Rieker's, Raids, & Reforms: Prohibition in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Daniel B. Strickler was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania on May 17, 1897. After studying law at Cornell University, he served in World War I and received the rank of Lieutenant. He joined the Lancaster County Bar on October 26, 1923.

Strickler was also involved with the Rieker Brewery/ Max Hassel case, but soon lost contact with Hassel.  In 1933, Strickler learned that gangsters in New Jersey murdered Hassel six days after the Cullen-Harrison Act legalized alcohol on March 22, 1933.

During his time as Commissioner of Police, Daniel B. Strickler grew concerned about the actions of Judge John M. Groff and Edna Hurst.  While Groff did convict Strickler's predecessor for corruption, Groff and Hurst were actually involved in their own corrupt practices.

Over several months, Strickler and six lawyers worked to install a microphone in Groff’s office in the Courthouse. From June to July 1932, they listened in on Groff’s conversations with Hurst to gather evidence against them.

Strickler and the lawyers discovered Groff and Hurst did collude to benefit their favored bootleggers. After a Courthouse janitor discovered the wire on July 11, 1932 and with enough evidence in hand, Bar members requested the resignation of Judge Groff.

Despite the investigation, the Lancaster New Era and Intelligencer Journal explained that Groff retired due to health issues. Older members of the Bar were concerned about how the corruption of one of their own could harm their reputation.

The interwoven lives of Max Hassel, Mike Benedict, Daniel B. Strickler, John M. Groff, and Edna Hurst are a story of corruption in Prohibition-era America. 

The prohibition of liquor did little to improve social concerns like alcoholism, domestic abuse, and poverty in the United States. Instead, it led to immense corruption in courts and police departments across the country.

When government officials turned a blind eye to illegal activity or actively supported the liquor trade, Strickler cracked down on this corruption. He increased raids on locations that manufactured or sold liquor and made corrupt leaders face consequences for their actions.

While Prohibition’s consequences highlighted systemic issues often rooted in race, ethnicity, and class-based prejudices, the corruption in Lancaster illustrated the power individuals could also have on the law and justice system.