100 Years Ago: Jan. 5-11

From The Indianapolis News, Thursday, January 10: Boozeless dance halls will be in vogue in Indianapolis in the future after Chief of Police George V. Coffin made good his word to deny a police permit to dance halls connected to barrooms. Yesterday, saloon keeper John L. Donavan failed to get a permit at police headquarters for a dance to be held Wednesday night when he was told he could not have a permit if he intended to serve intoxicating liquor. Donavan’s notorious dance hall has been operating for several years with permits granted by previous city administrations, and according to the police its outstanding feature was the liquor counter. As soon as the word spread that the new chief had sounded the death knell of these dance halls, proprietors of such places either stopped selling liquor or closed their halls.