Omaha daily bee., 1907-01-21
CHIEF DONAaUE SITS ON LID
Keeps Saloons Closed Sunday with Bis
Whisky Brigade
LAW VIOLATED BY ONLY THREE MEN
They Have Been Arrested and n Far
More Serious Charge Than Keep
ing DisorderIy Houses VIII
BE Lodged.

After making a personal investigation
OF several hours Sunday l am satisfied that
the Sunday closing order was obeyed to
/ the letter of the law. with the exception OF
the cases OF few men who were arrested.
/ The curtains of all saloons were drawn and
an unobstructed view from front to back
Of the saloons could be obtained. The clos
I ing order meant just exactly what II said,
and II has been obeyed to my complete sat
isfaction. Further than this 1 have nothing
to say for publication except that mean
/ business and the saloons have got to be
kept closed on the Sabbath" said Chief
Donahue Sunday evening to a reporter for
The Bee
! Mayor Dahlman had not arrived at a late
hour Sunday evening from Denver. Mrs.
Dahlman said she had had no word from
the mayor, but thought It possible that he
had stopped OF at Lincoln for day to
! see the big show and mingle with the SOL
ons
Two saloon keepers and a bartender. who
tampered with the buzz saw concealed in
the chiefs Sunday closing order by trying
to alleviate the thirst Of the multitude. bit
the dust of defeat when they were taken
to the city jail by the willing workers
Oficers Waters and Brown, OF Chief Dona-
hue's whisky brigade"
J. b. Bond, proprietor OF saloon at s2S
South Ninth street, and his bartender. Will
liam Kretchman, were arrested about IL a.
m. by the whisky brigade" when they were
caught in the act OF selling whisky to sew
! eral customers The side door of the sa-
loon was found open and several men were
seen to depart, susp!cously wiping their
moustaches. before the officers made the ar
rests.
For trying to pry up the lid just the tint
est bit, George Barr, proprietor Of the sa-
loon at 713 North Sixteenth street, was ar
rested by Ofncers Waters and Brown. 1t is
alleged that Burr was doing q wholesale
hand-out business at the back door of his
saloon, and that Burr passed out the
SNAKE bite relief through the door to Gus
toners who were next the game.
Charge f. New One.
Bond and his bartender were released on
bail but Burr languished behind the bars
for several hours. An innovation was
noticed in the charges entered at the city
Jail against the offenders. Instead of be-
ing charged with keeping disorderly houses.
as the custom has been on previous closed
Sundays, the men were charged with vio-
lating the Slooumb law by keeping their sa-
looms open on Sunday. While ,he maximum
penalty for keeping a disorderly house is
800, the licenses of Bond and Burr are now
pldCeO III JcOpdTu9 thS Shdi Sc pioSSu
against them.
After a vacation of one Sabbath, the
whisky brigade" was called into action
again Yesterday and did valiant service.
} Officer Waters the only original member
OF the brigade which did such faithful duty
on many recent Sundays. was again at the
helm assisted by officer Brown. who took
the place of Officer Trolley. Waters and
Brown took several bottles of whisky to
be used as evidence against the saloon
men who had the temerity to tamper
with the lid.
Two More Arrests.
During the early evening Sergeants
Vanous and Samuelson in full uniform dis
covered suspicious trade at the saloon of
John Martig 1902 Howard street, and after
gaining entrance placed the proprietor and
the bartender under arrest. Martig runs
a boarding house in the building, as we'll
as a saloon, and told the officers the bar
tender had merely drawn a glass OF beer
for his cousin, who Is the cook. The bar
) tender spoiled the story, however, by blhrt-
ing out a damaging statement in attempt
ing to explain how he happened to be
drawing beer, and just then man stuck
his head in at the door and said. Let me
have a bottle"
Martig slammed the door in the fellow $
face, at the same time showing evidence
of extreme annoyance at the intrusion.
, Both Martig and his bartender furnished
bail.
Every saloon proprietor in Omaha was
notified Saturday by the police that the
law was 10 be enforced and that no favor
! ties would be played, so the offending sa-
loon men cannot complain that they were
, not given a square deal. The Sunday prog
nostications made by Chief Donahue were
bright and fair, but no booze; an extended
period Of severe drouth is predicted for Sun,
day and future Sabbaths"