The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-28
Energetic Prosecution of Excise Viola
tors on Staten Island.
CELEBRATED CASE.
Strange Complications Arising from the
Wilkins Trial.

of that region struggle ouLshine ono another and
nowadays town officers are shupned ike plague, as
the shadow OF subpoena seems constantly TO follow
in their track For couple OF months past the door
OF the publican has been bolted and barred
upon the Sabbath day, and II 1t opened
but a hairs breadth 10 admit a thirsty
beer bibber there has, ate been
temperance man on hand to squeeze himself In and
carry terror and civil penalties 10 the proprietor For
awhile private bottles filled on Saturday night and
empted on Sunday much 10 vogue but the tom
perance people turned upon this practice the resrc
ton IN the license relative to selling by the
allowing the sale only OF such liquor drunk
upon tho premises, SO the drinkers ha1 to give that
over 100. Misiortunes, however, never singy.
Now they have Mundy Ut them. He took IL into his
head day counsel for the station Isla nd
temperance people, or perhaps, they resolved to pro-
cure his services In their behalf, anu from that forth
the township OF Westleld has known no rest
There was q publican named Walker in Rossville.
He bafied them Tor long time But happy
thought struck Mr. Jolinc, OF Totenvile, and of he
sent seven yearold boy who belonged to somebody
saloon on the Sabbath. Walker saw nothing hostile
III the appearance Of his youthful customer. SO he adj
mitted HIM and filled the bottle. But IN stepped the
temperance people without delay and Walker was
agned before the Board OF Excise and his cence was
revoked
There was q Mrs. Sannbeg and half dozon others
VINO Jared no be.ter, and then came case which has
set the whole county agog with excitement and out
OF which some curious developments have grown.
Up date u has afforded grounds Tor four perjury
suits has put the Excise Board in terrible mud
die. II came about IN this way:-Mr. Edward VIII
kins kept the Oriental Hotel at Eltingve Here the
scions OF some vi the first families and OF good many
others that had no pretensons to boast oil, used 10
while away the tcdum OF the Sunday afternoon, and
here, too, The temperance folk came prying now and
then Edward Wilkins, however, could not
easily be caught mapping. and none but boon
Van elect He is wei.o. do, easy going mortal, VINO
had IA special liking for Wilkins Dom, where he
frequently took occasion TO indulge. One Sunday
afternoon no went there aud found quite little gath
oring friends Of his. There the poillons
Gus and Jake, mere youths. both them, and Jim
Silke, Eden Nolan and McAlliser, all neighbors OF
Van cleel'a MI wilkins tap largely palronizou
Gus Poillon's mother, who did not resh his manner
of S Ss 50 sa' SsSs S s ns
spouse Of the proprietor, ~ s,,,, THIS moment
a ySas rS S ns
more urgently pushed his mother out. Mrs Polon
naturally irate at this. she told her husband of
1t, ana he ut once made complaint against wilkins
Tor selling on Sunday and further Infringing Oh the
law By dsposng Of beer to minors lmmediMely the
temperance people bounced upon the Case. They had
long wanted charge arraign wilkins or. They
hal good one now, and on January they had HIM
before the Board OF Excise, with Mrs. Poilon 10 swear
that the party in his place aud her Two sons
to testify That they drank there.
HARD SWEARING
W. H. Mundy appeared tor the prosecution, and
felt satisfied OF setting the matter In trcc with the
when Van Cleef, sKe. Nolan and McAiister swore
that the Poilon boys were not Ia the place all that
or Deer nau Oeeu ny w ilklns,
he IN no manner ,rausgresscd The law. This testi-
mony WAS q staggarer, and the temperance people
their counsel-noth,ng less Than to put the defendant,
Wilkins himself on the stand. he seemed blunt,
honest German ana though I,,. u Nigh. BE- worth The
was the surprise OF the anti-temperancc folks, and
most Of ALL or the young men VINO haf sworn IN ms
behalf when wilkins rcIused 10 answer IL he had sold
liquor or not. on the ground that b. so Dung he
might crmlna:s himself Only one CONSTRUCTION
could DO put this, Of course, aud so tue Excise
| Board we re constrained to revoke his license.
| There much juDilation In the camp OF the tenn
perance party over this victory Dut thor JOY was ol
lowed alarm and Indignation when they learned hat
EXCISE Bo rd were about That body, utter ueciang
| that Edward wilkins license should be revoked,
| thought better of IT, They were avcrse to putting a
statute between Edward aud mis- gains. and 40 while
they sitting at kossvlIle they called him in
hin, post haste to Eltingvile and bring back
his wife una bondsman, TO Mrs wilkins they would
| tinue open without interruption. wilkins hurried
! of and soon returned with his spouse. Meantime
there had been dissenson in the Lxcso
Board. The Chairman, Cornelius Nance. was np-
| pointed through the temperance people, and was Of
| the wool over tuer eyes? He asked his associates
tins several times ana let their arguments III return
| the Wilkins party arrived aud such they might have
remained but ior The address OF Mrs wilkins That
lady, disregardins tho rest. set about pleading herself
| with the pcrtinacious COMMISSIONER THIS softened
him. lie rclented The arguments OF his colleagues
had passed him like the IDLE WIND. but The soft, per-
| suasIve eloqucnce OF Frau Wilkins Won him
spite OF temperance party and all and Nance signed
! the license.
When word OF the Com nissioner's Inconsistency got
abroad his friends were IN high state OF excitement
and alter that they divided their attention between
| tho liquor dealers aud Exsisc Board. Before long
something came OF this. Tue Board, 1t was learned
served NO olcai notification on the people whose
licenses they had revokeu anu, OF course they went
on selling AS before. Moro Too. The Commissioners,
It was sand, entered into private agreements WITH un-
licensed liquor men 10 allow them to keep on their
traffic until they could dispose OF their business TO
other parties to whom licenses could boz legally granted
In one case-that oil Waker-the temperance people
claimed they had positive information mai the Board
informed him they would hold back their notification
I'LL near the ,nd oil the month"; when he proposed sell
| ing out to "A man named Sprapuc ana then on their
meeting the irst Monday In February they would
| license Sprague. The news OF these oficiai pecuu-
| tons aroused the temperance people. Mundy was
called dosn again TO wesneld township and the Excise
Com miss,oBers we're summoned before Judge Gilbert
IN Brooklyn 10 show cause why the! had not served
their notifications. The Board, however, had Ucen
| wary, and scouting the trouble they made hastc to
notify all whose licenses revoked that they could
sell no longer On Friday last they appeared IN court
In Brooklyn, but the hearing was adjourned.
| Meantime The temperance party, who evlnco dis
position To push tho prosecution OF dcnquents to the
Milan and MeAii,s,er Tor nerarv A. the drs1 ,s
man OF some wealth and popularity they directed
their attention principally 10 him. and mastering all
thor legal force they cared ON satur day last against
him before Judge Woou, OF ro;ienvlile.
wEsrFgLD JUSTICE
The unoccupicd male population were at the place
OF trial long before begun, anu sraggiers from VII
lagos located niles away came in TO swell the gather
ing. When HERALD man reached the Court there
train VI eignt wagons drawn up IN 'front.' and
crowd hllcd the room anu iabocrcd ~ ;he road ou.-
WcstHciu JustiCc uispcHscu III STORE,
ana the judge lawyers anu witnesses SIT about deal
Table Stools soap boxs aud Hour barrels, anu dis
cuss the laws OF the luud On saturday Judge Wood
al his post ANA severe. Behind him rose
meat rack, with u balance and scales, sy mDoic NO
doubt of his oilicc, while certain alep orca nenI-
ing perhaps was attached To the empty kerosene
oil lamp which stood one side ana the glitter.
ing buck-saw winch nankcd him Oh tho Othor But II
required aricai terrors TO inspire the gather lug
WIN due sense OF the laws dignity. There they
stood all day long on the Moor, GU the counter or
tucked in tho very sneives, listening with the pro-
iouudest attention to every tittic Of evidence aud
noddng sasaciously whenever IA point oil law was
raised. Van Crci the deendan Was there, brusquc,
devimay care looking young man, with his counseI,
Mr. HorD.uger, ana a cloud vi temperance people
lowered bennd w. II. Mundy, the prosecutor, and
kept smiling with uniailng pcrtIuacty right through
the trial.
The nrst witnesses the PoilIon boys, who re-
Iha nj hair nN.n rI.IIcn al hur.