The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1858-06-02


We are sorry to hear such accounts
As the following from Shoreham, and would
be inclined to hope it were overdrawn;did
no. our perfectly reliable) correspondent
assure us that worse things might be tod.
His reasoniDgs are pointed and fsrei6l.,
and may have an application iasshsr s,p.
nunitiss than Sherskau = : =
49,. saoazHAM, May 81, 1858.
MEssRs EpIroRs-Evsnts have trans.
pired in this community during the past
week, an account of which we think will
be Of interest to your readers, and which
afford matter worthy Of public record,
and which should be deeply pondersd BY
every lover Of justice, temperance and SO.
briefly, especially in this community.
The facts are as follows It had been
evident to the most casual observers for
long time past, that liquor was being
freely and 'peraistently dealt out at Ger.
tain public house in this town, attended
with marked symptoms Of its usual effects
in such cases, viz, the ruin, both mental.
moral and pscuniary, Of those who par
took Of it. ..,
Complaint was at last entered. and the
keeper Of the establishment was brought
before Justice (O Bush, together with A.
teen or twenty witnesses, mostly young
men, whose natural abilities and otherwise
good education, should soon make them
pillars Of society.
A jury Of i've persons was empannsllsd.
The facts developed by the different wit
nesses we're substantially the same, and
as follows, viz: That they had drank
there repeatedly; drank when solicited BY
friends, and without such solicitation
drank from liquor found sitting upon pi-
ane in the public sitting-room, and with
the knowledge and apparent acquisscsnoe
Of the landlord; drank from liquor found
sitting upon tables with glasses, 3d., in
side rooms drank from bottles circulated
in the bar-room, and in short, drank IN.
der all the circumstances which the guests
of such house would be likely to, if ~
disposed. Yet with all this array Of facts
before them, the jury were not agreed, and
the case was submitted to the-eears; b.
consent Of the parties, who decided 10 "a
.vor of the defendant, alleging as the reason
lack Of evidence in proof Of guilt.
Now. sir, let us examine briefly the prin.
ciple upon which thi. decision was founded,
and Its effect whom put In practice, which
is the object. Of this communication. 10
not the principle plainly laid down aad
acted. upon in this case, that cirepustx..
tial evidence should not be allowed In II
auor trials, that no evidence should be al
lowed excepting that of eyewitness TO-
the actual dealing out and ownership Of
\ such liquor. The witnesses were unani-
nous and explicit upon the point. that
they had drank liquor in the public rooms,
as guests Of the house, and on various 90
casions; that it was free to all, but c0ald.
not state who fnInishsd It y Now, sir, II
this dscisioni is correct, what becomes Of
our present liquor law? What person -
disposed cannot open grog shsp, pro-
vided only, that he shall arrange his bot
ties in the dark pr BY hipsslf, and thsa'
open his doors to the public, with or with
out the implied understanding that those
who drink shall purchase meal vt
yictuals, or some other paltry article At IN
sxorbitsnt price, to cover the whsls sx-
penss, and leave q handsome profit be-
sidssf And further; if this principle y
to be established in casss Of this kind.
why not in all ? Why not in all aur erin.
inal trials? Or il he who deals out poi
son and death in the shape of stryohnins
whiskey, he whose calling corrupts our
young men, and thereby saPs the tounda',
ton Of public virtue. morality and pros
psrity, to be privileged character among
US, to be shielded and protected BY thoss
courts; and that law which wers estab-
lished to protect the innocent and eonvict
and punish the guilty. Admit this prih-
ciple, and whose life is safe for moment.
The midnight assassin may be caught with
his bleeding victim at his feet with his
weapon dripping with blood, and if no hn-
man eye saw him make the thrust, 60 I'M
punished. Are not these legitimate con-
clusions7 If we are wrong. and the de-
cision right and just, let public sentiment
sustain and uphold 1t, and let such; dssi-
| +. l.. .-,,l&,rl;al h.,t &c kha cootr. - = n