Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1903-11-27
DuMMERsroN's LIQUOR MIDDLE.
Testimony Given at the Hearing Before
the License Commissioners Monday
Afternoon.


Fisk @. Rogers of West Dummcrston
proprietor of Rogers Inn. appeared before
the license commissioners for the town Of
Dummcrston i'm Townsends han Monday
afternoon i'm response to a summons to
show cause why his license to sell liquor
should not he revoked. Arthur laughton
and Charles raft. corstables, and o. w.
Amidon complained to the commissioners
several weeks ago that they believed
Rogers had violated his license. The com
missioncrs a few days later reported
that they had made an investigation and
did not find evidence enough to warrent
the expense of public hearing. Being
dissatisfied with the report the complain
ants appealed to the sclectmen, where
upon the commissioners took the matter
up and called a public hearing for Mon
day.
j. l.. Martin of Batteboro appeared
for the commissioners, j. T. Gale of Gull
ford for Rogers, and II. g. Barber of Brat
tlehoro for the compliments. Mr.. Martin
called the attention of the board to the
statute providing that only one lawyer
can examine a witness in chief and only
one can cross examine Whcrcupon, the
board made ruling that If Mr. Barber
had any questions TO ask he must ask
them through Mr., Martin as counsel Tor
the board The complaint charged MT
Rogers with selling to guests on sunday
to be drunk off the premises and with
selling to minors. The first witness was
William j. Poltcr, a Brattlcboro barber,
who said that he had lunch at the hotel
one sunday in June and bought q bottle or
wine which he carried away. VIII Bcmis
testified that on two sundays In August
he bought lunch and pint Of rum. which
he carried away. Nelson Evans testified
that he never bough liquor at the hotel nj
any time Frank Dodge testified that
since the 25th of October he had been re-
fused liquor on sunday To bc carried
/ away.
1t appeared that the commissioners had
/ construed Rogcrs's second class license as
allowing him to sell liquor to guests ON
sunday to bc carried away; that in Octo-
Der several Brattlcboro lawyers gave their
I opinion that the statute did not intend To
/ give the liceusee the privilege Of selling
to guests ON Sunday to bc carried away.
and that since then none had been sold
in that way That ended that phase OF
the hearing.
Under the charge of selling to minors
the first witness was Frank Baldwin
brother OF one OF the commissioners lie
said he had bought beer Of Rogers several
/ times until one day when several were
at the bar together Rogers asked II any
/ were under q years OF age. Baldwin re-
, piled that he was not 2l and he was re-
fused liquor then and thereafter. or
eros. examination he testified that he was
/ over six feet tail ana weighed over Wv
pounds. Rogers said he supposed he was
q when he hired him to work in the
quarry four years ago that on one oc'
casion he asked Baldwins younger
brother. who said Baldwin was 81.
Fred Rogers. son of +. @. Rogers testi-
fed that on several occasions he sent
two Connern girls, sisters Of his wife e
the dining room at an hour when h'
knew the women employed there woul'
hc in the post office assisting II sortn-
the mail. directing them to put pitch"
and 10 cents ON dummy waiter and say
ale: that they secured the ale, NJ
questions asked. until f. q. Roger
found out what was goin on. The girls
testified to the same effect +. g. Rog
crs said he put n lock ON the dining room
door and that the girls had obtained no
liquor since then.
Charles Taft. one Of the complainants
was questioned by Mir. Gale as To whc'he
he had a grudge against Rogers, which
he refused to answer. Rogers consider
ed the complaint in the light OF per
secution. and said that Taft circulated
petition demonstrating against the grant
ing of a license to him. The commission
ers reserved their decision.