The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-03
i'm BATTLE ARRAY.
Liquor Dealers and
Petitioners In
Readiness.
CELEBRATED LEGAL TALENT.
Both Sides Will Deliver
BroadYides at Hear
ing Today.
CELEBRATED LEGAL TALENT.

Boston, Aug. 2.-The Blackstone
liquor cases which have caused so much
comment in that town will now be de-
cided by the supreme judicial court. A
preliminary injunction has been asked
for, restraining those liquor dealers
from doing business who were found
guilty last year of Illegally selling
liquor.
| The parties to the case have been in
attendance upon the supreme court be-
fore Judge Barker during the past two
days, but owing to a protracted hear
! ing which is now in progress in another
case, have as yet been unable to secure
a hearing.
The petitioners are: H. H. Martin,
| w. r. Sweetland, C. l.. Southwick, S. c.
Brown, Vinton Hood, Ambrose B.
White, c. F. Taft, Lyman Legg, Pat
rick Britt and Frank Beasley, all prom
inent citizens in the town, and repre-
senting it to large extent as property
owners
The respondents in the case are An
drew and John Burns, doing business
as A. Burns & Son; Mulvey g. Dreamer,
J. WEIGH & Mulvey, Graham & Gala
han and F. J. Gaffney These re-
|
business of selling liquor in Blackstone
for a number of years. On July g. 1898,
| they were raided by the police and
| liquor or evidence that it was being
sold was found at each of their places
| of business. Complaints were entered
! in the district court, and on July IL,
1898, they were severally convicted of
selling liquor on the Lords day, and
each paid fine of 800.
came to be considered this year, it was
commended by some of the citizens of
the town that the selectmen could not
issue licenses to these parties since they
had been convicted of violating the law,
the statute covering this point speci-
fically providing that where holders of
licenses have been convicted of this Of
fence no license shall be issued to them
within year of the date of their con-
viction.
At the time the licenses were granted
the citizens of this town discussed the
matter thoroughly and the proceedings
which have been instituted in the
courts are a result of the feeling which
vas aroused over the granting of the
licenses.
At the time the selectmen were urged
to withhold licenses from those parties
who had been convicted of illegal SELL
lllS, Out dICef CdreIully considering the
matter and consulting counsel they felt
justified in taking the course they did.
At the trial of the cases last year the
dealers pleaded nolo contendere, and it
is understood they will now claim that
such a plea properly or legally does
not constitute a conviction, and cannot
be used against them. 1t is also under
stood they will further claim that in
each case that was tried in the court
only one member of each firm was
charged with violating the law, and
they will argue even if that one mem
Der had been convicted such conviction
could not affect the other members of
the firm in future business dealings.
The case is next on the list, and will
be heard as soon as the case now under
consideration is disposed of. Both
sides are anxious for the hearing to be-
gin and each is confident of it's sue
cess in carrying it's point.
The petitioners are represented by
Johnson & Johnson, while Hon. P. A.
Collins, Hon. ]. w. Corcoran and F. N.
Thayer of Blackstone appear for the
respondents.