The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-07-19
THE WATERvlLlE BAND
And the Looting of the Bracket Street
Bakery.

The following taken from Saturday s
Kennebec journal shows what Prof. Hall
has to say about the looting of the
Brackett street bakery by the Waterville
band:
Prof. R. B. Hall of the Waterville
Military band, is beginning to regard the
Portland incident" as anything but a
joke and feels that the matter had better
be understood at once, at least as far as
the Waterville band boys are concerned.
The article in the Journal copied from a
Portland paper yesterday morning, did
not at all please the professor and to the
Journal man he has the following to
say:
In my interview with the evening
paper did not say that we rested on
Bracket street, said it was on Pine
near Brackett street; think it is Pine
street that mean, it was the street that
runs across Brackett anyway. The Port
land papers say that we did not rest there
only half an hour; that may be, but
should be willing to bet that it was more
than an hour and half, but that don't
matter. l did not see one of our boys go
into that bakery and I don't think one
of them did, they all tell me that they
did not, but do know this, that only
four or five of the band left their places
in the ranks to go after anything to eat
or after anything else.
Zone of the boys went to the bakery
and looked in and when he saw that a lot
of the Portland fremen were in there and
apparently helping themselves he went to
grocery store that I should say was
nearly opposite to the bakery, and the
rest ofsour boys, that had fallen out,
went with him. In this grocery store an
elderly man was tending out and I think
he will remember that several of the band
boys went in there for turn-overs and
cakes, and I think one man had piece
of pie. have the impression that there
was woman in the store also. 1 know
that not one of our boys got anything
that he did not pay for.
81 have written the deputy marshal of
Portland and stated our position in the
matter and asked him to see to it, if he
would, that we are set right in the mat
ter. Not more than four or five of our
men, five at the outside, left the ranks
during that rest.
"This story from the Portland paper
makes me out liar and don't like it.
We had no need to steal our food, we
could pay for what we wanted. We were
willing to pay for what we got. That is
all l have got to say about it. :"
Inquiry among other band boys shows
that all understand that there were but
four or five of the men that left the ranks
during the rest spoken of and those who
did leave the ranks say that they went to
the grocery store for what they got. The
statement of the member of the band that
went to the bakery and looked in and
then went to the grocery store is given
below and is as follows:
Mr.. A. S. Pinkham of Augusta, one
of the members of the Waterville band,
when asked regarding the matter by
Journal reporter Friday, said: "I am
very glad you came to me on this matter.
Having heard the allegations against
members of the Waterville band on the
fourth of July in Portland, I had in mind
to publish something, if the opportunity
presented itself, to exonorate them, as I
was in way to know that none Of the
members were in the Portland bakery at
the time of the pillage, excepting Mr..
Lowell OF Richmond and myself, We had
seen members of various Organizations
don recall which ones they were-com-
ing from the direction of the bakery with
turn-overs in their hands. 1 suggested
to Mr.. Lowell that we go and buy some,
SO we went into the bakery, by way of the
side door, following the course of the
people, who were coming out. We went
IN, passing several going out with their
hands full of turn-overs. When inside,
we stopped moment to await someone
to wait upon us. Finding no one there,
we went out and crossed the street to a
grocery store, where bought very large
pie, which subsequently attracted much
attention--so much so that had to divide
it with some of the members of the band
when we joined them, to keep them hap
Ply. J. was in a way to have seen any of
the members had they been about the
bakery. / saw none and am only too
glad to offer anything I can to exonorate
them, and I know Mr.. Lowell will say the
same''
In the meantime the proprietor of the
bakery is looking for the pay for the
goods taken by someone and the Portland
police officials are trying to settle upon
someone who will pay the bill.