The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-22
Preooncerted Raid by the Police on
Barrooms Yesterday.
a MULTITUDE OF ARRESTS MADE.
Curious Lay and Night Scenes
in the Courts.
HOW THE SUNDAY Law WAS ENFORCED
Full List Of the Prisoners
and Their Fate.
HOW THE RAID WAS MET.
A Police Justice on the Bench, Another
Acting as Clerk.
HOW THE SUNDAY LAW WAS ENFORCED.
HOW THE RAID WAS MET.

Yesterday was a busy day for the police Orders
issued Saturday for the strict enforcement Of
the Excise law and the result tho wholesale
Of liquor store proprietors and their barkecpers,
mencing at midnight Of Saturday and continuing
throughout yesterday. The persons arrested during
Saturday night arraigncd yesterday morning At
tho different police courts and either ned in nominal
bail or discharged when the charges considered
frivolous by tho police Justices Around the police
Dourts animated crowds gathered in the morning. and
he transferred later the different
precinct station houses. Below is q summary OF tho
actions OF the law relating 70 closing houses
CHAPTER IT'S LAWS OF 1870
SECTION 5--Licenscs granted, as in this act provided
shall not authorize any person persons expose for
sale, or sell, give away or dispose Of any strong
Dpiruous liquors. wines, acs or beer on any day be-
tween the hours Of and i've O'Clock the morning
kept closed between the hours aforesaid, &c, and II
shall be tho duty Of every sheriff, policeman. &C. to
enforce the observance OF the foregoing provisions.
Fora violation this the Excise Commission
may revoke the Incense.
Sxc 20 OF the Same provides NO inn, tavern or
hotel keeper or other person. shall sell give away
Intoxicating liquors or wines on Sunday upon any
day ON which . general or special election or town
meeting shall be held, and within quarter OF mile
from the place whore such general special election
kc, shall be held in any OF the villages, cities and
towns Of the State TO any person whatever as oev-
Whoever shall offend against the provisions OF this
mS0emeAuOr
punished after each offence by hnc Of not less than
$50 nor more than 5000. or by Imprisonment not less
than five days nor more than my or both such line
And imprisonment, at the discretion Of the Court
For two months or longer unequal efforts have been
nado to enforce those provisions At one time large
number Of liquor sellers have been arrested In one pre-
snct while very much larger number Of persons in
she very next precinct who had rendered themselves
equally liable to arrest permitted sell
Tested Those who were arrested, In most instances
have never been called 70 trial. the giving Of 500 bail
generally being the concluding act OF
THE LEGAL FARCE,
IN which the liquor dealers the police authorities and
police justices the chief actors
Tho principal method OF detecting violations Of the
law yesterday tho following Oicers in c,tizens'
1ross entered tho liquor and beer saloons they
found to In the different precincts asked
they could obtain liquor II liquor beer was sold TO
shem they arrested the person selling it, and when
they housed him safely at the station returned
to pursue the same scheme in other quar-
tiers. Occasionally an officer entered hotel
bar, where his face familiar and failing induce
tho attendant to sell him tho liquor, went of without
prisoner, but not always without drink. good
many devices were employed to evade the law yeslcr-
day Determined seekers for cocktails and other
denominations of 'seye openers did not find the law
however rigidly enforced, barrier to the enjoyment
Of their avorte beverage. Strange stories circulated
Of the distribution of keys by liquor store proprieors
10 their patrons Of mysterious passages through
Ing alleys Of scaling partitions and descending back
easements where bacchanals gathered in mysterious
carnival In the large hotels 'paror entcrtanments''
the order OF the day. You were thirsty and un-
OF the spasmodc virtue which selected this par
ticuar Sabbath, the very hot, for its
exhibition you entered the hotel bar and asked for
drink and you were directed TO a .spriyaten room
where you literally supplied as your
means permitted. In restaurants tho patrons
drank their gin and settler out OF cups
For the Initiated the trouble very slight but report
,ays that the occasional pplcr fingered disconsoate on
many inhospitabe street corner. Doubtless the
port sober truth Many Of the liquor stores and
beer saloons put up their little
DISTRESS.
notifying all whom It might concern that 'ths store
will open on Monday morning" But this should not
be taken implying that it open then From
of these places stod Looking messengers emerged
with little bottles Of liquor OF beer concealed
In small market baskets AS usual the action Of tho
Police Board in directing this general enforcement Of
the Sunday law, tho means Of sending thousands
Of people to Staten Island and Jersey fer
rIes where lager beer could be had freely ami without
effort to evado the police scrutiny In each precinct
about twenty officers patroiod in citizens dress in
search Of offenders against the law In nearly all
coses where arrests were made, and they numbered
several hundreds the officers themselves the per-
sons to whom the accused sold tho or liquor.
These Efforts check the sale Of liquor very gen.
orally canvassed the day advanced and hitherto
the question Of 'beatlns the Law received much
consideration than thai OF obey,ng it may be truly
said indeed that this observance OF tho Excise law
Il now stands Is regarded by the average New Yorker
son m ham ceg ho hot ht0 lifsla
be prevented from serving Its guests away
The bar and the small GROCERY proprietor who
pay high and taxes well as the hotel proprlc
tor thinks himself equally entitled entertain guests
and travellers. II be accomplish II In no other
way he has ingenuity enough convert his into
> hotel
In the afternoon when Il became generally known
that tho police citizens dress searching for
liquor and arrest:ng all who sold it to hem sort OF
panic seized the liquor men, but still they tried to sell
and did sell, even in places where arrests had been
made after tho police had Left Some strangers only
found IL dincult to obtain to the inner cham
bers to which the liquor had taken in places
Tor security. In almost all seniineIs set to
watch the police and sort Of game OF hide
aud seek was played by tho police tho liquor men,
which lasted until AFTER midnight The new order
Afforded An excellent opportunity Tor anyered patrol
men 10 get square" with liquor dealers who were
''out Of favor" with them. that some such motive
instieatcd the officers certain precincts
would appear from the fact that quite
number OF those arrested on Saturday night
wcrc discharged by the police Justices because up
peared that they had been taken OF their places OF
business q minute or two after midnight, the doors
beng closed aud fastened the time aud no ono but
the proprietors the premises Tho provision in the
law making Il an offence to sscxposc for saiev
would to have been literally construed in favor
OF the police by themselves Men were arrested taken
to the station house and their pedigree taken when
the accusing officer asked fine them sell liquor
be stated that he did not and yet they were "sens
below" To the inquiry OF HERALD reporter In ono
Buch instance upon what charge the man arrested
was held the answer wac, '0h, they DO arrested
Just the Tor exposing liquor Tor sale II man
found in his place Of business with present
and merely attending TO necessary duty the In