The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-08-07

man to arrest pack of drunken brawl-1
ers who were coming out of the bar
room. He was coward and allowed
them to get away, but he was sorry for
it 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
years afterwards to see that L kept my
sidewalk cleared from snow and ice.
But the liquor dealer held on. a COM
plant against the house as disorder
ly," only resulted in the visit of a.
drunken inspector to the parsonage @
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.
was sorry for his poor wife and two
little children. He evidently loved
them, and sometimes would play with
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 l would
60 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 a 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 q.
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
go, 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-
spectacle sureties to settle with the sly
landlord. They were sued for the
rent under the lease, and, strange to-
say, was subpGnaed by the counsel
for the owner, more than twenty
times, at fifty cents time, to 90 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-
paired and renewed, and has ever
since been occupied by excellent peo-
pie and good neighbors.
Those who have read the story can
understand what it means to shut up q
dram-shop. Mine was comparative
ly easy case, for 1 had faithful ally
in the captain of police, | had the
) sympathy of the neighborhood, and l
!, had q weak man to deal with. In
many cases these things are all re-
versed, and then the effort is we'll
nigh hopeless. But it is worth while
to make the effort, and if every clergy
man in New York would secure the
) closing of one iquor-shop every three
: years, the number would be some
what reduced. 1t is a practical form
of charity, for it limits the misery and
vice of the neighborhood. l found it
an effective mode of charity, and in
my case, certainly, ''charity began at
home. - Cor. N. Y. Observer.