OGDENSBURG – The arrest and indictment of a New York State trooper and the regional director of U.S. Customs, Henry Holland of Ogdensburg, in the shooting death of a Watertown smuggler was applauded by bootleggers and condemned by supporters of Prohibition across the North Country in 1921.

The controversial shooting and other incidents will be the topic of a talk on Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at the Ogdensburg History Museum down the hall from the DMV office at 206 Ford Street.

Ogdensburg author and historian James E. Reagen will be talking about his book “Booze, Badboys & Bootleggers,” describing some of the controversial events across the North Country during the 2nd year of Prohibition.

His talk will feature:

• How Massena residents voted to defund the police
• How Malone’s attorneys asked New York State to pull the State Police Troop B out of the North Country
• How an Ogdensburg cabbie was shot three times and was forced to fight for his life on a lonely side road in Lisbon
• How the Brenno gang beat up the Ogdensburg police  

“A lot of Ogdensburg families were involved in the illegal liquor trade during Prohibition when America tried to ban the manufacture, transportation and sale of liquor,” said Reagen, a long-time Ogdensburg newspaper editor. “My book helps bring many of those incidents to life.”

“It helps people understand that history happened here and it’s up to all of us to preserve it,” he said.