The Press., 1884-01-31

stocking frd VI her cr1s- toners, and f1 ron her lstrack had an aill make the seizure. She p> nce | of the charge and waA
 1 ny him to the station, Bl & retire into the next room E<t dress. 10 this the officer cdI |1lI@ he would 90 it'll her. She wan y |5e,. lportunity to get rid of tlssA fntal 30I t was her second offence. md fhe p1, <7i1 lfhis time would be six lnonths in 3aiI I That failing, she insisted upon several changes of location, the point being to get away from him till she could break the lbottle. The officer was infiexible Like l Naomi, where she went he would go also. Finally she dropped the bottle and went. She languished six months in jail, and her business was closed up.
 Another woman carried two flat bottles under her skirts, at her hips, and it re- 1 quired the services of two women employ ed in the department to bring tue bottles to the light of day. in the policat station. l When her customers called for their drinks, she would hoist her dress aud pro- duce the bottles. Where 20 cents was in volved she had no special delicacy. Thers isn't any delicacy in rum, either in buyer For seller. It is demoraizing all the way through. ' ]. l THE ooNFIsoATIoN ROOM. A very encouraging sight is the store room in the sheriff's office, where seized liquor is held till the lagal formaiities are ars gone through with. If liquor seized can be proven to have been brought into the 1state for legitimate purposes it is returned 1 to the owner, but if not it is destroyed. In the store-room is piled up barrels of whisky, kegs of brandy, barrels and kegs 0f beer, beer in bottles, and ale in bottles. Holland gin in barrels and kegs rum in all sorts of packages, champagne and all 1 sorts of wine, enough to stock a very large liquor store, to say nothing of the bottles. jugs and demiiohns.
 This liquor has been seized in honsns [ at the railroad freight houses, at the ex- press offices and at the boat landings. There are four officers under the sheriff whose sole business if Is to keep the city clear of liquors. They have nothing else to do, that IS their only business, and they are selected men who are to be trusted. They receive offers of bribes daily from those interested in liquors, but they are as earnest ln the good work as Neal Dow him. self, and bribery has no effect upon them. When liquor is finally condemned, these officers roll the barrels up to the mouth of a gaping sewer in the room, and the spiqot IS turned and down it goes through into the sea, It's power for evil finally and for ever ended
 1t IS 8 glorious sight to see the dark stream of death flow out into channel where It can do no harm. It is a fearful waste of property, but better the stone sewer than the throat of flesh. The sewer has no brain to muddle, no wife or children to starve.
 HOW MUCH THEY DO.
 The extent of the work done by these officers may be inferred from the following statement
 During the month of January, 1883, there were 92 seizures made which yielded 27O gall Ions of rum, of gin, POI of whisky, I,340 of ale, and 661 of beer. During the month of October of the same year there were 140 seiz- the same prqportion, but shs als account swelling fe 8,o95 e5llonaa a2araIa9 ne 1IS RSss %SnsaS aS SQss s s sssfssS assf Inss is the city treasury, the salaries of the officers being included in the costs.
 Now, this afnount of stuff seized would at first sight argue against the good effect of prohibition as restraining power. It is the strongest possible statement in favor of 1t. Give liquor free course and there would be consumed in Portland annually not less than $1, ,250,0OO of the stuff, compared with which the amount brought in is mere drop in the bucket.
 It is safe to say that the government seizes the half that is imported, and, if so, the amount escaping their vigilance and actually consumed must be very trifing indeed.
 SHOPS THAT ESCAPE SEIZURE.
 Tn one street in the city-Center street. there are four places where the officers know that liquors are sold, but so far the sellers have been successful in avoiding seizures. It is short street, and watch is maintained by the doggeries at both ends. There is but one entrance to the houses in which liquors are kept, and in the doors are bulls eyes through which every one essaying to enter is scanned before he is admitted. The moment an officer enters the street signal is given and the liquor within is either destroyed or securely hidden.
 One favorite method of avoiding fines is to take what little they may have on hand over the back fence and deposit it upon consent ing neighbours lot. The confederate neigh Dor swears he knows nothing about it, and so all the officers get is the liquid. In these cases there are only few pints quarts and so not much damage is done. The main point is to escape the fine and imprisonment.
 There is one man in Portland whose sole business is to construct hiding places for liquor. He is skilled mechanic of wonder full ingenuity, and he devises and manufac- lures for the trade all sorts of traps for the concealment of the liquid. His prices are very large, but the profits on the trade are such that they can afford to pay them. Any how he is the only man who can do it satis- factorily and they must employ him.
 INFORMATION.
 How do the officers get information2 There is not day that letters are not received giv- ing them information as to where the law is being violated. Every decent man and wo- man in Portland has direct personal interest in killing out the traffic, and they make it their business to report it the same as they would any other nuisance. The people have been educated up to the point of considering it nuisance, and they very properly treat it as such.
 Does boy come home the worse for liquor? The mother makes it her business to find where he got it, and she becomes for the nonce detective. By the way it is perfect ay safe to kill any business mother objects to- She worms the truth out of him, some way, and it goes as straight to the officers as paper can carry it. Does husband come home smelling of the stuff? ? Every wife. dreads it as she does the devil, for there can be no happiness where in home the head of which has the smell of this fire upon his gar ments. She manages some way-trust her for that-to find where it came from, and that nlece ia raided