The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-07-18

HAS Frenchman any. rights in Kennebec
county," is the hysterlcal question asked by
the Kennebec Democrat, organ of the Water
Vile city ring. at the head of its account of
the Pollard shooting ARRAY. 1t is In order to
ask how many rights" Frenchman wants
In kennebec county, and whether French
man should have any more rights than any
one else. The facts of the case. as we under
stand them, are as follows: a Togus rum
seller, J. g. very desperate one, having been
outlawed and finally driven away from the
vicinity of the national home, had trans.
ferred his business to the shores of Pattes
Fond, In the town Of Winslow, place near
enough to be reached easily from Waterville
Inc rumseller's presence by the pond at
tracted crowds from Waterville, who made
sundays noisy and troublesome for law
abiding people who dwelt In the yiciuity. 1t
is SAID. although we cannot give 1t as fact,
that two miserable wretches had come to
their deaths at the resort before the people
OF Winslow made any complaint. Finally
Deputy Sheriff Pollard was called upon. Mr.
Pollard may not be philosopher like City
Marshall Bunker, of Waterville; he may not
nave that command of his tongue and his
temper that has made Marshal Bunker so
renowned In Maine. Mr.. Pollard NAV have
done some things rather rash in the course
OF his career as an official. 1t is alleged that
he once caused drunken man to be hand
cuffed with arms around Winslow telegraph
pole and in that position left the unfortu-
nate fellow until wagon could be obtained
for transporting him to the lookup. Mr..
Pollard was generally blamed for this. Some
people thought it was imposing bad assocIa-
ton on the telegraph pole, and Others,
among them City Marshall Bunker, thought
1t was inhuman. 1t was certainly ingenious
and spectacular; too much so TO be recon-
mended to other officers of the law who
sometimes have to arrest and handle roughly
men iof certain class. But all this has
nothing to do with the case at Pattes pond.
Mr.. Pollard went there on the complaint of
aggrieved citizens of Winslow, and, finding
the orgies in full blast, began to take down
the names Of the offenders. He attempted
to arrest no one. While taking down the
names the crowd, twenty or thirty in num-
Der, assaulted him. 1t is said that they
threw him down and were beating him. In
this stress Mr.. Pollard did not retain the
equanlmity OF philosopher, as City Mar
shall Bunker would undoubtedly have done
He had pistol. and he used it on his assail-
ants, as officers of the law are accustomed
to do. we believe, when they feel that their
lives are endangered. Two of 1.-THE assailants
were severely injured. 1t happened that
they were Frenchmen; and the Kennebec
Democrat now inquiries, "Has Frenchman
any rights in Kennebec County," What
right does Frenchman want in Kennebec
county? Does he want to have the right to
invade mans premises in peaceful town
disturb the neighborhood for series of Sun
days, and then pummel, ad libituns. the
deputy sheriff who is sent to restore order?
We hardly think he does. The only rights
the Frenchmen concerned in the affair have
are the same as the rights claimed by Mr..
Pollard, the rights to fair trial before a
jury. And the Kennebec Democrat has no
reason to suppose that they will not get
that.