The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-04


about those doings at last nights session,
they did get a good deal OF information
about certain residents OF the Sixth Ward
which they may or may not consider as
valuable. Captain Costine, who at the
previous hearing had testified that he
thought he did not inspect and report
upon the condition of the premises to
which Tobias Burke desired a transfer
OF license until the first week in
January OF the present year, and probably
later, was recalled and identified the re-
port made by him on that matter, which
was dated Nov. Is, 1895, instead OF jan
uary 1896 as he had placed 1t originally.
This of course was a mere error of MEM
ory on the captains part ana was due to
the fact that when he first gave his test-
mony he did SO from recollection, only
and had had no opportunity OF consulting
any records SO as TO be able to Tx the ex-
act date.
Ons important piece of information was
secured from the captain and that was
that he made a raid on a house owned
by William Mcdonald, the omnipotent
"Billy" who has figured so prominently
in the investigations and who peddled
the remonstrances about for signatures to
prevent the transfer of a license first to
the Dorsey Bros. and later to Tobias
Burke, all for the good and well-being of
the neigh borbood. 1t was on Sunday
the captain made his raid on the place
where he found a A9r in full blast and
some twenty persons gathered there sam
pling the drinkables. The barkeeper and
the customers escaped on the appearance
of the captain but the latter made fairly
good haul, which included a couple of
barrels of beer, a supply OF whiskey, etc.
The only "Billy" was witness, also,
but while he had heard about the raid he
didn't know that liquor was being sold
illegally in his own house, the very next
building to the one he lived in. At the
same time Billy hadn't any doubt that
the granting OF a license to Mr.. Burke or
to the Dorseys' to do a legitimate liquor
busin IS would prove very detrimental to
the neighborhood and an injury to the
property. On that point Billy was sure
and certain.
Billy's sons testified also. According
to them the Dorseys were Munchausens.
OF that they were positive. but when 1t
came TO telling about that trouble with
Mr.. Burke when the latter sued to coll
lect a debt due him their information was
woefully and wonderfully meagre-that
is, it was with all of them except one and
he was the individual whose store was
attacked. One of these interesting re-
monstrants "for the good of the COM
munity" announced his desire to break
the jaw of one of the Dorsey brothers and
further informed the committee that he
was able to perform that pugilistic feat
If the opportunity were accorded him.
Then Billy's brother-in-law was wit
ness. He wasn't very ready to plead guilty
to the soft impeachment of having won
the heart and hand of Billy's wife's sister
but he owned up at last. Altogether Bill
ly, Billy's brotber-in-law and Billy's
boys as remonstrants against the granting
of liquor licenses furnished food for
speculation as to the rapidity with
which q human being can experience a
complete change of heart on any given
subject.
Chairman Fuller as usual was the first
to arrive and he was soon afterward
Joined by Alderman Burbank and Coun-
Gilman Waterman. The chairman an
nounced that the committee was ready
TO proceed, but before any testimony was
taken the other members of the commit.
tee arrived and took their seats.
THE CAPTAINS MISTAKE.
General Wilson recalled Captsin Jere-
miah Costine of the Fifth Station, who
testified at the hearing a week ago.
"You were asked at the last hearing,
Captain" said Gen. Wilson, Sin regard
to letter or report made TO the Chief of
Police in reference to the store at 214 Plain
street and so Bishop street, and / desire
you to state whether this is the docu-
ment.o
'Yes, sir, this Is the document"
"What is its date?"
November Is, 1895. T"
"You sent it TO the chief OF police?"
"Yes, sir"
"For what purpose?"
"To inform him of the condition OF the
store"
You found that the store was o. X;
what do mean by o. X. ?''
"Tnat it wns in fit condition to be
opened as a liquor place"
"You recollect that at the previous hear
ing you testified that this report was not
made until about the 1st of January?"
Yes, SIR"
"Then you were mistaken?"
"Certainly i was. / did not know what
questions 1 was to be asked and testifie
from memory"
"Are there any other liquor saloons in
the immediate vicinity of this placer
"rhere are others close by.
eyes, sir"
"How long have they been licensed?"
"Iwo OF them have had licenses for n
number Of years, but 1 do not know just
how long"
SUNDAY RAID Al M'DoNALD's HOUSE.
"Have you had any occasion within n
year or so to make any raid or seizure on
premises occupied by Walter or William
McDonald9n
81 made a raid on place supposed TO
belong to the McDonald's, but IL was not
within year or two years."
Mr.. Mccarthy entered an objection,
claiming that the answer should be yes
or no.
General Wilson was proceeding to ques-
tion the witness further but Mr.. Nc
Carthy again insisted that the answers
should he citb ber YES or no
General Wilson replied that the witness
was one OF the men who had demonstrated