The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-11-05
Committee of Board of Trade.

Biddeford, Me-, Nova, 1895.
To w. W. MoIntire. J. b. Goldthwaite
and DR.. f. D.. O'Neil, committee of
Board of Trade:
Gentlemen-I beg to acknowledge the
receipt of your esteemed favor of the End
inst, and willingly concede. in view of
the fact that the closing of Hotel Thatch-
or is more or less of public calamity,
the right of the Board of Trade through
your committee. to ascertain the reason
why we have taken such action.
In the first place, allow me tc state that
at the earnest solicitation of the Board of
Trade, I became interested in the hotel
question. You will remember that it was
an accepted fact brought out through an
open discussion at a Board OF Trade meet
ing. that no one could run hotel in
Biddeford, successfully, without bar
and if my memory sci YES me right, there
was NO exception taken to that statement
thus the Biddeford Board Of Trade placed
itself on record as being in.sympathy with
the declaration.
Having the welfare of the city at heart,
Frederick Yates and I secured the prop
erty, and at a great expense, equipped
it from cellar to garrett with everything
to make it a thoroughly modern and first
class hotel; and / think that no one will
question but what as a hotel on the
American plan it stood second to none in
New England.
| Mr.. Yates and I were associated to-
gether as equal partners, he acting as
manager from the time the house opened
| till January 9, 1885, on which day l pur-
chased of him his interest, paying him
| cash, and on the second day following,
January II, I sold out to the Biddeford
Hotel Company, corporation duly or
ganized under the laws of Maine; and
since that time have simply acted as
treasurer of the corporation, having moth
ing whatever to do with the management
of the house, the manager being appoint
ed by the board OF directors.
For some reason, to me unknown, the
,so-called Law and Enforcement League,
which should be styled-judging by thei
methods-the "Vialators of Law and
Liars League" have singled me out as
the one of all others responsible for the
sale OF Intoxicating liquors, while as
matter of fact, / never sold drop of in
toxicating liquor in my life, and never
was behind bar where liquor was being
sold But Notwithstanding this fact, they
had me indicted at the last session of
court for maintaining nuisance and
| selling liquor, "some time between Jan
uary 1st and September" to which COM
| nlaint | plead "nolO contendere'' and paid
| the regulation fine, for the reason that I
did not have timeto stay and have the
| case tried, as had business of great i'm
portance in Boston.
| Not being satisfied with that, later on
kthe man Benjamin, one of the members
Of their executive committee, and a self
confessed spotter, swore out warrant
against me, alleging that he bought a
half-pint OF intoxicating liquor of me on
July 16. However, he evidently discov-
cred, after swearingeto the complaint,
that | was not in Biddeford on the 10Th
of July, SO he went into court and the
prosecuting attorney stated that they did
not propose to show that I sold the liquor
personally, but that l was responsible
| for the act of my agent. Benjamin testi-
| fed that he never bought the liquor of
me; he could not tell the name of the
man he bought it of; all he claimed was
that he bought it at Hotel Thatcher.
Now the most surprising thing in con-
nection with the affair is that Recorder
Weymouth, one of the most earnest ad-
vocates OF the hotel at the time the ques-
ton was under discussion, and member
of the Board of Trade, accepted the state
1nent of this spotter, Notwithstanding
all the record evidence that was intro
duced showing that l was not the man
ager of the hotel. And he adiudged me
guilty. What damnable farce What an
outrage to perpetrate upon respectable
citizen