Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-12-01
COUNCIL MEETING,
GoIeflof ard Coulcil Gave I HsafiDs
Last BYaniDs
To Those Opposed and These in fayer Of
Judge Ceemb's appointment.

4
! 4 so P. NJ, and the fret business other thsl
routine matters WAS the pardon case Of L
B. Griffin. serving ave years sentences il
States prison for larceny In the night time
Judge Kuowiton of Lewiston opened il
Critics behalf, sskiug that his sentence b,
commuted to three years. Judge KGowitol
presented his case in the strongest nsanne
possible and attempted to show from tn,
circumstances surrounding the case this
the ends of Justice would be better sub
served by the commusstion Of Griilinh
sentence.
Confirmation of Judge Ccombs Opposed
The denomination Of Judge Nsihsr
Coombs, Bath. came up for cor ii tmation by
the council last evening. The opposition OF
the confirmation of his nomination was
conducted by Hon. Orvills ID. Baker Al
counsel. There were also present from
tie o position Msyor Fritz IL. Twitste
and Hon. William Rogers of Bath. In
favor Of the confirmation was William 4
Hogan, E a and A. w. Coombe. Etq
| Of the Portland law firm Of Coombs & Neal
and son Of Judge Coombs, acting counsel
for the petitioners for the confirmation OF
Judge Coombs.
| There were also present in Judge
| Coombs's bshslf Sheriff John W. Bsllou,
Clerk Of Courts Joseph II. Hayes, Francis
Adams. Esq. and one or two other promi-
neut gentlemen from Bath. Editor Shorey
Of the Bath Times and + iitor Clark Of the
Independent were present.
Mr.. Baker read at length from the to sti
mony Of Judge Coombs and Marshal Bailey
given at the trial last December Of the lat
| ter for acceptance Of illegal fines and costs
| Of prisoners, allowing them to 70 free on
| depositinga cer,ain amount of money rep
resenting fines and coats. This case will
be recalled as it WAS published At length in
the newspapers at the time. This. testimo-
ny was introduced 10 show indiscfeti0n on
the part Of Judge Coombs in allowing Mar
shal Bailey to deposit with him any part Of
such moneys.
Mayor Twitchell Of Bath was called on
as witness in behalf Of the opposition 70
the confirmation. He said he did not come
to make any charges against Judge Coonbs.
The municipal officers wanted another judge
and he thought their preference should
have weight in the matter, a. the oilice WAS
q municipal and not stste office.
At the request of Mr.. Baker he
repeated from memory names Of promi.
nent citiz ms which were on the petition
for the appointment of another man be.ide
Mr.. Coombs as Judge Of the municipal court.
Among the names that Mayor TwiIchell
remembered were those Of Gen. Hyde,
c. c. Moses, Charles Davenport, Samuel
d. Bailey and others. There Was no
politics in the matter he s,id. The petition
to which these names were affixed was for
the appointment Of Mr.. Henry Il. Duncan
as municipal judge.
What is his businessg' asked Lawyer
Coombs of MIR. T~itohell. Mr.. T~iichell
replied that he didn't exactly know.
"Does he play the organ in one Of the
churches where you are member Of the
choirg'
"IIe does" replied Mr.. Twitchell.
The witness then went on to say that
he thought Judge Coombs had been il
discreet, but nothing more would he charge.
Mr.. Duncan hsd lived in Bath about a
year as a resident He acknowledged to Nj
Coomb's question, that he had lesIned tina,
Mr. Duncan had been offered more salary
at Rockland as an orgauist than at Bath,
hhu Nhs hrktu AuI hUsHGftu III
the affirmative that the burden Of his com
plsint was that the municipal oilicerr wan
ted another man, and that Judge Coombs
had been indiscree, in allowing money to
be deposited with him by Marshal Bailey.
Hon. William Rogers was then called.
and be said that they didn't come there TO
be challenged to charge Judge Coombs
with any overt act. "We ask you not 10
appoint him, believing that the best in
terests Of our city will be subservsd
thereby" He said he would call their
attention to the testimony that had been
read to them respecting the trial OF
Marshal Bailey and to the public sent
ment that prevailed in Bath al
the time. Whether Judge Coombs WAS
injudicious or guilty be did not preterd
to say, but he would call attention to the
fact that he received the money. He then
read several editorials, among them being
two from the Bath Enterprise. "While
Mr.. Coombs is not legally ineligible, do
not think you can conscientlousiy appoin,
him. be added. He said he had heard the
judge was diiatory in getting out warrants
and in some matters relating to the enforce
ment Of the liquor law.
He was sharply cross questioned by Law.
yer Coombs. Said he didn't know who
wrote the editorials in the Enterprise. Was
asked il it wss not little novel for him 10
be complaining about the enforcement OF
the f4uor law and said he believed in the
enforcement Of the law. Couldn't say that
he had ever known wrong act on the part
Of the judge.
Some parts of the cross examina alton
were highly interesting.
Lawyer Coombs then introduced . very
large number Of letters written by many Of
the leading business men Of the city Of
Bath and county officials, expressing the
utmost confidence IN the honesty
and integrity Of Judge Coombs and ex press
ing also the desire that his nomination be
cor ti'med. -Four Of the leading Republican
lawyers in the city asked that he be app0inted
and the two Democratic lawyers, Larrabee
and Hughes wrote stroa letters in behalf Of
Mr.. Coombs. The names Of lawyers in
Richmond were also repretenssd. Among
the names Of those writing letters were
County Commissioners Bibber and Carr,
Senator Swanton. exMayor Richardsop,
County Attorney Newell and others.
Mr.. Coombs ssid be, too, would like to
read some editorials and he said one Of
them was from the Bath Times in which il
stated ahat the Judge had been An impartial
Judge and that one should throw rocks
Then he said the Times contained IN inter
view with J. w. Wake cid, that was the
most cruel stab that he ever knew to be in
fiicted in tuch = case. He coald prove, he
said, that the whole Of thas interview, both
questions and snswers. had been written by
Mr.. Wakefield. himself. and published in
the Times at bis request
Mr.. &c embs-the son--then spoke Of some
letters written to him by Mr.. waseield al
this time regarding the matter. Ia the hrst
Of which Mr. Wakefield enclosed the COPY
OF the testimony at The trial ot Marshal
Bailey, aud stated that he tsough, his
father had been iodiscfees but that he
thought that Bailey ted To this Mr..
Coombs . I'D he replied that he don't think
his father had been inascrse' in dealing
with = man anasr cloud, etc. Then after
reading alond the inteIvie@ in the Times,
Mr.. COMBS produced q tetsnr froa Wake
fsld begging 10 assure him thai he had un-
limited Cor ffence ia bis exiasr, Judge
Coombs integrity, eto. Mr.. Coombs said
he thanked Mr.. Wake heid for this sssar-
ance . but all the time b. realize
that Mr.. WakeGeld sahe1 tY make MN
and sis father Judge CoomDs. tjals 90 Us.
syAinst Bailey. He shea r. u l..ay Of the
letters from the mo-t ,.ominen. citizens Of
Bath, men who kAd known Judge Coombs
Continued on fourth pa2e,1