The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-09-03
LAW AND LEGERDEMAIN.
BY AN OLD LAWYER.

The incident I am about to relate oc-'
CURED twenty years ago in Pennsylva-
MIA. The little village Of s. I'M, in
our county, had acquired population
of several hundred !; it had a store, a
postoffice, two churches, schoolhouse,
and several shops. The people of that
quiet. little hamlet were prosperous and
happy yes, happy in their ignorance of
what was necessary for their own well
fare and the public good. For so
strangely benighted were they that, as
yet, they had no licensed hotel to spread
its legalized blessings around, as the
deadly pestilential dew falls on some of
the countries of the burning zone. For
years this little village had nestled
among the fertile fields of Western Penn.
sylvania, and, SO far as the records of
our criminal court showed. its existence
was unknown at the county seat, for no
criminal case had ever been "sent up"
from it's low-abiding precincts. But the
march of improvement and Christian en-
lghtenment is ever onward and upward.
There came an enterprising man, and,
unfortunately for the little village, he
was man of good moral character"
and therefore fit recipient for the favors
Of the court. He proposed to purchase
a corner-lot in the place, and erect there
on fine hotel. The good, staid, and
sober old burghers of the town were in
ecstasies over the contemplated great
improvement; it was just what was
wanted to make S. an embryonic
New York, and the price Of village lots
went up with a bound.
Time passed on the hotel was com
pleted, furnished, and was to be opened
on the 22d day of February. An APP
plication had been made for license,
and, if it was granted, the proprietor
proposed to give a grand free ball on the
night of the opening, at which time the.
well-stocked bar was to be SO free that
those who attended could sin without
money and without price, he well know
ing that the seed thus sown would in.
time yield him an abundant harvest,
though the gathering might leave behind
the barren stubble-feld of drunkenness
and crime IS
/ OF course the license was granted.
The proprietor was, as have said, I'M
fortunately man of good moral charac-
ter and temperate habits. Deacon A.,
Of the Baptist church class-leader B,
of the Methodist church Elder G, of
the U. P. church Doctor d, Squire E,
and number of lesser lights of the So
Getty of the village signed the certificate
of the proprietor's good character, be-
ieving that all that was required to make
the little town happy and prosperous the
rest of their days was legalized place
to commence to manufacture drunkards,
and, as it was the only manufacturing
establishment Of any kind in that sec
ton of the country, all we're overjoyed
when the news came that the glorious
prerogative to sell whisky was granted to
the proprietor of the "United States
Hotel at S.. m
Time, bearing in its womb the future
joys and sorrows of men, moved on the
22d day of February came at last, and
all the lads and lasses for miles around
were there. The bar was open and free
and v
iei There sound of revelry by night.
There was row in the bar-room free
whisky had ended in free fight, as
usual, and one Henry D., the son of a
widow, who lived mile or two from the
place, had, in fit of drunken frenzy,
with his naked hands struck stand Of
glasses that stood on the counter and
dashed tt EN- on the floor. The broken
glass had cut his hand severely. One
Of his companions, William W., had
taken from Henry's pocket white silk
ket-handkerchief. and. wrapping it
around his bleeding hand, tied the cor
ner ends together. The young man left
the hotel with several others, and was at
home in the morning, but he was so
drunk that he forgot the important fact
that he had taken a young lady to the
dance until he was reminded of it III a
somewhat emphatic manner by the
young lady herself the next day, she
being at that time an inmate of his
mothers house.
William W, who tied the handker-
hil sronld Henry's bleeding hand,
stood near the canal His stock of
goods consisted of coarse clothing, usual
ly worn by boatmen, and a general as
sortment OF boat supplies. He was a
man of low associations and bad repute.
His store was the nightly resort of boat
men and roughs, who live along the
water thoroughfares of the country, and
those ladies who do the "cuisine" on
board the floating palaces of our canals.
That night William was at the dance I'M
til nearly daylight. In the morning he
discovered that his store had been en-
tered by burglars through window in
the rear, the thieves breaking a light of
glass for that purpose. A quantity of
goods had been stolen, mostly rough
clothing, boots and shoes but, as he
alleged, of the value of over $500.
No trace of the burglars was found.
Time passed on until the month of June,
when some men who we're removing the
hay from an old hay barn that stood in
meadow near by, found concealed
17u1or II thu a4o1or, Goods tia1 IN Il,