The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-06-20

OInce R6VOked-Dl(en't Ih1nk PREVIOUS
Character of Servants Should Be In
quired Into.
A special meeting of the Board of May
or and Aldermen was held yesterday
noon to give hearing to Mrs. Ellis,
whose application for license to keep
an intelligence Office at SOP Congress
street. had been refused by the City
Marshal. Prior to the hearing this bus
mesa was transacted:
J. j. Ross, Henry Horr, Charles ".
WEIGH and James P. Began were ap-
pointed special police by the Mayor, with
out pay, and confirmed.
The order passed by the Common Coun-
oil appropriating $500 for .hs entertain
ment of the officers of the Third Army
Corps, at their reunion to be held in
Portland next week, was passed unan-
imously in concurrence, and the Mayor
appointed Aldermen Pagan and Kehoe
on the committee on the part of this
board.
Mr.. 7. s. S. Lee sent in his resignation
as special policeman at the Grand
Trunk yard and it was accepted.
Alderman leighton, from the commit
tee to investigate in regard to the pro-
posed location of the Portland Railroad
Company on Oak and Free streets, asked
for more time and it was granted.
The hearing in the case of Mrs. Ellis
was then called up. Mrs. Ellis was pres
emit. Marshal Tricky read the letters
that he received from Mrs. Harriet Belt
ems of Spring street, complaining that
Mrs. Ellis insisted upon furnishing a
disreputable woman, Lizzie Hersom, to
several parties as servant, after she
had been informed of the woman's char.
aCter. The letter was put in evidence
gard to the woman's character and de-
dining to be referred to in procuring her
situation elsewhere. on the ground that
the woman was not a reputable one.
This letter was dated June 3. Tie mar
shall said he had the police record of the
Hersom woman on hand. The complaint
against Mrs. Ellis. he said, was that
Mrs. Ellis persisted in recommending
the Hersom woman after she was in
formed of her true character, probably
for the sake of the fee.
Paul Taylor testified that he paid Mrs.
Ellis 50 to get him q job at The Sher-
wood as cook, but that he was discharged
by Mr.. Pooler in three days as he had
no use for him. The marshal said the
law only allowed a charge of 81.
Mr.. Leighton asked if Mrs. Ellis bad
recommended the Hersom woman since
Mrs. Stevens had enlightened her as to
the Hersom woman's character.
The marshal said she had, according
to Mrs. Steyens's statement.
Mrs. Stevens said the letters the mar
shall had received from her covered the
ground. She did not complain Of Mrs.
Ellis for furnishing her with the woman,
but for persisting in furnishing her to
other ladies like Mrs. Corey, Mrs. O'Brien
and others after she had been informed
of her true character.
Mrs Ellis asked Mrs. Stevens if she
hadn't said she had no complaint to
wouldn't wear corsets.
Mrs. Stevens said she made that re-
mark after the Hersom woman had been
in her house only six hours, Later she
saw and heard enough to satisfy her.
She had no idea the woman had police
record when she made the remark.
The marshal read the record.
Mr.. Ilsley asked the marshal if the
woman wasn't trying to reform. and be
an honest woman, and if he wasn't fol-
lowing her up trying to crowd her down.
Marshal Tricky said he had always
had great sympathy for the woman and
he had paid the necessary expense to send
her to her mother at Augusta, and Port
land had been free from her for nine
months. Then she came back here and
relapsed into the old ways.
Mr.. Leighton suggested to Mr.. Ilsley
that it was Mrs. Ellis and not the mar
shall that was on trial.
Mrs. Ellis, on being called upon, said
she knew nothing about the Hersom
woman. She came to her begging for
a chance to earn her bread. She said
she had no money and wanted work.
Mrs. Stevens had said to her: ~ know
your folks" and took her. Mrs. Ellis
said she WAS not aware she had done any
thing contrary to law. She had Kept
intelligence offices in Worcester and
Springfield. She had girls sent to her by
the doors of Hope of Worcester, and
OF them situations. Even if girls rec
ord was bad, and she was trying to do
good. she thought she ought to help her.
She had furnished girls for Mrs. St.
John Smith at the Cape. Mrs. Thaxter.
Mrs. Bent, Mrs. Major Rollins and
host of other ladies in town and she had
never heard word of dissatisfaction.
The Hersom girl was the only cook who
would go out of the city.
Mrs. Stevens denied that she ever said
she knew the Hersom woman's people.
She was not prosecuting any one. But
she claimed that no 1lrst-class Intelligence
office had any right to recommend per-
sons for places whose characters they had