The Somerset reporter., 1902-05-29
The Portland Bribery Gases.

Arthur B. Leach, one of Sheriff Pear
sons special liquor deputies, was trap
ped into accepting various small sums
aggregating S2l0 by one Callahan, a
liquor dealer, and on Thursday of last
week WAS brought before the municipal
court in Portland, waived hearing aud
was placed under $1,000 bonds for the
September term of the grand Jury.
There is quite long story connected
with this affair. Certain liquor dealers
who had been made to suffer numerous
prosecutions at the hands of Sheriff
Pearson, some months ago made public
charges against his deputies, particularly
Deputy Leach. Sheriff Pearson said
the cases should be probed to the bot.
tom, and the county attorney brought
them before the grand jury, also brought
charges against certain dealers against
TWO of whom indictments were found
for attempts 10 bride officers of the law,
but sufficient evidence was not obtained
to warrant the grand jury in finding an
Indictment against Leach.
Co. Attorney Whitehouse, however
was not satisfied and with the aid of the
Sheriff laid a plan to investigate the
charge against Leach, making use of
two civil deputy sheriffs and the indicted
dealer Callahan to secure admissions
from Leach of his completely in the
crime.
Callahan arranged for conference
with Leach, ostensibly to get his influ-
ence to have the case against Callahan
postponed to the September term. The
meeting was held in Callahan's office,
where the two deputies were secreted so
that they heard the full conversation.
He was faced by these officers the next
day in the sheriff7s office and confessed.
He was Immediately deposed as deputy
and placed under arrest, arraigned as
above stated and admitted to bail
This is the first serious trouble with
Sheriff Pearson's enforcement proceed
ings and he used prompt and vigorous
measures to get the bottom facts, re-
gardless of where the blows fell. He
was deceived In the man he had trusted
for many years. There are traitors in
every camp. This ought not to be
charged up against the vigorous and
effective administration of the Office of
sheriff of Cumberland county and will
not be by reasonable men.
Since the above was written Deputy
Sheriff Plummer, one of Sheriff Pear
sons special deputies and formerly Re-
publican, has been arrested at the ia
stance of County Attorney Whitehouse,
apparently upon the evidence of a noto-
rious Portland saloon keeper, and law
breaker, Frank Ford. Plummer Vigor-
ously denies the charge, will fight the
case in the courts and has employed Ex-
Judge Foster as his attorney.
Of these cases the Portland Press very
fairly states:
The testimony of the liquor dealers,
who are making charges of corruption
dEhlDSb lht SLIGliISS Is W W ltNtlNCu
with caution. According to their own
confession they formed conspiracy to
bribe the officers and hence are guilty of
Il felony. The law, however, declares
that in bribery cases either party may
gain immunity by exposing the corrupt
transaction and furnishing evidence that
will convict the other. 1t is easy to see
therefore, that these men have a strong
motive for alleging that the officers took
their money. Hence, without corrobor-
ating evidence their testimony is worth
very little. Many of them gave evidence
against the officers before the grand jury
but that body did not regard it as suffi-
cient to found presentment upon. To
be sure, as regards one officer, the accus-
alton which some of them made. has
been proved to be true by the officers
confession. But it by no means follows
from that fact that their accusations
against other officers are true also. The
way for the public to treat the case
which is pending in the courts is to sus-
pend its judgment until the evidence is
heard.