The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-04
EXCISE ENFORCEMENT.

EXCISE ENFORCEMENT.
THE HOTELS AND THE LATEST POLICE ORDER
REVIVAL OF OFFICIAL VIGILANCE
Tho resolution adopted by the Police Comm ssioners
on Saturday nsructng the superintendent to require
the Inspector of inspection district TO report in
writing each Monday by three P. NJ. whRtber liquor
had sold any hotel in their respective districts
the day before, in violation Of the law, gave
renewed impulse to tho vigilance to tho
police yesterday and excited renewed apprehcn.
sions in the minds OF tho hotel keepers.
The cause Tor this order was the complaint madeby
several hotel keepers that the st. James Hotel was
selling liquid refreshments In violation OF law, they
themselves IL being presumed, acting Writ uous part
and being above suspicion. Tho proprletors of the
st. James contend that they sell wines and liquors to
guests only, which they thought tho law clearly ont
ties them 10 do, but many OF the guests have their
rooms elsewhere than in the hotel to which thcy re-
sort for their meals Another complaint was said to
be the practice Of several prominent hotels opening
sort OF bar Sundays in private room stairs, to
which strangers well guests had difficulty in
finding their way and getting all they wanted
ALARM AMONG SALOON KEEPERS.
The order created alarm well among the saloon
keepers as the hotel proprctors, the former
fearing that another raid In contempla-
ton, the result being that they much
more guarded in opening thor doors than on
tho previous Sunday, when they might be said TO
have lost all fear OF the police and admitted tho
stranger freely within their gates. The saloons had
strong suspicion oil day that the police ordor singing
out the hotels for extra supervision blind to
lull them into q false OF security, and, conse
quently, few of Thorn were caught mapping Wander
ing parties OF thirsty Teuons might havo been noticed
on tho Bowery seeking in vain tor a shelter where
beer was dispensed over tho bar. Tho wary beer
sellers admitted none but acquaintances, and by no
m ischance left thoir doors unlocked Unless, there
fore, q man In search Of drink was known to some
saloon keeper he might as we'll have been the dry
and rackess desert OF Snhara for the saloon keeping
mind was abaormally suspicious Of stranger and
prompt to believe HIM policeman In disguise still,
the saloons did considerable business. Barkeepers
OF late have come to be preternaturally acute
in detecting wolf In sleeps clothing, and
than In tho early days OF the excise
enforcement, whom the frightened rumseilers
enemy and detective In every ono areiative or
a bosom friend. Tue purely beer saloons, whero no
whskey Is sold, took matters moro easily, but those
PLACES requiring hotel license cover their opera
ions wore 40 xIous last degree. Arrests
made among thom In almost every precinct OF the
city, and the scenes revived those which marked the
early days OF the police raids
HOTELS
The rotunda OF the Aston House like banquet
Dead and all but tho cigar man departed The paror
up stairs where the sideboard used with
wines and liquors, like Buebeards closet, locked
ana darkencd, and shut out from mortal Intrusion.
Msny bibuous soul climbed the stops. penetrated
tho nay as'Sndsd TO tho ONCE on the
for a satisfying draught, and then, after
smlessiy knocking about the corridors. for
awhile, waiting like Mcnwber for something 10 turn
up directed his steps toward tho street, sadder and
wiser man. al tell you" said gen tleman connected
with the Asior. 'this law all wrong far con-
Germ
call Tor any liquor rereshment no may choose, and
ia like TO know how the police ., are to tel who Is
lates the law when IL refuses to sell such rcreshment
to traveller; and now who is TO say what Is trav-
eer, only tho man that comes hero from California
and not the man who crosses over from Brookiynf
l tell you it's all wrong"
thing but amiable mood the last order OF the
police. 1t painful to the humane mind 10 witness
the cond.on OF aars a. snS ST. Nicholas inc par
space before n, seated nbou small round tables, were
forty nifty guests OF the hotel merchants and
Others leagues upon leagues from their 0residcs
ana, while the very tables suggested rounds OF drink
and had other purpose IN existence but to sustain
the festive bottle, not tnmbeiul oil thing cacu
lated cheer the dropping spirits OF tho travellers
could be seen. 1t was melancholy mockcry, this
sitting within the very shadow OF the bar, within
arms length of sufficient stimulating beverage 70
float -of.war and yet be unable TO indulge even
In the smell OF a saturated cork.
Al the Metropolitan, tho Grand Central, New York,
ST. Denis. Sinclair, Union square, Everett, Giscy,
Grand, sturtcvant and St James notes tho bars APP
10 10 opened again. Sceptical people, in spite OF all
this, would insist IN believing that somewhere IN each
erected, where the knowing ones were freely ofcr-
ing tber homage while tho officers OF tho law out
side the street were satished IN their simple minds
that nothing derogatory to law was transpiting.
DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE THIRSTY.
great many Of the class OF ''men ABOUT town" con-
grcgated in the afternoon and evening AZ the Fifth
Avenue HOTEL among whom were moro than one or
two thirsty souls, and II went hard with them TO md
Dui
success history may never know Certain It Is, how
ever, that heavy requlstion was made on all the
private bottles and dcmohns IN this we'll In most
WHAT INSPECTOR pnKs THINKS
No arrests Of leading hotel propriotors wore re-
ported last evening at Headquarters. Inspector
DiIks, who has charge OF the Second inspection dis
tric In which oil the leading hotels Situated SAID
he should ask the COMMISSIONERS to-day to require
opinion from the counsel to the Board the vexcd
question as TO what constitutes guest OF hotel He
says IL is very delicate and trying for
binary policeman 10 decide this, and the chances
are that in attempting the decision he might
blunder into an arrest involving n suit Tor civil
damages sAs an instance of tho difficulty IN de-
ciding this point" said Inspector DnKs, suppose
party OF gentlemen take sleigh drive out
hotel in Morrisana. They liberty TO sit down
and call Tor all the drinks they and tho pro-
prietor ca mot be oested because these
recognized as guests, and yet they may spend
fifteen minutes IN the place. Mono OF the hotels, as
Tar as know. are disposed to violate the law. Mono
OF thom. certainly, has bar open Sundays, and
don't sec how We are 10 reach them without moro
definite idea as 10 The precise character OF guest"
ARRESTS
Tho following 10 a complete list OF the number oil
arrests. nlado up 10 midnight In the different pro-
cincts throughout the city. Where arrests oil bar
keepers maze the names OF the hotels In which
they were employed are added
Fret precinct, /; Fourth precinct, 4 (Atlan.
tic HoteD; Filth precinct q Eighth precinct 81;
Ninth precinct a Tenth precinct q; Eleventh pro-
cinct Twelfth precinct, 8; ourteenth precinct, l
(Chton Shades HotelC Fifteenth precinct, Isl.
Charles and 81. Stepncns hotelsl sixteenth precinct,
3; Tweniy-unth precinct, Ia Twentieth precinct. 2;
TwentynrsJ precinct Al rwcnty second. preoiuct,
Twcnty-third Precinct Twenty seventh precinct,
L; Twonty eighth precinct, 49, Twenty-nlnih pro-
clnct Isl. German, ST James, b. Omar and
Marlborough hotelsl