New-York tribune., 1902-03-17
NOT SUCH a DRY SUNDAY.
sALOONKEEPERS CAUTIOUS. But DOING
PLENTY OF BUSINESS.
NO JEROME DETECTIVES VISIBLE -SENTI-
NELS OK DUTY AT MANY PLACES
BOWERY WIDE OPEN.

BOwERy WIDE OPEN.
The thirsty needed friends To get drink yes
terday-not the friends who treat. but the
friends who stand outside the door and scrutin-
ize thc patrons Of the Sunday saloon. In nearly
every downtown saloon two Of these watchful
guardians did duty. one at the outer portal,
another at the inner. To pass both Of these
sentries required a reputation which only long
and faithful attendance could earn. Once in
side, however there was recCmpense for all
the struggles incident to securing admission
Many the unfortunates that succeeded in
passing the first door. and in the dark hall heard
the merry clink of glasses. only TO hear the
stern mandate Of the inner barker 'Nothin
doin' mate"
Down in a lower East Side precinct, where the
word had been passed that there was danger,
one barkeeper hit ingenious device for
protecting himself from the visits OF the de
tectives. over the outer door of his family
entrance a window. In this he took his
seat and gripped firmly in his hand a rope which
went down through the wall and connected with
the latch Of the outer door. AS a customer ap-
preached the door the proprietor leaned out Of
the window and studied him II the inspection
satisfied him the man was friend he pulled the
rope; the latch lifted, and the friend entered.
On the other hand, if he were not sure of the
man he shouted down to him that he was closed,
and directed him to go TO the saloon of his rival
around the corner, in the fond hope that thereby
he might get the other man in trouble.
Eternal vigilance is the price Of license" was
the maxim Of proprietors Of saloons yesterday.
To which added the rather plaiutive adage
Of the thirsty, Nature abhors a dry Sunday"
II getting a drink might be taken a Iest Of
the situation Of the town. il was very Wet
Sunday. There were certainly the usual num-
ber of "drunks' IL Sixth-ave The Bowery was
wide open The only visible subterfuge there
was the sign at a we'll known stand which is
patronized by the followers Of the Sullivans. a
brand sign in the window Of this place an
nounced:
This place is open for business as first class
Chinese restaurant" But even here the beer
was unmistakably American.
In the Raines hotels there was less drinking
over the bar. Customers were advised to go
away back and sit down" and buy a sandwich,
The particular fear OF the hotel people was that
the agents Of the District Attorneys office might
be out searching for trouble. and not that They
would be molested by Commissioner Partridge's
men, who were not one Of the prOprietors Of
a Raines law hotel expressed it, running Wild
cat" Here, too, the system OF double guards
prevailed. The substitution Of crackers and
cheese for the inevitable sandwich obtained in
one place until a lawyer, who dropped in un-
officially declared that the law did not sanotion
the innovation Then there was Q hasty rrturn
10 the property sandwich.
Alderman Tim Sullivan, who was seen by
Tribune reporter standing outside the Fifth
Avenue Hotel and dreamily observing the pass
ing. procession had some valuable philosophy
on the excise question.
This here bunch is goin' to stand pat on the
Sunday DEAL he declared. They are up
against a bad game, an even reformers has a
little sense. Not much, though he { dded
quickly. They amt a-goin TO fool with this
business if they help it
On the East Side there was little suffering
from the extreme drouth that had been eK-
pected. The went 10 the corner with the
same frequency as Of old. And ii came back as
foaBly ever II was even apparent in one
section of this quarter that not merely WAS there
change in the excise enforcement. but here
and there red light was concealed but not ex-
tinEuished
Among liquor dealers there was considerable
discussion Of excise. The lack Of harmony among
the various associations was deplored by many
who believe that the proper way TO settle the
question is to treat the city TO few dry sun
days In this way a public sentiment would he
reused against the dry Sunday, the liquor deal
ers believe. The temptation TO make a large
"stcke" by keeping open when the others are
closed has hitherto proved too great tempta-
ton for the small dealers to resist.
The police denied the story that they had re-
ceived any new orders. The detectives attached
to the District Attorneys Office declared that
there nothing being done by them. In
spite OF all these assurances the bibulous
Cioihamite had TO work little harder for his
5rink than usual This only added a little spice
to his enjoyment. however for no failure to get
drink was recorded, either by the police or any
other authorities.
There were thirty-one excise arrests yesterday
In Manhattan and The Bronx, follows, by
police stations: Church-st. station, ,; Oak-st,
3: Madson-st., l; LeOnard-st.. , Chares-st ::
Muherry-st.. l; Eldridge-st, ]; Delancey-st-, !;
F'ifth-st 3: East Twenty-second-st, ]; West
Thirtieth-st .: West FOrty-seventh-st.. ]; Fest
Efvtz,-seventb-st |: West Sixty-eighth-st.. ]:
East One-hundred- and -fourth-st.. l. West One
aundredth-st. !; West One-hundTed- twenty
ifth-st-. 8; East OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES twenty sixth
= /. Alexander-ave. g. total 81. There were
o,-nleo SrnnllNn