The Forrest City times., 1891-10-30
A VERY BLUE SUNDAY.
BALTIMORE GIVEN ATASTE OF
 PURiTANICAL LAWS.
to be Had in the City on she sabbath Day.

BALTIMORE, Md, Oct. 27.-A moro serene city than Baltimore seemed yesterday could not have been found on the American continent Yet not withstanding this funereal exterior there was small volcano raging. which has already divided the town into bitter factions and has been the one topic of discussion on the streets, in all the churches, in hotel corridors, and in the clubs. It is the old ques- tion of Sunday observance, this time revived with radicainess pro and con which has set all Baltimore by the ears.
 The conflict was precipitated two Sundays ago by the action of the grand jury, which sits for six months in the year. It happened that this particu- lar grand jury was made up of men who did not like the idea of having the saloons closed in theory and open in fact. The little side door" is notorious in Baltimore, and the jury believed the side door had the con- nivance of the police. It was deter m ned, therefore to have a rigid ob- servance of Sunday Tn accordance with the iron clad laws of Maryland.
 The laws are relic of continental days They forbid every sort of work on Sunday, and are broad enough to stop the sale of postage stamps, soda water, drugs, newspapers, confection- cry and to prevent the running Of street cars, and ferries, the backing of boots or the harnessing of horses. The grand jury instructed the police commissioners to enforce the law to letter.
 Marshal Fay, the head of the Balti- more police force was called on by a correspondent for the purpose of getting an idea of the complaints which the police made. The chief turned to his records and pointed to the summary of complaints which had first been submitted to the grand jury. It showed a total of 225 offenders as follows: Washing carriages, six; clean ing harness, four; carrying passengers, fourteen; running boiler, orie; deliver ing meat. two; delivering clothing, three; delivering shoes, two; deliver ing newspapers, two; hiring boats, one; removing grain from burned elevator, ten; painting, one; selling groceries. eight; selling cigars and tobacco, seventeen; selling cakes and confec- tionery, seven; selling medicines, seven; selling postage stamps, three; selling newspapers, three; working on ferries, twenty-eight: boot blacks, eighteen; printing. one; delivering ice-cream, seventeen; towing scows, thirteen; shaving, two.
 A tour about the principal streets of Baltimore gave good idea of how the day was observed. Bootblacks and paper boys were working unmolested- The street cars were running No public carriages could be found. The tobacco stores pretended to close but 1t was merely bluff" After leaving the chief of police the correspondent bouoht cigars at the two to obacco stores which are nearest the chiefs office. Some of them tried to ridicule the law by humorous signs. One sign read: We sell elegant cigars-to morrow. Diagonally across from Cardinal Gib- bon's place the correspondent saw two cigar stores doing a fourishing busi- ness. The police were everywhere with note books taking names of offenders.
 In order to get the view which the grand jury takes of the situation a call was made on Charles Dsshiel, the assistant foreman of the body which instituted the crusade. He was found busily engaged at his desk in the Bal. timore Sun office, where he IS city editor.
 ''The purpose which tbe e grand jury had in view" said Mir. Itashiel, twas to sound public sentiment, and thus find out what was thought of the old law. If the public is aigalnst the law we want to find it out SO that the next Legislature can give HIS a new law which can be lived up to. In issuing the first instructions to the police it was presumed that offenses of the more serious character, such as liquor selling in saloons. would be reported But instead of that lot of minor offenses were reported. for the pur- pose, think. of ridicullng the action of the grand jury. For instance, one of the offenses which the police re. ported was the hitching up of the horses belonging to Gen. Berry. the foreman of the grand jury"