John Barleycorn was the symbolic proxy for alcohol's evils. In 1921, the Freeport Elks held a "funeral" for an effigy of John Barleycorn. The funeral cortege included a 112 year old hearse, replete with electric lights, that was paraded throughout the village.
Sources:
“John Barleycorn to Ride in Hearse in Freeport Tonight,” Daily Review of Nassau County, March 10, 1921, accessed October 27, 2015, http://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/lccn/sn95071431/1921-03-10/ed-1/seq-1/.
Okrent, Daniel. Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, New York: Scribner 2010.
Researched by Regina G. Feeney, October 10, 2021.