The Savannah morning news., 1902-08-21
SPECIAL NOTICES.
STRANGE OCCUPATION.
Charles Richards Makes Traps So as
to Evade Liquor Law.
the Roston Globe.

FROM the BOStOn
"There goes the worst enemy the
prohibitory law has in Maine" said
Sheriff Pearson of Portland, some
months ago, indicating an old man
walking down the street.
Charles D. Richards is old, lame
and somewhat bent, but his eyes are
clear, and he can make traps" better
than at any former period of his life,
so it is claimed.
In Portland the term trap is APP
piled to any hiding place for liquor.
providing any means out of the or
binary Is employed. A barrel would
not be a trap" even if full of liquor,
but a place where liquor is hidden
from sight is a trap"
For many years, whenever any es-
pecially shrewd hiding places have been
discovered, the sheriffs or police au-
thorities have said: Richards made
this" There are buildings in Port
land almost completely honeycombed
with these hiding places. and Mr.. Rich
ards is perfectly willing to say that
he makes them all.
He was born at Searsmont, Me-, over
seventy years ago, came to Portland
thirty-five years ago and the next year
began to make traps. He says his first
trap was a crude affair compared with
some of his later manufacture. His
first traps were made for himself. He
ran the New England House for eight
years, and his hiding place for liquor
remained undetected all that time. He
commonly kept about $3.50 worth of
liquor at a time. After he left the
house and the place was being repa-
pered the trap was discovered.
He is inclined to think that he has
put in at least 1000 Of these traps,
and very many have been long out
of use and are forgotten. They oc-
casionally come to light when i'm
provements are made in buildings.
He said that he once made a very
elaborate trap in a house and was out
side when raid was made. Marshal
Bridges and Deputies Black and Gro
well were at the house. They had
seen three barrels of beer delivered
only few minutes before, and they
proposed to find it.
1--WE know that it is here and we
propose to have it," said the marshal,
but he did not. They searched high
and low, but in vain. And when he
was standing on the door leading TO
the trap" said Mr. Richards, with a
chuckle.
Mr.. Richards says that for some time
he made saw horses fitted up for the
hiding OF liquor-of course, on linz
tied scale. On one occasion he took
a PlSSC vi llnIOCI, anu WHCIl lie turned
1t over to the saloonkeeper who EN-
ployed him it would contain ten quarts
of liquor.
THE place was raided many times"
he said, but the trap was never
found. While raid was in progress
he took up that stick of timber and
carelessly threw 1t out of the shop. 1t
was one of the best traps l ever
made
He said that once a man wanted a
large trap built, and, finding that the
place was not large enough, he built
a door leading from the wall. 1t was
in use for a long time, and the place
even changed hands without its being
found. The secret was discovered
when the street caved in after heavy
storm.
Once he was building a very elab-
crate place, when the owner of the
building left the hole just before din
ner. They finished their work while
he was gone, and when he returned
he was unable unassisted to find the
door leading to the trap he had just
left.
period of non-enforcement is bad
time and before the election
OF Mr.. Pearson, he had but
little to do professionally "If a
place was elaborate enough to escape
the notice of a blind man it was all
right" he said.
After the election of Sheriff Pear
son and before he took Office his serv-
ices were in demand. The saloonkeep-
ers improved the time by putting in
traps, and he averaged for sometime,
so he said, rather better than SIS a
day. His traps cost from SIS to SIS.
and he does all the work in many
cases. working at nights as a rule
Some years ago Mr.. Richards start
ed a place of his own, but the blood
of the police force was up, and they
resolved to find the trap. 1t was one
of the most elaborate things of the
sort'ever made, and he recalled with
evident pride in his work the fact that
after they found the drawing place IL
took them seven hours and a half TO
find the trap, and it cost them $40 to
do it.
He made the famous trap found by
Deputy Charles Dunn. Jr., which had
a faucet so arrange that soft drinks.
real beer and whisky could be drawn
from 1t. 1t is now at the rum room
OF the city building. There was
complicated system of piping, all run
ming back OF the bar to the trap in
another building. There were two
rooms to the trap the inner being
fitted UP TO hold number OF barrels
at time. For a long time after the
outer room was found the inner es-
capped undeteceed. and was at last
found only after much and very hard
work.
This trap Mr.. Richards acknowl-
edged that he made, and IL was bout
his only appearance in court as . wit
neSs.