Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1902-01-03

Bottles Behind the Bar Dropped Into
the Cellar Through Secret Trap,
but Officers Found Two Bottles Of
Whiskey.
Prohbitory lightning struck the
American House again Tuesday night,
and although several bottles were
| shattered some remained intact and
| fell into the hands of the minions of
the law. Armed with a search and
| seizure warrant issued by States At
| torney Weston of Bellows Falls, Chief
| ofPolice Hall and Policeman K. r.
| Thayer Ellis G. Worden and Jerome
Amidon raided the hotel about 6:15
! o'clock. Chief Hall and Policeman
! Thayer went directly to the kitchen
and Policeman Worden and Amidon
headed for the bar room. The bar
room door was locked, but Mr.. Wor-
den placed his foot against it with the
| result-there could be only one-that
it yielded to the pressure. AS the
door opened the jingling of broken or
breaking glass was heard, but no trace
of any accident was seen about the
room. The innocent CD face of the
bar tender, Michael Bowker, met the
officers glance with the silent assur-
ance that there was nothing there
that they wanted.
A thorough search of the kitchen
brought no liquor to light The four
officers then congregated in the bar
room. Underneath the bar they
found box which stood over a hole
in the floor. Both the cover and the
bottom of the box were hung on
hinges, and they were connected with
a chain in such way that when the
cover was open the bottom was in
place. but when the cover was down
the bottom would tip down, allowing
whatever was in the box to fall
through into the cellar When the
cover was raised a spring kept it in
place. but when the spring was re-
leased the weight of the bottom pull
ed the cover down. Mr.. Worden al
lowed that the idea was very clever,
but that the officers were not d
fools enough to be caught by any such
contrivance."
The box was removed, and Chief
Hall held lighted match in the open
ing, by means of which he could see
the glisten of glass. The officer e
came satisfied that none OF tbeE ~
entrances to he cellar wouldTf
the particula- spot they desif
reach, so they began searching
private entrance. The room
rear of the bar room had an oill
carpet. BY removing the oil cloth an
entrance was revealed, through which
two of the officers went to the pile of
broken glass. They found two quart
bottles labeled whiskey, unbroken and
full. These they seized and took up
TO the bar room. Bowker was ar
rested and Jerome Ward, clerk, also
was taken into custody.
Bowker and Ward were taken be-
fore Justice w. S. Newton, who
placed them under bonds in the sum of
$500 each for their appearance be-
fore him at 8 o'clock next Monday
morning, States Attorney Weston
having stated that he would not be
able to hold a hearing before that
time. Ward furnished bail, Lucius
H. Richardson becoming surety. Bow
ker was not able to secure bail and
was placed in charge of Policeman
A. l.. Perham, who remained with
him over night. On Wednesday Mr..
Richardson also went bail for Bowker.
Lester S. Wilbur, the reputed pro-
prietor of the hotel, was not present
when the raid was made, and the Of
ficers were told that he was attend
ing a dance in Wardsboro About
midnight Chief Hall started for Wards
boro with a pair of horses, reaching
there about 8 o'clock. He met Will
bur coming out of the dance hall and
arrested him. Toward noon Justice
Newton placed him under bonds in
the sum of $780, which he furnished
late in the afternoon, c. H. Eddy and
Orlin H. Ellis becoming surety. each
for the full amount
Wilbur's brother L. F. Wilbur, for
merly proprietor of the American
House, was fined $500 by Judge Stat
ford in the county court in October,
for selling liquor. The fine was the
largest allowable under the law