The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-08-29
AN OUTRAGE!
AN ANTI.SALOON LEAGUE WIT.
NESS AGAINST QUINCY LIQUOR
SELLERS ARRESTED.
On Trumped Up Charge by Spring
field Police.

The high hand with which the liquor
interest would trample under foot,
right justice and law, in order to carry
on its Illegal sales, had sensational
development at Springfield, one day
last week.
Three citizens of Quincy had been
arrested for illegally selling liquor.
Their trials had been set for Wednes-
day. Wednesday came, but the prin-
cipal witness of the State did not put
in his appearance. The Justice heard
the case, but adjourned the hearing
until the Sth of September, when there
will be a further hearing.
The public will be interested in
learning what became of the principal
witness against the liquor sellers. This
is where the worst feature of the case
develops.
This witness, was one Terra Miller, a
divinity student at Wittenberg College,
who was employed as detective by
the Anti-Saloon League. He had, it is
said, bought liquor of these men, and
had the bottles labeled, in his pockets.
The morning he was to go to Quincy to
| give his testimony, he was arrested at
Springfield, on false charge, in the
interest of the liquor sellers, and was
thus prevented attending the trial!
Here was false arrest of an innocent
young man, on trumped up charge, to
defeat the enforcement of the law!
These are serious matters, and the
police have gotten themselves into Sc
rious trouble by it. The friends of Mr..
Miller have taken the matter in hand
and will sift it the bottom. A Spring
field dispatch in Mondays Cincinnati
Tribune gives the latest phase of the
case, as follows:
Tomorrow evening the most sensa-
tional case in the history of the present
police administration will be investi-
gated. Charges of aiding the Quincy
liquor dealers in securing the arrest of
Terra Miller, Wittenberg divinity
student, so that he could not testify at
the trials, last Wednesday, of several
alleged liquor dealers of the place for
violation of the local option law, have
practically been preferred against
Chief of Police O'Brien and several
members of the police force by Prof.
B. F. Prince, of Wittenberg College,
and Rev. DR.. John A. Story, who at
present have Mr.. Miller's case in hand,
aud these charges will be considered
by the Police and Fire Board at its
meeting tomorrow evening. From all
information that can be procured on
the subject at present, Chief of Police
lO'Brien will be exonerated from any
charges of completely in the affair that
may be brought against him, as he
seems to have been an innocent party
in the case. 1t is said, however, that
several other officers on the force were
either the dupes or accomplices of q
prominent city official who is interested
indirectly in the liquor trade in secur
ing the arrest of Mr.. Miller on suspicion
of having robbed man named Stark
about week ago, and if the charges
against them are substantiated there
will be several dismissals from the
lpolice force.
The case should not be allowed t(
stop with the dismissal of these police
officers, if they are found guilty; bu
they should be arrested for conspiracy
to detain witnesses and defeat the
} administration of Justice, and the.
! should be sued for damages for fals'
arrest. This is q matter of the mos
serious consideration. If men, who ar
employed and sworn and paid to enforc,
! the laws, can arrest innocent men, t,
t prevent the enforcement of law ant
protect violators of law, where is ther
any safety for society? GIVE these Off
GERS, who are so ready to do the dirt.
work of the whisky ring, the hot en'
of the poker, and give it to them quick