The Portland daily press., 1892-07-04

| Won't Have to Crawl.
| An incident which took place last Fri
| day in connection with the entertain
ment of the commercial travellers has
been the occasion of some extravagant
rumors and good deal of downright
lying. The Argus of Saturday morning
is responsible for great deal of the
misrepresentation, because it began it by
stating in effect that Sheriff Cram had
harrassed the drummers by an unreason-
able seizure which his deputies made on
Friday.
The circumstances are as follows:
Sometime Friday citizen of Portland
complained to Sheriff Cram, who was not
at that time in the City Building, that a
| considerable amount of what seemed to be
Intoxicating liquor was being put into a
house at Gorham's Corner, No. 4S Dan
forth street. This house is occupied by
| Peter O'Donnell and Robert Wallace.
Wallace is an ex-bartender. Within the
last fortnight number of liquor war
| rants have been issued for this house and
Wallace, who has record on the dock
cts of the court. Knowing the house to
be one of the most notorious in Gorham's
Corner, Sheriff Cram ordered Deputy
Plummer to visit the place and seize the
stuff. Deputy Plummer had heard that
the commercial travellers were having
some liquor for the use of their guests,
but did not know where they were to
have it. He suggested to Mr. Cram that
this liquor might belong to the drum
mers. Sheriff Cram replied that As Dan
forth street was notorious place, and
that the presumption was that the liquor
was for illegal sale. After the liquor had
been seized would be time enough for
ascertaining its ownership. Sheriff Cram
knew nothing more of the matter until
after the seizure had been made.
But meanwhile a strange performance
had been going on. The committee
of the commercial travellers. of
which Luther B. Roberts, chairman
of the Democratic city committee, is
prominent member-shall we say
schemer, also-had wanted some liquor
to make the punch for the Canadian Wis
itors. So his committee, which included
Republicans also, got the Mayor of this
city-this is as the committee represent
ed it and as the Argus stated Saturday
to approve the act of the city liquor
agent in selling the needed spirits. The
liquor was bought avowedly
For Tipping Purposes,
and the agent acted in direct violation of
law in selling it. But Mayor Ingraham-
who before election was promising pol
itician and among other things was for
discontinuing the agency-presumed. ac-
cording to the committee and tie Argus,
| to interfere to assist the agent in doing
an unlawful act. So the liquor was pur-
chased of the city liquor agent.
Then one of the commercial travellers
committee went to the Office of the
liquor deputies and informed Deputy
Sterling what was being done. Mr..
Sterling did not know the man, but ac-
cepted the story as true, and informed
Civil Deputy DRESSER, as was his duty.
But Sheriff Cram not being at the City
Building, Mr.. Dresser did not inform
him.
When the liquor deputies got the order
which Mr.. Cram delivered to Plummer
they executed it, assuming that Sheriff
Cram knew about the notification served
by the drummers, which he did not.
After the seizure the committee of the
commercial travellers appeared at the
sheriff's Office. Mr.. Cram was there
when they arrived. Mr.. Luther B. Rob-
erts was their spokesman. Sheriff Cram
told them that he was not informed fully
as to the case; but would at once inform
himself; and i'll half an hour would give
them his answer.
He did investigate the case; decided
that the liquor belonged to the drum
mers, although the sending of it to such
a notorious place seemed queer circum-
stance; and informed Mr.. Roberts and
his associates that they could have their
property. Part of it they took; and the
remainder they left for safe keeping un
til the next day.
The drummers had their punch Friday
evening as if nothing had happened. City
Marshal SWEET was there and knows
that there was nothing to mar the pleas
ure of the evening.
Of course Mr.. Roberts and the SWEET
partisans attempted to make political
capital. All sorts of stories were put in
circulation. 1t was said that the liquors
were seized in the Commercial Travel
lers' rooms, etc., etc. In short, almost
everything seemed to have been told ex-
cept why Mr.. Roberts's committee didn't
have their liquors taken from the agen-
cy to the clubs rooms or some other re-
spectacle place, instead of to notorious
place in Gorhams corner.
This was certainly a strange proceed
ing, which has given rise to suspicious
that the whole thing was put up job on
4t1~~@ 1f I1~--