Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-10-29
Last Sabbath Blue Day in the His
tory of Bal
timOre.
That City Given a Taste of the
Times of the Pu-
ritans.
Many Persons Indicted for Backing
Shoes, Shaving and Other
MisdemeanOrs.

DALIlMoRE, NO., Oct. 2b.-A more
serene city than Baltimore seemed
yesterday could not have been found
on the American continent. Yet not
wlthstanding 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. 1t is the old ques-
ton of Sunday observance, this time
revived with radicalness 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. 1t 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-
nlvance of the police. 1t was deter
mined, therefore to have rigid OBJ
servance of Sunday IN 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, CONNECTION
cry and to prevent the running Of
street cars, and ferries, the hlacking
OF boots or the Harvesting 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
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.
1t showed a total of 225 offenders as
follows Washing carriages six. clean-
ing harness, four; carrying passengers,
fourteen; running boiler, one: 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, fifty-five: manufacturing
ice-cream, seventeen; towing scows,
thirteen: shaving, two.
A tour about the principal streets Of
Baltimore gave good idea of how the
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 a bluff" After leaving
the chief of police the correspondent
bOuUht cigars at the two 10 DaccO 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 Glib
bon's place the correspondent saw two
cigar stores doing a fiourishing bust
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
call was made On Charles Dashiel, the
assistant foreman of the body which
instituted the crusade. He was found
timore Sun office, where he is city
editor.
''The purpose which the grand jury
had in view said Mr.. Dashiel, was
to sound public sentiment, and thus
find out what was thought of the old
law. If the public is against the law
we want to find it out so that the next
Legislature can give us a new law
which can be lived up to. In issuing
the first instructions To tile police IL
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 ridicul1ng the action
OF the grand jury. For instance, ono
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