Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-10-19
A NOTED RUMsELER,s CARrrp
Inc way OF the Trnsgressor,

uozeh years or more ago there csme
from west Gardiner to Winthrop an annar.
en'y bright and modest Young man h, n.
name OF Thomas A. Pinkbam wbo :.
"oiA al good wages in the oil cloth factorie.
Oh " M. Bailey. Mr.. Pinkbam was r.,;ve
OF West Gardiner and came of oood ola
quaker stock, and he was carefully trained
IN his boyhood days in the tents of this bs.u.
'i'ui CHRISTIAN faith. AT an early age he en-
llsted and served for one wear in tho n.r
ourlng the greet war OF the rebellion A,
,he expiration OF his term of enlistment h..
Returned 10 his home in West Gard;ner ana
couried and wed a most beautiful and ,o.or,
phshed young lady, resident of tho adioin.
ing town of Lltchfeid. Together thew cam
TO Winthrop my e"'ne
or several years he continued TO wor, in
lhe Factory, and was sober, industrious and
" ali appearances he and his young wife led
contented and happy life His wife did all
mat woman could to help him get along in
.he "orio, and together with his labor and
hei taxing ooarders they saved in few wears
''raIny day."
" 49, 'h liz puECldseu teams and
olo good business and to all outward an
pearancrs was doing well" as the saving il
But unfortunately there was in those DAYS in
the beautiful village Of Winthrop a liquor
saloon, 10 which he often went of an evening
AFTER his hard days wJrk was done. The
ume came when the keeper of this
saloon coa d no longer DEFY the law
so ne made a virtue of necessity and sold
Out; Mr. flnkham was purchaser. His wife
begged and eHtreated him not to d. il, out all
10 no avail, buy he would and buv he did.
Giving up entirely all his other business he
moved his family, consisting Of a wife and A
young boy into this saloon, and commenced
business as saloon keeper. Mrs Pinkham
tor time manifested much aversion to this
sort OF life and not unfrequently her callers
would hnd her in tears and lamentlng over
the occupation of her husband After time,
however, she entered heartily into it with
hlm and everything went smoothly and money
WAS accumulated rapidly. and for about eight
years he has been perhaps the boldest,
shrewdest and most successful rum3eller
IN this part OF the State HIS sue
cess Ill avoiding the law against rum
selling has been something mary lous
lime and again, covering the administration
OF three high sheritfs determined on stopping
him, have his premises been searched On a
few occasions he has been caught, convicted
and PAID heavy fines and costs, out has al
ways succeeded in keeping out of Jail. Once
Sheriff Libby drilled open his safe and
| seized several gallons OF the ardent. Once il
was found IN his cooking range; once in the
par lilon walls of his bedroom, and again in
his money drawer, but to this day his real
Reservoir has never been found. One evening
| barrel OF whlskey was known to have gone
into this saloon, and for six hours fl We deter.
mined men searched for it in val, the empt,
barrel was there, but where he hac
hidden the contents could not be found
At another time a barrel of whlskey wa,
found most ingeniously concealed IN his woot
pile, but rom said she did not know it was com
ing so soon, and had no place for it then ano
so put it in the wood pile temporarily A
one time he stopped an Off er from searching
with a bat stick, and got of through a dlss
greement of the jury. Tom and his wife
were excet dngly adroit, and We're ever Oh
the lookout to make friends who would alt
and abet them IN their business and so strong
| ly had they become entrenched that the oth
Ger OF the law almost despairt OF being abl,
| to div. hln u of The business of ruInse IL
| ing.
a fe. as Emery A. Wood o
| Winthrop, IA :, b r Z. snperate and hard work
! ing young man, "a, appointed deputy sheriff
! 1t was an old Irck If rom and MS pretty
wife to try and make fast friend
snip with the deputy sherfs and GOSSIP
! had it that they succe, d. d most admirably
but this doubtless WAS mere gossip. Certain
! it Is, however, that in the case of Deput,
Sheriff Wood they succeeded as well as the,
! cauid wish Mr.. Wood being a truckmau
would cart Toms rum from the d.ppt of
dark night, and on a moonlight nIgnt woul(
lake long rides to neighboring towns an
cities with Toms pretty wife. fom appar
rrntlv liked thus proceeding, invited Inn t,
his honse, and to ride with his wife. Tn,
announcement soon came. MIR. Wood coul'
not hold his commission, his conduct createt
talk. his wife, a respected Christian lady, re
monstrated time and time again with him
| but all to no avail. he took to drink
abandoned his wife and went t.
| Massachusetts,, where Mrs. Pnkham sooI
followed him, abandoning her child an'
husband and home Tom took the loss d
his wife very much to heart and shed man
bitter tears over ner departure. He eve
went SO far as to mortgage his property L
raise a thousand dollars which he let he
have, but all to no avail. She was desperate
ly in love with Wood, and with Wood sh
would go. Finally, exasperated beyond al
endurance. he procured a warrant for Wood
arrest Mr. Wood was arrested is Massachu
setts and brought to Maine on y requ;sitio
by the Governor. Mrs. Pinkham followe
him, put up $500 in cash for his bonds to re
! lease him from Jail and together they re
turned to Massachusetts. Mr.. Woods bal
was forfeited and the money turne'
into the county treasury. 1t is said that the.
are now living IN Minneapolis, Minnesota
The loss of his wife did not induce Mr.
Pinkham to abandon the rum business, he ha
kept on ever since. 1t is believed that MI
Wood, while in Jail, or Mrs. Pinkham, re
vealed to the officers Toms secret hidin
places for his liquor; be this as 1t may, sooI
after Woods release from Jail the officer
paid Mr. Pinkham visit and seiz I'd lsrs'
quantity of liquors most craftily and skillful
Nv concealed in dumb closet off from IN
bedroom He was duly convicted and heavi
" fined This was not enough 10 stop him
He kept on selling rum just the same
Again on Oct. 18th the officers visited him
seizing a large quantity OF various Kinds o
! houor, this time in a trunk which his house
ke.per, Mrs Cook of Lewiston, vain
tried to persuade the officers was $50
her own private USE He was dull
tried and convicted and sentenced 70 pay
fine of $1,000 and costs and be imprisoned
six mouths in the county Jail. lie Appealed
and furnished sure hes; he can, by taking ad
vantage Of all the tecnicalties of the law
keep out OF Jail for season, but 1t will ont,
a