The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-10-24

without naming the place, and l asket
him how it was that so lively a tratii
could be carried on in so public wa!
and apparently with so little fear OF con
sequences. II do not doubt atall wha
you say" he replied, "but can assure
you that II an officer had made his ap
pearance on the scene, before he coult
have reached the bar-room every evi
dence OF the sale of intoxicants woult
have been spirited away, concealed in con
yenlent places, or, II need be, entirely de
stroyed. You would be surprised to find Il
what ingeniousdevices the liquor seller
resort ocover up the evidences Of theil
guilt. Why, there are carpenters here
at least two, believe, OF special facility
in that line, who are kept busy devising
and constructing for the liquor dealers
new avenues OF escape in time OF peril. "
1t is probably as this gentleman says,
but think II an officer OF the law bent
upon business had stood where | stood,
and seen emerge from the bar-room in
the condition in which Isaw him the
business man Of whom have spoken,
there would have been at least one evi.
dence OF the rum traffic which could
not have been easily spirited away,
though it may be that this drunken citi-
zen would not have been admitted Us
competent evidence in court.
AS SEEN YRoM THE STREET CAR PLATFORM.
got on the street car and rode on the
platform in order to have little chat
with the conductor. 1 did not need to
tell him was n stranger in these parts ;
he saw that at glance, and he knew
that no resident OF tho city would go out
SO lightly clothed rs / seemed to be,
wearing light suit OF cheviot and q
light oYercoat, while he was muthed to
the chin in a heavy ulster, as he said
wearing the same clothing that he had
worn all winter and feeling very uncom-
Portable at that. It may have been also
that my fine West Virginia accent be-
trayed me. However that may be, he
knew that was a stranger and frankly
answered my questions. "It's the fash
ion here" he said, "to tell people that
the prohibitory law is enforced, and
maybe it is enforced as well as it can be,
but that isn't very well. II you are a
drinking man you needn't go dry five
minutes at time in this city, nor, as far
as l know, in any other city or large
town in Maine" "Do they make any
attempt to enfore it?" "Yes, by fits
and starts, but the rum.sellers 90 right
on; II their stock is seized they get an-
other one, and altogether they can't be
bothered enough to make the business
improbable, or they would go out Of il.
have been eight years on this road, and
all have got TO say is, II prohibition is
enforced in Portland, would not like
to bring up my children in place
where it isn't enforced, that is, If 1t is
any worse in such place than it is here.
don't think that all the men that get
on this car with liquor in them import
it in bulk from out side OF the State, and
go about with bottles in their pockets"
AT THE HOTEL TABLE.
I said to gentleman in business near
the hotel that after all the assurance to
the contrary, it seemed strange that even
the hotels would dare to drive the traffic
so openly. Then l asked him il he
thought they would go to the length Of
liquor to guests at the public
table. "0h, no." he said, 81 don't think
that the would be so bold as that. be-
lieve that they do run their bars, and
that a guest could be supplied in his
room with anything he might want; but
you know the risk would be too great il
they were to supply it at the public
table. They don't know who might be
watching them" / did not think it nee.
essary to state to this gentleman, what
was the fact, that l had seen ale and
wine served at dinner that day. A gen.
tleman sitting ut the same table at which
sat asked the waiter II he could get
something to drink. Certainly" re-
piled the waiter, rs though he 'was sur
prised to have that question asked. u
will bring you wine card" The guest
called for a bottle OF Bass; it was
brought to him, the cork pulled out
with u sonorous pop, and the
flowing ale went gurgling into the glass.
The gentleman who assured me that this
could not be done, was, am sure, hon
est in his statement, only he was not in
formed. Doubtless on general state
ment OF the operation OF the
Maine liquor law his word
would be taken before mine, and per
haps with reason, but not being blind,
all the men in Maine could not convince
me that liquor is not served at one pub
lie hotel table in the city OF Portland.
Following up this particular branch OF
the inquiry, ! have the assurance OF men
who have seen 1t served, and who have
had it served to them, that the hotel OF
which speak does no more than all
other hotels do. 1t is the common GUS
tom to serve at the table such stihIulants
as the guests want, just as they serve
them tea or coffee, with only this differ
ence, that they pay extra for his liquor.
A MIDNIGHT STROLL.
shortlybeiore midnight began to stroll
around town to see what evidences, ifany,
/ could find OF the sale OF liquor. 1had
been told that under an order from the
City Marshal, no drinking places were
omen after 10 o'clock Mt night. 1t is q
fact that this order was issued. It is not
fact that it is universally obeyed'
Coming upon place which bore all the
outward signs OF the inward sale ol
liquor halted, heard the Clinking oi
glasses, heard the discordant sound oi
Voices, as OF men far gone in their cups
and all eager to be heard at once; the
sounds rising higher and higher rs the
more determined ones sought to bt
heard above the din. Presently the
door opened, and through the ordi
nary opening in partition, say three
feet wide, could see men sitting at the
bar with glasses before them. die
not enter here and see the drink poured
out, and so the point may be made that
nv testimony is not competent with re
pard TO this case. Not far away ] saw
Substantially the same thing, though thu
lipbt in the room was not so bright, and
/ could not SEQ so distinctly. Both oI
these places are known to be rumshops
By midnight had covered with q good
deal OF care several squares, and found
the Maine liouor law in this kind oI