Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-09-25
REVOKE THEIR LICENSES? +?
All LOCAL LIQUOR DEALERS
SUMMONED TO APPEAR.

All LOCAL LIQUOR DEALER'
SUMMONED TO APPEAR.
They Are Charged With Selling T.
Minors and the License Commission
ers Have Started an investigation
Cases Called This Morning.
The board of license commissioner
issued notices Wednesday to the foul
dealers in this town. specifying thai
they had sold to minors and calling
them before the board this morning a,
8 o'clock to answer, and show causewhy
their licenses should not be revoked.
These notices were served upon T
4 Frank Turner, proprietor of the Ameri-
can house, Miss Sadie Turner, proprie-
tor of the Brattleboro house, L. H
Strong, proprietor of the Melrose house
at West Brattleboro, and George A.
Eels and Edward G. Frost, proprietors
of the Valley Bottling Co.
Here is the way the official notifica- :
| tion reads:
STATE OF VERMONT
| WINDHAM COUNTY SIS.
To any sheriff or constable in the state serve
|
BY the authority of the state of Vermont you
are hereby commanded to summon
of Brattleboro, in the county OF Windham. &c
appear before the honorable board of license
commissioners for the town OF Brattleboro, at
the Office of the selectmen, in the town of Brat
tleboro. in the county OF Windham, aforesaid,
on the 25th day of September A; d. 1903, at
O'Clock in the forenoon. then and there to an
swer to a complaint filed with said license COM
mIssIoners wherein 1t is alleged that he has at
divers times. since his license was issued, sold
int.
| three months of this date to one minor; up TO
within one month as often as once or twice a
week to another minor, and on sundry occa.
| sions to certain other minors; all at his bar at
| the - hotel, said sale having been made
| by you and your servants, and then and there
show cause, If any he have, why his license
| the foregoing complaint by delivering to him a
| true and attested copy thereof, and have you
there this complaint and summons with your
return thereon.
Dated at the town of Brattleboro, this 22nd
day of September, A. ID. 1908.
FRED W. PUTNAM, ,,o.s.
H. HOWARD. co,n,,;ssio,.rs
This writ is endorsed: "a true copy, attest,
f. S. Hall, deputy sheriff"
This action by the license commits
sioners followed as a direct result of a
private meeting of the commissioners
held at their rooms on Tuesday even
x.
about a dozen local youths and put
them through the third degree. 1t is
contended by the prosecution-that is
the commissioners-that evidence was
disclosed at this interview which es-
tablishes the sale of liquor to minors.
Hence the action of the commissioners
in notifying the liquor dealers and af-
fording them the opportunities for a
hearing on the issue. The law says that
the commissioners shall receive COM
plants and act within three days, so
the notifications were sent out forth
with.
Charles Fl. Davenport is primarily
responsible for this issue. His letter
following indicates the course of pro-
ceedings Ii started in an effort to
trace the real ownership of one place in
which liquor is sold and it has most
Unexpectedly turned into the present
channel of investigation.
The liquor dealers, naturally most
anxious to protect their regulations
and interests, have not been slow in
defense. Hon. ]. l.. Martin appears for
T. +. Turner Lawyer E. w. Gibson for
L. ]. Strong of the Melrose hotel, West
Brattleboro, Attorney Bacon for Miss
Turner of the Brattleboro house, and
Attorney Barber for Messrs. Eels and
Frost of the Valley Bottling works. On
the other side there is Lawyer Fits,
conducting the prosecution as attorney
for the board of license commissioners,
and he is backed by others in authority.
Commissioner Putnam presides at the
hearing. as chairman of the board.
The first case called at the meeting this
at o'clock was that against
the Valley Bottling works, but ad-
journment was asked for by Attorney
Barber who claimed that more time
was needed for preparation of the de-
fense. Consequently postponement of
the hearing was made until 10: 80 |
o'clock.
At that time the small room in the |
town hall building being crowded, the |
first witness called was Harry G. Ben |
son, son of G. C. Benson, aged is. He |
was represented by counsel, John c. |
Gale. Lawyer Fits, conducting the |
examination, asked Benson if he knew
where the Valley Bottling works did |
business, and if had bought liquor
there. Benson refused to answer the
latter question. His attorney, Mr.. Gale,
ADVISED lldt lie HOl answer tilt luto-
lion, as it might incriminate him. Up
1n this, Commissioner Putnam, who
presided, promptly fined Benson S25
Hat for contempt of court. The young
nan was Immediately placed in the
custody of Chief of Police Hall.
The next witness called was Guy
Jones, aged is, son of Carlos Jones, su-
of the street railway. The
procedure was the same and Jones was
ined s25 for contempt of court and put
n charge of the chief of police.
Next came Carl Ellis, aged 20, of 76
Canal street, who got the same dose.
Following, the charges against the
house, Miss Turner pro-
,rietor, were introduced. Clinton Pratt
If Frost street and Raleigh l. Timson
# Chestnut street were called as wit
lesses. They both refused to testify
md were both fined s25 and costs for '
osltempt of court.
Adjournment was then taken until 2
iclock this afternoon.
What C. II. Davenport Says. '
These cases are at once a demon
x-f,.r of Low I