The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-07-03
LAW AND ORDER LABORS.
fl LIFELf HEARING BEFORE THE
 WEST H.iTES SIUTH0RIfIEs.

Clarence F. Thompson Produces Some
 Convincing Evidence - Mir. Crawford
 Drank "scienek" Beer-Mr. Hina. Mir.
 Thrashsr. Sheriff Peek, Itev. Mir. squires
 and others.
 The special meeting of the board of seleetmen of West Haven yesterday af- ternoon, which was called in order to give the representatives of the Law and Order league and others n chance to prefer charges against the police ofii- cers ut the shore. was fairly we'll at- tended, the town hall being about one- third full of the taxpayers of the town. Not much of anything was accomplish ed at the meeting except to bring out the fact that the temperance people have been Ut work through detectives securing evidence which they propose to produce in court ut some future time. It was also explained that the selectmen have no real power to appoint the shore police, but only do it in the failure of the borough authorities taking any ac- tion. Otherwise the meeting was q wrangle in which personal allusions were not handled nt Ill gently. Town Agent Andrews presided over the meeting. Mir. Clarence F. Thomp- son acted as the principal spokesman for the temperance people. Messrs. Rollin W. Hine and E. J. Crawford also had considerable to say. Town Agent Andrews asked MT. Crawford to say what the charges were he had to pake against the selectmen. He refused, however, to make charges or answer questions. Town Agent Andrews then snid: "What we want are specific charges. The meeting will be held in vain unless you make them."
 R. w. Hine then arose and said: "You acknowledged to me the other day, MT. Andrews, that yo,l were chief of police. If you have the appointing power, who else should we hold responsible for the shore police?"
 Sheriff James IT. Peck, who is the officer about whom there has been the most talk, then said
 "The best jury that I care for is my fellow-townsmen. Some days ago q meeting was held and was scandalized, if ever q man was. Now, MT. Crawford will you answer three or four ques- tions?n
 "It depends on what they are,n said Mir. Crawford.
 ''You have. no personal animosity against me, have you?' asked Sheriff Peck.
 "No." "Have you ever tried to find out evil dence against me during the past two years?"
 "I don't know as I have made any particular effort that way" "Did you ever say that Peck wasn't going to be in it tpext year and that he would have to get out?' again queried Sheriff Peck. IT,
 q don't recall saying that"
 Did you ever go into saloon at the shore while working on the road with your men and get a glass of beer?''
 .'I went into ,n place once where understood they were selling the schenck beer. 1.-The men seemed to like the taste of it, and wanted tto see if it really was what it was represented to be. I had glass of that beer; and the only glass of beer I ever had, an- swered MT. Crawford. | : Sheriff Peck continued: IT know that beer is, sold on sunday, but you have to go into q back door to get it. When I A,,c% thic I warned them all that the first oneiI caught would be prosecuted to the ut-' most extent of the law.h
 <, Town Agent Andrews said that po- liceman had no right to stand at mans bach door, and that search war rant was necessary to enter a mans premises, and that in that case an of flcer did not have right to stay as watch.
 Dr. John F. Barnett then said "In justice to one of the officers I wish to make statement. The Register, or some other paper, in it's report of the last meeting held here said that Sheriff Peck went bonds for Ella Cook. heard that fact in a private conversa- ton just before I went to- that former meeting. I repeated what had heard, but afterwards investigated and found that it was false" .lt
 Secretary S. P. Thrasher, of the state Law and Order league, took exceptions to the remark made by Sheriff Peck, and arose and said that he wanted to be treated courteously. 5,f
 MT. Clarence E. Thompson then arose and said it was not a law and order league at all that was carrying on the unless" he said, "you | call combination of the taxpayers of law, law and order league. My atten- tion was called to the violation of the ] laW last year. Hereholding up small | vial containing brown liquid) is g drink l ot whiskey purchased at the shore on Sunday, and there were thirty-five men In the room when 1t was bought, Now one of the prominent officers at the shore told me- in the presence of wit 1esses, that he would stop it all if the Law and Order League would pay him .nough.'
 MT. Thompson then read from the police regulations, of, the city of New Haven, which define the duties of policeman as being bound to prevent ,ame to the utmost of his ability. This same principle" said MT. Thomp- on, twill be found in the rules and of nearly every city in the United States, so that is practically a natter of common law, and will there- ore be held by a court to hold good lere in New Haven. .Only yesterday there were men who vent along the shore and went into eve1.al salnons without difflcultu ,,