The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-08-09

man to arrest pack Of drunken brawl-
ers who were coming out OF the bar
room. He was n coward and allowed
them TO get away, but he was sorry for
II when the commissioners heard the
testimony, and fined him ten days pay
for neglect of duty. He never forgot
the lesson, and was very careful for
wears afterwards to see that | kept my
sidewalk cleared from snow ana Ice.
But the liquor dealer held on. A COM
plant against the house as disorder
w." only resulted in the visit of u
drunken Inspector to the parsonage O.
which he afterwards reported to the
board as every well kept and in no
way disorderly." The Excise Board
was of very little help to me, except
that the license was not granted; it
was, however, held in allegiance. not
refused, and so the man went on SELL
ing his poison, and making persistent
efforts to extend his trade.
Twas sorry for his poor wife and two
little children. He evidently loved
them, and sometimes would play with
the little ones. But oftener he was
cross and hard spoken, for it was
pretty evident that he drank with
his customers. Every time that
he broke the law, to my knowl-
edge, | went to the captain,
and true to his word he would
send and make the arrest, and would
90 with my witnesses, sometimes in
the wagon with thieves and other dis
reputable characters, to the Justices
court, and wait the turn, wasting
precious hours, of ten in foul atmos-
phere, and getting the scanty satisfac-
ton of small fine. But persistent eff
fort began to tell. After year of this
sort of thing, the man grew weary and
determined to move away. But his
crafty landlord, who had tried to black
mail the parson, had effected lease, of
his property at high rate TO the
liquor-seller, and held him to his
bargain. He tried in vain to lease the
place to another man Of the same bust
ness, for it was understood by this time
in the neighborhood that to have a
Presbyterian minister living next door
was rather hindrance to the liquor
traffic. So he worried along in the
second year, and the business did not
thrive, and things became generally
"down-at-the- heel" Then he pro-
posed to me to buy him off. He would
60, if would take his lease off his
hands, and l could choose my own
tenant! Failing in this, he skipped
: into another State and left his re-
. spectable sureties to settle with the sly
landlord. They were sued for the
rent under the lease, and, strange to
!. say, was subp9naed by the counsel
for the owner, more than twenty
times, at fifty cents time, to 60 to
court and give testimony that the
liquor-seller had actually occupied the
house and carried on his business
there.
, For some time the place stood va
cant, then the sheds came down, the
: bar was removed, the house was re-
r paired and renewed, and has ever
d since been occupied by excellent peo-
h pie and good neighbors.
!. Those who have read the story can
! understand what it means to shut up q
y dram-shop. Mine was a comparative
l. ly easy case, for l had faithful ally
e in the captain of police, l had thu
is sympathy Of the neighborhood, and
q had weak man to deal with. l:
l. many cases these things are all re
~ versed and then the effort is well
-, nigh hopeless. But it IS worth Will
s. to make the effort, and if every clergy
l. man in New York would secure tn
'e closing of one liquor-shop every tire
1t years, the number would be some
n what reduced. 1t is practical form
% of charity, for it limits the misery an,
vice of the neighborhood. l found |
1t an effective mode of charity, and il
l. my case, certainly, "charity began a
'e home. - Cor. N. Y. Observer.