Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-05-16
E. j. BOOTH.
More About the Banquets-When Wine
Was Served.

More About the Banquets-When Wine
Was Served.
Il. j. Booth Of Burlington, manager OF the
]. r. Booth lumber yard, testified in regard
to the banquets and other matters as fol-
lows:-
O. Did you attend any of these banquets
given by the commercial travellers assOcia-
ton where wine was servedy A. have.
@. Dou you remember the occasion, when
it was? A. l remember one occasion when
was president OF the association.
@. What year was that! A. think 1t
was about seven years ago; seven or eight.
a. g ;and wine was served on that '''''''H'
o. Was you on the committee that ar
ranged about the wine! A. No, sir.
Q. 1 don't know as you know anything
about how the wine got there! A. do.
@. You may tell US what you know about
ity A. At a meeting of the officers Of the
association 1t was voted that we should nave
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 bis consent to allow 1t to be
served Mt the hotel, and wished that would
use my efforts 10 get the committee to
not serve wine ut that banquet.
told him that 1t was beyond my power,
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; 1 told him that we would manage that
ourselves. The committee can't say who
the committee were, have forgotten their
wine here and we hired man at that time
to pack 1t In Ice and take charge OF 1t, 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.
Q. How were the tickets for that banquet
purchased? A. They were sold by members
OF the association.
@. 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.,
q. But some years they have been? A. l
don't know; never have known that.
q. You say the governor declined to fur
nish servants, but he was willing to furnish
roomsp
BY Mr.. Foster: He doesn't say that.
A. l say the governor objected to having
II served In the house, to me, personally.
Question repeated. A. No, he declined to
furnish room, lie declined to have it served
In the house.
@. How did you get it done? A. 1 told
@. You took the house by storm and had
ity A. We did, sir, Oh that occasion.
q. What compensation did the house get
foritp A. Nothing.
G. There was no pay at all? A. No, sir.
q. For your going therey A. They got
pay for our supper, but they gave us spe-
cial price-a separate price, same as they
have every year after, and they would desig-
nate what they would give for so much
money; they would designate on Il bill of
fare what they would give US for the supper,
but no wine.
@! How much did you pay for it, In the
bulk, or did you pay so much plate? A:
was figured so much plate-75 cents, per-
haps. 7.
Q. You didn't know the number and took
your chances! A. We had to guarantee Is,
l think, to be at the banquet.
@. And the price was so much plate for
at least IS? A. Yes.
Q. And how did you pay; did the commit
tee settle with the hotel? A. Yes.
@. They kept track of the number of
@. That Is the only time you have been
on the committee Of arrangement SO you
have known anything about It! A. No, sir;
i have been on committee before.
@. Earlier than that? A. That year l
served as president.
Q. Have you been on the committee since?
A. No, sir. ~.
@. How many times before have you been
on the committee of management! A. Once
and possibly twice; wouldn't say positive,
twice.
Q. You remember that once? A. Yes.
q. Did Gov. Woodbury. object then! A.
He did, sir.
q. And was the same process gone through
with? A. Yes.
Q. He objected, but allowed you to do it
A. Yes.
''Bell Boy" Experience.
@. Upon any other occasion, aside from
these banquets, have you had Intoxicating
beverages Of any kind served to you In that
hotel, In any part of 1t, ever since Mr.. Wood
bury has been proprietor? A. Only once.
@. When was the occasion! A. 1t was at
the time Of the adjustment of our insurance,
at the time of our fire.
q. State the circumstances! A. There |
were eight or ten insurance men from Bos- |
ton and New York here that met me at the
hotel, and we were in room up stairs, and
when we got through business one of these
mon hired boy, gave him some money!
don't know how much 1t waste 60 out on
the street and get some beer, lager beer.
REV. DIR. EDWARD HALVES. |