The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1880-02-21
Correspondence baltimore County Union.
TO THE HONORABLE G. w. B.,
AUTHOR OF THE
Law Establishing the House Of Correction

WustriOus and InapprodchaJie SRI have
read in a newspaper the letter of an old Union
soldier. l also write to you for information.
am citizen of Pittsburg, in the State of Penn
sylvania. l received good education and have
been, for some years, engaged in mercantile pur-
suits. have wife and several young children
and move in very pleasant and respectable So
cial circle. Last spring 1 started eastward to
purchase goods and stopped at a hotel in Balti-
more. Having never been in your city before I
moved around to crafty my curiosity. Seeing
numerous places where liquor was sold, and know
ing that the State authorized and encouraged the
sale by granting licenses, thought it could be no
violation of your laws to drink the liquor. Hav-
ing taken few julips, and not being accustomed
to drinking, my head began to feel giddy. Pru-
dence suggested that should return to my hotel,
and l was endeavoring to do so. AS l was going
along the street with very steady step, but
certainly doing no harm, much less offering of
fence to anybody, was rudely seized by the COL
lar. l endeavored to resist the aggressor when he
struck me blow with his club. I was then
dragged to police station. The man who had
me in his grasp wore uniform and suppose was
police officer. He swore that was an habitual-
ly drunken and disorderly person, although he
had never seen me in his life before that day and
I had not been in your city twenty-four hours
The magistrate sent me to the House Of Correction
for six months I there made the acquaintance of
young sailor, also a native of Pennsylvania, who
had come to Baltimore on vessel and was there
paid off He said that it was his first visit to Bal
timore and that he had not been ashore six hours
before he was arrested and sentenced for six
months as an habitually drunken and disorderly
person. One day he taken out under a writ
of hdbeds corpus. When he parted with Inc he
promised to speak to o lawyer about my case
He kept his word, and l was taken to court
house near your city where Judge released me,
saying that your law was unconstitutional. re-
NAMED in your "House of Corruption" as an old
fellow imprisoned there used to call it, for five
months, my family not knowing whether l was
dead or alive, for 1 could get no letter to them.
Now what l want to know is this: How are
citizens of the United Sta les when travelling, to
avoid being arrested in Baltimore where you have
snares set for them all sides, with your Sunday
laws, your liquor laws, your vagrant laws and
other laws too numerous to mention! You seem
to want as much nicely of behavior in your
thoroughfares in a gentleman's parlor. 1t
won't be long before man will be arrested in
Baltimore if he blows his while on the Streets
for l see by your papers that half-crazy fellow
in your Legislature has brought in a bill to have
a man arrested who makes a noise on tho street.
Some of your sturdy farmers had better look out
and avoid laughing too loudly when they are
standing in the markets with their wagons.
When L have to buy goods next time l shall
certainty glNe DalClmoIe "lue pertn anu 90 W
Philadelphia, New York Boston where the peo-
pie have some sense. 1 have talked to q number
of business men here who have determined to do
likewise. | shall make it my business to talk to
every merchant meet with in this city and warn
them all against the dangers which threaten citi-
zens of the United States who visit Baltimore
Many sagacious citizens of this place think that
the people of Baltimore going crazy, and some
attribute it to the periheon of the big planets
One old gentleman (but he is a wag) says that
Saturn is paying particular attention to your At
torney General, while Jupiter has your Honorable
self directly under his influence PITTsBURG.