The Republican journal., 1906-01-18
WALDO COUNTY LIQUOR CASES.

court JUST clOSeu was announcer milestone OF
the road to sobriety. happiness and pros
perity in Waldo county. When the crimi
nal docket was taken up on January 6tl
there were IS cases against Mr.. W. S. Ed
minister, ready for sentence and II f0l
trial. Four were mol pressed for lack o.
evidence, absence of witness and error il
Indictment. Thirteen cases were tried b!
jury, with twelve verdicts of guilty and on,
of not guilty.
The sentences imposed by the Court il
the thirteen cases aggregated $500 and cost
and 10 months in Jail and in default of pay
ment of fine and costs additional Jail. Ii
each of these cases administers attorney
moved for an arrest of Judgment before tht
sentences were imposed. The motion wa.
overruled by Judge Powers then the at.
torney, Mr.. Mcclellan, filed exceptions t.
the ruling of the Judge which would
to the June term of law court; but Coun
ty Attorney Foster made a motion thai
the exceptions be adjudged ''frivolous
and intended for delay" and they were
so adjudged by the court. This action
sends them to the Chief Justice to be argued
in writing in thirty days, so it is highly
probable, judging from the usual procedure
in such cases, that they will be back with
Judgment for tine State' by the April tern
of court, at which time the sentences i'm
posed will begin to be executed. The SEN
tence Mr.. Edminster is now serving will
expire Jan. 25th, SO that he will have {
breathing spell. Though in Jail since tht
September term of court Mr.. Edminster ha.
continued to be proprietor OF the Hillside
House in Frankfort and to sell Intoxicating
liquor there by his agent, for which, in law
he was as guilty as though he sold it by him
self, and the jury found a verdict of "guilty'
in a case resulting from a seizure made there
within the period. The grand jury, how
ever, did not find an Indictment.
Mr.. L. L. Gentner had four cases ready
for sentence. OF the six other cases ready
for trial he plead guilty to five, one Ol
which was afterward mol pressed by reason
of error and the other was mol pressed be-
cause of weak evidence and absence of wit.
nesses. This left eight cases for sentence, ,anG
fines were imposed aggregating 500 and
costs and 80 days in Jail, with additiOna
Jail in default of payment of fine and costs
Fred NJ. Staples plead guilty in each of the
seven cases ready for trial against him and
sentences were imposed aggregating $500
and costs and 80 days in jail and in default
Jesse E. Staples plead guilty to each of
the three cases ready for trial against him
and sentences were imposed aggregating
$500 and costs and 60 days in Jail and in
default of fine and cost additional Jail.
The sentences which L. L. Gentner, Fred
NJ. Staples and Jesse E. Staples have been
serving expire Jan. 25th, and the sentences
imposed upon them this January term be-
gan the day they were imposed, Jan. 10th,
so that for fifteen days from Jan. 10th to
Jan. 25th, these last sentences lap on tO
those they have been serving, with the
practical result that each will be shortened
fifteen days.
kr;a I,,1n foil lp1 10 hi
four cases against him were continued for
trial and the clerk of courts was instructed
to issue a warrant to the sheriff for his ar
rest, and when arrested he will give bonds
for his appearance at the next term OF
court OF go to Jail for safe keeping.
One case against John Ward was mol
pressed and in the two in which he was
convicted sentences were imposed aggregat
ing 500 and costs and sixty days in Jail
and in default OF payment of fine and costs,
sixty days additional. He is in Jail.
Robert Logan, proprietor of the Phoenix
House, was tried in three cases. The YER
dict was "not guilty" in two cases and the
continued for trial next term.
There was one case against John Warren
ready for sentence and two for trial, one OF
which was mol pressed and to the other he
plead guilty. Both cases were continued
tor sentence.
u.
in one case and sentenced to 500 and costs
and TO days in Jail and in default of pay
ment of fine and costs to 60 days additional.
Execution of this sentence stayed pending
the decision of the law court. One other
case was continued for sentence.
Frank E. Nash had two cases ready for
sentence and eight for trial, and while he
was hiding near by, playing "Out of the
State" the sentences given in the lower
court in three cases, agggregating $500 and
costs and 1S0 days in Jail and in default of
payment of fine and costs $50 days more,
were affirmed and the mittimus ordered to
issue, so if Mr. Nash shows up he will be
committed to Jail and will be quite sure to be
in the State at the next term OF court, when
his other cases can be tried.
Marco Lavogna and A. W. Philbrook
each had one case for trial. and Robert
Evans and Edward Hanson had two cases
each for trial. They all failed to appear,
and now if they do appear they will be ar
rested and either give bonds to appear at
the next term of court or wait in Jail.
Many warm words were spoken in praise
of Judge F. A. Powers who presided with
dignity, ruled impartially and administered
justice mingled with genuine mercy.
When Mr.. A. F. Carleton took the oath of
Office as sheriff of Waldo county Jan. l, 'O5,
previous to and at that time gambling ma
chimes were in open and common use in
this city and elsewhere in the county, par
ticularly in connection with liquor selling
There were then six bar rooms in this city
alone, open to any who wished to enter,
some of them having two or more bar tend
ers, and keeping open both day and night,
Sunday included. In those days when
Sheriff Carleton went to make seizure he
found from two to a dozen men lined up be-
fore bar being served from the large va
riety and quantity on hand. 1t has not
been that way since September, to say the
least.
Between the time of Mr.. Carleton's cleo
ton Sept. 12, 1904, and the day he took the
oath OF Office the writer swOre out sixteen
warrants against liquor sellers and two
warrants against keepers of gambling ma
chimes, and the Rev. E. S. PhilbrO0k swore
out eleven warrants against liquor dealers
and one against keepers of gambling ma
chimes. We did this because the officials
during that period did nothing on their own
account to enforce these laws, and because
of the appeals made to u.s. When Sheriff
Carleton came to Office he notified each Of
his deputies to enforce the law against
liquor selling and gambling the same as
pect each of them to look after his own ter
ritory. The sheriff gets his own warrants.
What change has been wrought! Gam
bling machines out. Rum shops vacant.
One is now a grocery store. Not bar
room in the city, much less drunkenness,
families better provided for. A lady recent
ly remarked when buying a barrel of flour,
"rhis is the first whole barrelrof flour we
have had for over two years. Since these
rum shops were closed up we have
more" 1t is true that some liquor
is still sold in Belfast and it is quite
safe to assume that the prohibitory law,
t,r,t nt,ff infr