Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-01-17
BLACKMAIL CHARGED.
The Boston Herald Turns Atten-
ton to Hinsdale

League---HOw n Special Prosecutor Is
Alleged to Have Lined His own
Pocket.
The Boston Herald's expose of the
methods employed by certain members of
the New Hampshire Law and Order League
who accepted cash payments from liq uor
dealers and in return protected them from
arrest, settled cases which were pending
against them, prosecuted rival dealers, who
would not consent to be blackmailed ETC.,
ETC., has made the sensation of the week in
the Granite state. The expose has local
connection through the facts which have
been brought to light showing the way the
dealers of the breweries opposite this viii
lage were bled, and the propositions which
were made t. them by the alleged go-be-
ween of the Law and Order League.
The first story published in the Herald
from Hinsdale was in part as follows:
"Some time ago the proprietor of one of
these saloons received letter which pur-
ported TO come from protective league of
liquor dealers, with headquarters at Con-
cord. The letter asked that a certain sum
be sent to the secretary of the protective
league at Concord. The saloon keeper
paid no attention to this matter, and in a
short time received another letter from the
same source, urging, in still stronger terms,
that he make a contribution to the protec-
tive league.
"In the second letter the names of two
prominent business men of Concord were
given as reference, to show that the pro-
tectve league was all right. The saloon
keeper had business in Concord a few
weeks later and he went to call upon the
two business men named. One was away,
but the other, after reading the letters pre-
sented by the Hinsdale saloon keeper said
that they came from the Law and Order
League and that there was no such organ
ization as the protective league. The bus
mess man said that if the saloon keeper
wished to make payment so that the Law
and Order League would not prosecute him
he, the business man, would see that the
payment reached a certain prominent Of
fetal of the Law and Order League.
"As proof that he was acting in good
faith the business man showed a letter
which he had received from Suncook,
containing $50 So from each of ten liquor
dealers of that town, this being the sum
which they sent monthly through this
channel to the Law and Order League Of
fetal to secure immunity from prosecution.
The Hinsdale saloon keeper refused to en-
ter into any agreement, for the reason that
he was at that time paying tribute to man
in Hinsdale."
The Herald's special correspondent has
spent two or three days hereabouts. He
tells the story of how the temperance
board of selectmen engaged special pros
ecutor of liquor sellers in 1894. The pro-
prietors of the breweries approached the
prosecutor, and he agreed to protect them.
He received from one brewery $25 month
and larger sum, as is supposed, from the
'other Eagle" When the selectmen of
Hinsdale attempted to have the saloons
raided the official contrived on different
pretexts to ward off prosecutions. After
time the selectmen saw how the game was
being worked, and then discharged the
prosecutor from their employ. There was
then nothing left for the brewery men but
also to give him discharge. The Her
AIDS dispatches go on to say:
He swore vengeance, but from August,
1894, to the summer of 1895 he was un-
able TO do anything. He was justice of
the peace and could make out complaints,
but it happens that his reputation was
such that in the whole county he was un-
able to get a single person to sigu them.
| Therefore, he was powerless.
However, he finally went to Concord and
consulted with a member of the league,
who has been very active in prosecuting.
| This official made out the first papers for
the town of Hinsdale, and the erstwhile
prosecutor came back and served them.
They accused different persons of selling
beer and the fines were paid before JUS
tice of the peace in Hinsdale.
Then the temperance worker went to a
member of the league executive committee
in Cheshire county and got him to sign
some more complaints. These, too, were
settled.
A third raid followed, which was gen.
eral, and a number of cases were found
against each dealer who had previously
been brought up.
This rather stirred up the sellers.
They began to fear that the man who
had made threats was capable of carrying
them out. So one of them sent friend
around to see this man last October. Al
that time there were six cases against the
dealer and fines aggregating $500 had been
imposed.
The dealers friend talked with thi:
agent of the league, and asked if the mat
ter could not be settled on basis suitable
and reasonable for both. The agent said
he thought it could. He agreed, in con
sideration of 500 in cash, to send for the
writs and settle the matter up. The $10C
was paid him.
He sent to Winchester, where the cases
had been heard before justice, and go
the papers. Nothing more was heard frou
them. They were never pushed.
Now it happens that this dealer went (
little further than had ever been gone be
fore, because it is known that neither tn,
league nor the town ever got cent OF thu
money paid in this settlement.
On another occasion, during the tint
that this man was not in the pay of tn,
liquor dealers, he secured beer cases enough
against a certain seller to result in fine
aggregating $500.
One day he called on this dealer and tolC
him that Instructions had been given hin
to push the case to the utmost, and, as tn
violations of this seller had gone so far, i
would not be possible for him to escape
sentence in jail unless he settled.
The prosecutor thought everything coulC
be fixed for 5000, but nothing less thai
that would be taken. So the dealer wen
to the bank and got 5000, happy in tn,
thought that he had escaped gong to jai
and pleased at the favor done him by hi
friend. The friend, however, as soon as h,
got the money, went to the justice of tn
peace holding the papers and said that tn
league and the selectmen had decided not Il
push two of the three cases against the deal
er, in consideration of the fact that he woul'
settle one. Therefore, the justice destroYel
two writs and marked the other settled
The town received $40, half of which wen
To the prosecutor the same man who hai