Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-01-23
Correspondence.
PORTLAND, Jan. is, 1873.

To the Editors Of the A,cerican -
The storms Of December have left Port
| land with her streets full Of snow. and her
sidewalks covered with ice. Indeed, for
the past week it has been with great diff
Guilty and danger that foot persons have
got about the city; ashes and sand have
only partially helped the matter, for the
! snow in the streets. being higher than the
sidewalks. and thus melting and running
over them every day. give us ice-psved
walks, new every morning, and fresh every
evening.
| The Putnam trial is attracting great
/ deal of public attention at this time. Hon.
w. l.. Putnam. ex-Mayor and one of our
most prominent lawyers. made writ Of
repleyin last August. by which certain H.
quors belonging to Portland parties have
| replevied from one of the deputy sherifs.
while proceedings upon said liquors were
| pending in court, there being, as you
know statute specially providing that IL
quors shall not be subject to replevin
while proceedings upon them are pending.
The liquors, thus replevied. were taken by
the owners an sent back to Boston.
And now Mr.. Putnam. and Mr.. Hall the
Coroner who served the writ. together
with the owners of the liquors: James
McGlinchy, Frances Hoffman and John II.
McCue. have all been indicted for conspir-
acy to do an unlawful act.
The Indictment consists of six counts,
and contains thirty-three pages of cap pa
per. II sets forth all the facts of the seiz.
ing of the liquors and of all the proceed
ing in tie Municipal Court. Some Of the
counts give copies of the complaint. war
rant and libel. II alleges further that the
respondents wilfully and maliciously con.
spired and confederated together Ia take
the liquors out of the hands of the officer
upon writ of replevin in viola; ion OF the
Statutes.
The whole proceeding is unusual and
anomalous; l am told that Mr.. Putnam
made the writ and ADVISED the replevin
process because he believed that there
were fatal defects In the proceedings I'M
der which the liquors were seized. aud that
hence they We're unlawiully in the hands
OF the officer and subject TO replevin by
the owners.
He also believed that the Statute forbid
ding the repleyin of liquors was uncon-
stiutional and void. and took this way OF
testing it, validity Ii was summary and
somewhat aud1cious way of proceeding.
but, l think, a charge OF conspiracy can
hardly be sustained upon such facts. Pop
uiar feeling and the sympathy Bar. be-
licye, are very largely with Mr.. Putnam
The trial of the case commenced last
night; the reading of the indictment occu-
pied an hour. and the County Attorney was
all this forenoon opening the case. The
Court room is packed with an eager aud
excited crowd. Ii is said that no case ha,
attracted so much attention for some
years.
Mcssrs. Sewall L. Strout and Nathan
Webb are counsel for the Respondents. and
Gen. Mattochs. the County Attorney, con
duets the case, single handed for the Coy
eminent
The case will have all the light thrown
upon 1t which the best talent OF our Bar
can afford
The lecture Of Miss Anna Dickinson last
Thursday evening was pronounced the best
lecture of the season. She held the audi
ence ia the most perfect attention with her
wonderful eloquencc. She exhibits in a
most eminent degree that energy which
Dcmosthene> says is the first. second and
and third requisite of a true orator.
V. Il.