with his personal mission of campaigning for the anti-liquor cause.

Promotion of Anti-Saloon League in the US

In the US, Spracklin's ministry involved significant travel. His efforts were considerably directed towards the promotion of the

Anti-Saloon League The Anti-Saloon League, now known as the American Council on Addiction and Alcohol Problems, is an organization of the temperance movement in the United States. Founded in 1893 in Oberlin, Ohio, it was a key component of the Progressive Era, an ...

. Spracklin thus itinerated as a visiting speaker to local churches on the League's behalf.J. H. James, 'Church Calendar', in: 'Cass City Chronicle', January 16, 1931, p.

/ref>

Legacy

By general consent, the conjunction of events around the Canada, Canadian period of Spracklin's ministry related to the particularly excessive zeal of the

era in

, when the ideas and aims of the soon to be eclipsed

were prominent. Spracklin's vigorously vocal ministry at least superficially resembles that of J. Frank Norris, of

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, Tx, who also maintained an itinerant pastoral charge in Detroit, Michigan. Like Spracklin, Norris also widely employed his considerable, rhetorical gifts in anti-liquor campaigning in opposition to local civic leaders and was himself acquitted of murdering an associate of the local mayor in 1926 on grounds of self-defence, which were later widely challenged. Norris, whose vigorous political views exercised a deep influence upon his seminary student John Birch and others, later undertook a wide, public ministry; however, the reputation of Spracklin never eclipsed the events of 1920.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spracklin, Leslie 1886 births Alcohol law in Canada Alcohol in Canada Canadian Methodist ministers Prohibition in Canada Date of death unknown Alcohol in Ontario