The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-09
A FLOATING BARROOM.
Edward ". 0'COnlOr Charged With
Keeping One on the River

Without Paying Lioense-He is Also
Charged With Doing Sabbath Day
Business in Alcoholic Drinks,
Claims That He Has a License-Some
of the Planters Objected to Its Sale
Along the River and Brought the
Matter Before the Grand Jury-He
Came in and Gave Bond When Motif
fed of the Indictments.
Edward w, O'Connor was required to
give bonds amounting to 81 900 yesterday
under bench warrant in the hands of
Sheriff Roman on two indictments by
special presentment found by the grand
jury of the superior court at their Thurs
day afternoon session, one charging him
with selling liquor without license, and
the other with keeping an open tippling
house on the Sabbath.
When O'Connor was notified that the
indictments had been found and the war
rant issued he came into the city and
gave himself into custody. He gave bond
in the sum of $500 for each Offense, and
was released,
He has been carrying on the business IN
a peculiar manner. The Savannah river
and the plantations along its banks have
been the scene of his operations, and by
the aid of the river his barroom was made
portable. 1t is a house-boat arrangement
fitted up for a barroom, and is carried up
and down the river between the different
plantation landings where the grog has
been dispensed to the negroes and others
employed on these places. Just exactly
how long it has been going on is not
known, but it is thought that the business
has been carried on for some months.
THE PLANTERS OBJECTED TO IT.
The planters along the river objected to
the sale of liquor to their men as in many
instances it incapacitated them for
work
The matter was brought to the atten-
ton of several gentlemen in the city who
own plantations along the river, and de-
string to stop it they reported the matter
to the solicitor general and told him they
could get the witnesses required in the
case. The bills of indictment on the two
foregoing charges were drawn and pre-
sented to the grand Jury and true bills
were found on the testimony of several
witnesses from the plan tations up the
river
O'Connor gave himself up as soon as
he heard of the indictments, and gave
bond in both cases. He denied that he
udu D6eu Selllug WlCQ0uG license, ana
claimed that he has had a license since he
started selling liquor on the river. About
the charge of keeping a tipping house on
the Sabbath, however, he was reticent.
He neither denied nor affirmed that
charge.
HOW ABOUT SOUTH CARoLINA2
1t is not known with any certainty
whether O'Conuor has been disregardiug
the South Carolina dispensary law or not,
but it has been said by some of those in
fuential in bringing about the indict-
ments, that the South Carolinian farm
hands had probably been enjoying oc-
casional tipples as well as those within
the Georgia line.
Whether this be the case or not, it has
been charged and stated time and again
that there were parties doing a bushes
of this kind up and down the river and
that South Carolina was their territory
as well as Georgia. This is one
section that Gov. Tillman's
spies do not seem to be
well educated on, and if they have been
watching any floating barrooms on the
river, their keepers have probably made
for the Georgia line as soon as they sus-
pected anything.
A floating barroom affords excellent
opportunity for a good business, but it
has been demonstrated that they are not
hard to catch when they violate the law.