The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1896-05-15
E. j. BOOTH.
More About the Bsnquets-Whsn Wine
Was Served.

.. Il. j. BOOTH.
More About the Bsnquets-Whsn Wine |
Was Served.
Il. J. Booth of Burlington, manager of the
J. II. Booth lumber yard, testified in regard
to the banquets and other matters as fol-
lows:-
0, Did you attend any of these ban1uets
given by the commercial travellers associa-
ton where wine was served! A, have.
@. Dou you remember the occasion, when
II was? A. remember one occasion when
| was president Of the association.
o. What year was that? A. ! think II
was about seven years ago; seven or eight.
Q. And wine was served ON that occasion!
A. Yes.
ranged about the wine? A. No, sir.
o. | don't know as you know anything
about how the wine got there! A. do.
o. You may tell us what you know about
~ A. At meeting of the officers of the
association 1t was voted that we should have
wine at the banquet, and as soon as 1t became
known that wine was to be served, Gov.
Woodbury. waited upon me, as | was presi-
dent of the association, and objected to hav-
ing wine served at the hotel, and said he
would not give his consent to allow 1t to be
served at the hotel, and wished that would
use my efforts to get the committee TO
not serve wine at that banquet. l
told him that 1t was beyond my power
that it was In the hands of the committee,
and they had voted unanimously to serve
wine, and he told me that no servant OF the
house could have anything to do with the
wine; | told him that we would manage that
ourselves. The committee can't say who
the committee were, /! have forgotten their
namos-sent to New York and brought the
wine here and we hired man at that time
to pack 1t in ice and take charge of it, and we
had the management of 1t In the dining room
We allowed the house no commission nor
anything of the kind on the wine.
@. How were the tickets for that banquet
purchased? A. They were sold by members
of the association.
q. Were any sold by manager OF the hotel!
A. Not to my knowledge.
@. Do you know that they were not! A.
think they were not that year.
o. But some years they have been! a. |
don't know; never have known that.
Q. You say the governor declined to fur
nlsh servants, but he was willing to furnish
rooms?
By Mr.. Foster: He doesn't say that.
A. I say the governor objected to having
It served In the house, to me, personally.
Question repeated. A. No, he declined to
furnish room, he declined to have it served
In the house.
O. How did you get it done? A. told
him we were going to do it and we did do it,
@. You took the house by storm and had
it. A. We did, sir, on that occasion.
@. What compensation did the house gel
for It? A. Nothing.
O. There was no pay at all? A. No, sir.
O. For your going there? A. They goi
pay for our supper, but they gave us spe
cial price--a separate price, same as the!
have every year after, and they would desg
nate what they would give for so much
money; they would designate on bill o.
fare what they would give us for the supper
but no wine.
Q. How much did you pay for it, in thu
bulk, or did you pay so much plate: A
We had to pay in settling, in the bulk. but i
was figured so much a plate-15 cents, per
haps.
Q. You didn't know the number and tool
your chances? A. We had to guarantee 70
think, to be at the banquet.
@. And the price was so much plate 10
at least 70? A. Yes.
O. And how did you pay; did the commit
tee settle with the hotel: A. Yes.
@. They kept track of the number
plates? A. Yes.
@. That is the only time you have bee
on the committee of arrangement so 20
have known anything about it? A. No, sir
have been on committee before,
Q. Earlier than that! A. That year
served as president.
Q. Have you been on the committee since
A. No, sir.
O. How many times before have you bee
on the committee of management? A. Ono
and possibly twice; | wouldn't say posltiv
twice.
@. You remember that once? A. Yes.
Q. Did Gov. Woodbury. object then? 4
He did, sir. g..
Q. And was the same process gone throug
with? A. Yes.
Q. He objected, but allowed you to do il
A. Yes.
.'Bell Boy" Experience.
@. Upon any other occasion, aside fro
these banquets, have you had intOXicatir
beverages of any kind served to you in tn
hotel, in any part of it, ever since Mr.. Woo
bury has been proprietor? A. Only once.
@. When was the occasion? A. 1t was
the time Of the adjustment of our insuranc
at the time of our fire.
@. State the circumstances? A. The
were eight or ten insurance men from Be
ton and New York mere that met me at Il
hotel, and we were in room up stairs, al
when we got through business one of the
men hired boy, gave him some money
don't know how much it was-to go out (
the street and get some beer, lager beer.