The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-07
CLAIMED TO BE UNSUITABLE
oPPoSITIOy TO HRS. MfHERS AP-
 PLICATI0y FOR LICENSE.

An Interesting Hearing Before tho Count.
 CommIssioners-A Camera Used On
 sunday on the Building When s BiI
 Trade Was Apparently Done.
 One of the most breezy hearings ye held before the county commissioners was thnt yesterday on the application of Rose s. Maher to sell intoxicating liquors nt the corner of Enst aud Stnt, streets. The remonstrnnts were ably represented by 8. P. Thrasher, secretary of the srate Law and Order league, while Mrs. Maher's interests were looked after by ex-Prosecuting Agent | Niles.
 In presenting his case Mir. ThrasheI claimed that his objections were based upon statutory grounds, namely, the unsuitability Of the applicant and the unsuitabllfty of the place. He first in troduced the stenographer's report of the recent trial of Thomas ]. Coffcy, who has been the licensee of the place In question for several years. The pur- pose of this evidence was to show that the place had an established reputation for law-breaking, and that Mrs. Mahcr had permitted her house to be used in connection with Coffey's saloon foi Sunday liquor selling. The introduce ton of this evidence was strenuously objected to by Mir. Niles, but admitted by the commissioners.
 | Mir. Louis A. Bnbcock, the first wit ness for the remonstrants, then took the stand and testified that the place had had an unsavory reputation for several years, that he had been told of Sunday violations by several parties who had visited the place and had seen the illegal sales. Presumably these men were in the employ of the Law and Order league. When asked by Con- missioner Reynolds If he could produce these witnesses, MT. Babcock said they would be produced at the proper time. From personal observation he testi- fled that on six different Sundays he had seen occurrences at the place, which convinced him that the law was being violated. On three different occasions he had seen Mrs. Maher's son open the gate ana let people in and out of the alleyway leading to | Coffey's Sunday barroom. One Sunday | witness and another man had secreted themselves in a room opposite the sa- toon in question, with camera focused upon the entrance to the saloon and counted 230 people going into the place. Mrs. Maher's son was, during the larger part of the time, busy letting people in and out of the alleyway. Many photo- graphs were taken during the time, clearly showing the extent of the Sun day traffic and registering large num- Der of persons well known to the watch CTS.
 MT. Babceck was briefly cross-exam- ined by MT. Niles, but nothing affecting his direct testimony was brought out. John Adt, who owns factory on the next block, was the next witness. He said that he had passed the place at least once every Sunday, and sometimes two and three times, and on nearly every occasion, until within about three weeks, he had seen evidence of Sunday traffic. He had seen Mrs. Maher's son watching the place and had seen him use key in looking and unlocking the gate for the accommodation of the Sun- day patrons. He said the place had the reputation of doing a thriving Sunday business.
 MT. Forsyth testified as to the reputa- tion of the place and what he had seen i'll reference to the violation of the law.
 On cross examination by MT. Niles all the witnesses testified that they knew nothing against the character of the applicant, except that she was cog nizant of the law breaking referred to. MT. Thrasher introduced the court record showing that the applicants husband had paid $74.05 in settlement of complaint for violating the Sunday liquor law, while he was bartender for his wife.
 For the applicant MT. Niles intro- duoed the evidence of MT. and Mrs. Maher, Officer Connolly and MT. Hea- ley. The substance of their testimony was that Mrs. Maher was woman of good repute and that they believed she would keep an orderly place. Nothing of interest was developed in the cross- examination of the witnesses except in that of Officer Connolly who said that Mrs. Maher had previously kept an orderly place and that his only objeo- tion was "that she kept it too strict"
 "Mr. Connolly, don't you remembeH going around to the back yard, climb ing over the fence and entering Mir. Coffey's place and finding several men in his barroom one Sunday?' asked MT. Thrasher.
 "That was Officer Clancy, not me at all" replied Officer Cosnelly.
 "What do you know about the repu- tation of MT. Coffey's place?''
 "Oh, have heard that he has had @ good deal of trouble with the Law and Order league"
 "Now, MT. Connolly, do you think that place where the law is violated continuously is suitable place in which to sell intoxicating liquors9''
 MT. Connolly promptly replied: ''Show me place in New Haven that doesn't violate the law.n
 The case was argued at some length by both sides. MT. Thrasher held that he was standing upon perfectly legal as well as high moral ground in rsmonstrat ing against the granting of the license in question. He read from the superior court decision in the Michael's case of Bristol, in which the court held that mo person, the owner of building in which he has permitted violations of the law, is suitable person to be granted a A- cense," and that ''no building which has long been used in violating the law can be a suitable place for the sale of liquor under license. The character is bad." MT. Thrasher claimed that it had been shown by evidence that Mrs. Maher, the owner of the building in question, had long permitted viola