The Portland daily press., 1900-10-08

A person who wants a drink to-
day in Portland may be able to get it.
Undoubtedly there VIII be many places
where liquor can be bought, but 1t can't
be bought on Monday In some Of the
places where it has been sold for years
up to Saturday night For the first time
In many years some Of the larger en-
poriums of wet goods were closed Satur-
day night, the curtains were drawn, the
doors were locked ana the men who have
heretofore stood behind the bar in white
coats with pink in the button hole,
were on the street corners talking the
situation over. 1t was the elimination Of
the prohibition sentiment which seems
to have struck Portland like summer
frost. From this time cut those who
want liquor in any form know the way
through the back alleyways and into
the underground cellars. Comparatively
speaking Portland was dry town Sat
urday night and for the first time in
many years.
This condition OF affairs was undoup t-
eddy pretty we'll foretold by the election
of Rev. S. +. Pearson, the Prohibitionist,
as sheriff of Cum berland county, but the
results of that election were shown long
before the expected time. One Of the deal
ers in honor and one OF the men who has
owned ana operated one OF the best pat
ronized places IN Portland, told a TIMES
reporter on Saturday that the edict had
gone forth from the county attorney S
office that all the rum shops in Portland
must be closed py Saturday night. He
said that the word had come to him
through his attorney day or so ago and
he had decided to take advantage Of the
warning and just close up. Il have
paid $500 in fines and costs at the Sep
TENDER term OF COURT said this man.
''Besides this the police have seized fully
$4,000 worth of liquor from me. 1 have
found that there Is no money IN this bus
mess for me under conditions such as
these and until the conditions change
a little I am through selling rum IN
Portland
"BAR CLOSED"
This mans story was repeated by many
other rum sellers on Saturday with
some variations. 1t was apparent to one
searching for thirst quenching empori-
ums that they were not SO numerous or
so easily found as has been the case up
to Saturday afternoon. On the door of
the bar room of the Falmouth hotel was
printed notice. 1t read, "Bar closed. -
Inside OF half an hour fully hundred
men walked down to this door and read
this sign. Some of them had been at
other places where there were similar
signs and they were mad clear through.
One or the men who seemed to be the
most provoked, hunted up the hotel pro-
prletor and asked how long this state of
affairs was to exist. "You can search
me, said the hotel man. 81 am through
with the business for the present any
way and my bar tenders are going to Bos-
ton for w ork.'
AT other places there were no signs,
but there were no liquors IN sight and
none to be had. AT the Murdoch & Free
man company on Saturday customers
were notified that no more liquor could
be purchased there either at Wholesale or
retail. ''Ws have shipped off all of our
stock in trade in that line to Boston
and we are through. It has cost us S., GOD
to run this place this year in fines and
liquors which have been seized. We
are not doing business for our health and
so we have closed up. -
Two other of the largest saloons on
Commercial street were dark Saturday
night and VIII be dark for some months
to come. These places had thousands of
dollars worth of business from the men
who labor about the Engl sh steamers In
the winter time. There were some other
saloons ON Commercial street which
were in full blast Saturday night and
were doing larger business than ever,
but the men at those places said they
didn't know whether they would be run
ming a week from now or not.
Many Of the largest places up town |
were shut up and there were hundreds |
Of men standing about the street corners
and about the places where they have
been accustomed to buy liquor wonder
Ing what was going to happen next. To
even the casual observer 1t could be seen |
that something unusual had happened.
MR.. LIBBY INTERVIEWED.
A PRESS reporter hunted up County
George Libby to find out the
cause OF this sudden drought. Mr.. Libby
was told what the liquor dealers were
saying about his having ordered the rum
shops to close Saturday night. He said
that he had never told anyone that the
'um shops must all be closed on Satur-
lay night. In reply to further questions
ur. Libby stated what had happened;
II am willing and always have been
Wiling to bear the whole responsibility
or this thing if they want to place the
esponsibility on me- said Mr.. Libby.
l have tried ever since assumed this