Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1854-04-04
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
Edited By a Committee appointed by WcJar
Division, No. SO, Sons of Temperance.

4. SINGULAR CASE UNDER TnE "MAINE
Law" "A lew days ago, the Sheriff Of
Norfolk county, Mass.. in the discharge of
his official duty, seiz.d and sold. under n
wriI oi execution, n quantity Of goois and
merchand'ze, including TWO barrelso brandy;
and on "Wednesday last. he was surprised bv
finding himself nrrnigded for vinla,ng The
prohibl,u.y liquor law lie rlead no. guilty,
and alleged that he but discharged his sworn
duty The cour, however, held. ,ho, he
had violated the prohibilory law. and he was
fined $40 and costs, and ordered To give
bonds in ST 900 not 10 violate the law for
one year. and To sland commued unnI these
orders were complied with. He repeated
iha, he had acted in this case only in the
discharge of his duty as Sheriff uf the counly
Of Norfolk; thai hp was under $4,000 bonds.
and under oath 10 discharge ul the obliga.
tons Of his office; and should, therefore, re.
specially decline 10 pay the fine and costs,
or 10 give the bond MS required, whereupon
he was ordered TO be committed. =
The above paragraph, and others on the
same subject. mote or less colored, so as 10
bear against The Maine Law, have been go.
ing the rounds OF the press lor few days
past; and the circumstance alluded 10 has
been brought helore the Massachusetts Leg.
isature, with the avowed obi ct Of procuring
such an amendment to the prohibitorI liquor
law Of that STATE as will allow sheriff ur
constable TO sell at public auction for deb,
We uusI the friends Of prohibition there
will allow no such amendment 10 pass; or
hunder the specous .prelense of sales OF, ex
eculioa every constable and sheriff in .hril
commonwealth will be made u wholesale
dealer In Liquors. How easy i, will be fOl
one rascal 10 confess judgment in favor d
another, issue execution. and have ice sher
fl do Tor him wha, he cannot do himself
in case such "striped pig" amendment il
; adopted. We have heard Of Two lin pedlars
on wishing sIule where The laws prohlbi
auction sales by such ilineranls. drive boldly
imo county Town, in court week, wher,
one confessed judgment IN favor Of The other
on which lhe goods OF both were al onc,
seized, aud one OF them (acling as auction
eer for The consIabe) selling The whole 10
under the hamtner, in IRON, OF the court
house, and leaving Town next day TO dltid,
f their profits and lay in fresh supply--t
the utIer dismay Of manufacturers of lin
ware in the village, who found ibo, Two Yam
. KEGS could thus summary dive as man,
peJdling wagons through the statute whicl
they had expected would have proIecle
a them.
But it is all nonsense for The sheriff aIludet
S 10 10 say that he merely discharged his duty
d |, was no pan of his official duy 10 volaI
. tho law prohibiting the sale Of Intoxicating
!, liquors; he has justly incurred its penalties
IL aud should be punished.
. Soppose his execution had been against
a bookseller. in whose possession he had Ioun
y hundred volumes OF grossly Immoral an
y, indecent books, or MS many Obscnne engruv
n ings, or twenty thousand dollars Of counter
n leil notes in sheels--wuuld lis duy as a
y officer have jlsu6ed him in exposing 10 III
o public and selling q, auction those books
o plates. or counterfeit nnlesl Cerlainly no
lie Ard why would he mol ba justified 10 La
h In selling them --in poisoning the public wit
: obscenily. or furnishing 10 scoundres II,
Is means Of swindling The community VIII