Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-10-06
FORCING THEM OUT,
Pittsburg Speak-Easy Keep
ers Get Salty Sentences
From the Court.
MRS. SHERRY ON THE LIST.
She Gets Year in the Workhouse
and Has to Pay a $3.50 Fine.
HER LITTLE PLACE OF BUSINESS,
Where Men of All Classes Have Often slipped
Eeer Together.
MRS. SHERRY ON THE LIST.
BER LITTLE PLACE OF BUSINESS,
NUMEROUS PR0PRIET0Rs ARRESTED

Pittsburg and Allegheny speak-easies are
sailing on rough seas just now. This is es-
pecially so in Pittsburg. The police de-
partment yesterday gave evidence that it
proposed to force these illicit liquor dealers
out of business. 1t had Mrs. Mary Sherry
up before the courts and succeeded in get
ting her quite heavy sentence 1t is no
doubt the intention of Superintendent
O'Mara to at once proceed against the. other
speak-easy keepers who thickly throng that
neighborhood.
Samuel Whitehouse, Jr, a brother of
Police Captain Whitehouse, did not appear
in Criminal Court Yesterday when his case
was called. He had been indicted on four
charges of selling liquor without license
and on Sunday Whitehouse could not be
located, ard the Court ordered the for
feiture Of his bail. Bryan Devine furnished
the bonds The sum was $1,000
An Allegheny Proprietress' Sentence.
Margaret Morrow, alias "Davis," was up
in the Criminal Court charged with the
same ofense. She pleaded guilty to both
charges Her sentence was three months
10 the worlhouse and to pay fine OF $3.50.
Robert Middlemis had offended in the
same manner. He will have to pay fine
OF $500 and go the workhouse for three
months and 20 days.
OF all these cases, Mrs. Mary Sherry's is
the most interesting. She pleaded guilty to
the charges. Her sentence was extraordi-
narily heavy. For one year she is to be con-
fined at Claremont and will also have to pay
fire OF $500
In g little story and half house on Sec
ond avenue, between Ferry and Short
streets, for several years Mrs Sherry has
reigned queen. Her circle of acquaint-
anccs was large and embraced almost
every class of respectable men in
Pittsburg. The professional man, the
business man and the laborer have all
knocked at her little side door and inside
have split many a bottle together. Her
customers in the several years of her reign
have been many. If register had been
kept, it would have afforded many sur,
prises. Names of merchants, officials
policemen, Councilmen, politicians, great
and small, would have been on it.
Inside the Little Side Door.
Passing down Second avenue one would
never have supposed that No. 40 was
speak-easy. The front of the house was
dark and presented the appearance of
quiet little home. 1t was seldom that any
one entered the house through the front
door. a little side door admitted all the
patrons Sometimes a knock was necessary.
but more often the door was unlocked and he
who wanted to could enter. The inside
4
which were used by visitors to the house.
The two back apartments were moderately
furnished, and there many barrel of beer
has been consumed. Here 100 men have
often gathered at one time, and corks
have popped like mimic balls in bat
tie. The politicians of both parties
have gathered there and in these rooms
many political scheme has been hatched
while the originators slipped their beer.
In all these discussions good feeling pre-
vailed, and no one ever heard of disorder
at Mrs. Sherry's.
In Mrs. Sherry's Front Parlor.
The front parlor was not thrown open to
all. 1t was cosy little room. fitted up
with easy chairs. Here select parties of
men have met and over glass OF beer
formed friendships which were lasting.
Mrs. Sherry is woman of about 80 years
of age and rather pretty. She alone man
aged the affairs of her house, and her doors
were never open but to male patrons
Everybody who came in was known to her
and she had many friends. She had little
to say to her customers, but all were
treated with great courtesy.
An evidence of the great following she
had was shown last night when the news of
her sentence was made known. Many ex-
pressed great sympathy for her, and thought
she had gotten very salty sentence
The community in which Mrs. Sherry
lived is thickly thronged with speak-easies,
and it is now supposed that Superintendent
O'Mara will clean them all out