Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-29
AFTER THE SPEAK-EAsIES.

Police Preparing List Of violatlons-Head
ing on Ward Constables-Five Places
Rafded Yesterday-A Soho House Be
sieged by Cf1cers.
The police department is giving speak
easies another whirl. Five of them were
raided yesterday. The police are also aftel
the ward constables- Next Monday the
September term of court will open and the
constables of every ward make their re.
turns OF the number of persons selling
liquor illegally in their respective baili.
wicks. Uusually few, if any re-
turns OF illegal liquor selling
are made, the constables in most cases pre-
tending entire ignorance Quite number
OF speak-easies have been captured by the
police in various sections of the city since
the last court A record was kept of all
such cases, the evidence taken was pre-
served and the police will submit the list
to the court whenever needed. After the
returns of the constables are made the police
will give copy OF the list to the grand
jury:
'There are not so speak-easies in the en-
tire city to-day" said Superintendent
O'Mara last night, "and few of them do
enough business to justify their risking
their liberty by selling. We have found it
impossible to stop the business entirely.
The whole city might be cleared of them
to-day. Tomorrow dozen or 20 new ones
would be started up They watch the
police SO closely and have so many different
schemes Of avoiding detection that we fire.
quently have great difficulty in securing
evidence against them. We have been
prosecuting speak-easies under the city
ordinances and fning the proprietors. This
gives the county chance to apply the State
law, and it is really the business of the
county and the constables to do it. We
will give up to the grand Jury all the evil
dence necessary to conviction"
Lieutenant Gallant raided three speak
easies in the first district yesterday. Mary
O'Neill's shanty on Jones avenue was the
first visited. Mrs. O'Neill had gone to
church, leaving her uncle to attend to busi-
ness: ONeill jumped out a second story
window when the officers came, but was
captured. Mrs O'Neill, her uncle and
visitor were arrested, leaving three little
children in the house. Going to the patrol
box Patrick Lafferty and Joseph Myers
were arrested for interfering.
Mark Connelly's place on Stockholm
street was the flthiest the officers had ever
tackled. Here also there were three little
children, but the mother was left with
them. Connolly has been wanted several
times for the same business but eluded ar
rest. There are two informations against
him.
Martin Coultin, at the corner of Fifth
avenue and Dinwiddie street, was bot;ling
a barrel of beer when arrested. The officers
say he has been doing business ever since
last April.
In the Second district Lieutenants
Cramer and Duncan raided Mrs. King, on
Comet street, capturing her and II visitors,
who fought desperately. At Michael
Rodgers speakeasy, on Canton street, the
inmates closed the door on an officers mace,
then sawed off the mace, closed the door
and barricaded it. The house was sur
rounded and siege begun which lasted
until after midnight. There were a num-
Der of visitors in the house.