Connecticut western news., 1907-10-03
LAW BREAKERS
 PAY THE PENALTY
SOLDLIQUOR IN NO-LICENSE TOWN

SOLDLIQUOR IN NO-LICENSE TOWN Work of State Detectives in Town of
 North Canaan Results in Arrests of
 Open VioIators of the LaW-The
 Fines Ranged From $28.27 to
 $1O5.15.
 Eight Italians, residing between Canaan and East Canaan, were arrested Satur- day by deputy sheriff Isaac P. Hornbeck of Falls Village. deputy sheriff J. E.. Hungerford of New Milford and former sheriff Chester Middlebrooks of Winsted, who was sworn i'll as special deputy. The charge against these Italians, one of whom is woman is the illegal sell ing of liquor. A fine was imposed in each case and two of the men were re- leased on bail.
 Consternation reigns supreme in the Italian. settlement because of these arrests and those which followed
 No1th Canaan is, and has been for some years, no-license town but dur ing much of this time it has been an open secret that liquor was being sold particularly by the Italians. It has been shipped to Canaan in car load lots, weekly, from Pittsfeld and Springfield and delivered in lots of one keg or more at the homes of these Italians. The and so fragrant, in many cases, and were increasing with such amazing rapidity that many of the most reputable citizens wrote to Fred Williams, of New Milford one of the state's prosecuting agents, protesting against the infractions of the law and asking that the state take steps to bring the offenders to justice and to compel obedience of the law in the future. To all appearances these com plaints were ignored and the citizens wrote in 8 more vigorous and moro in- gistent manner but, it seemed to them, with no better results. The reason for this is made clear in the statement which the prosecuting agent made tC TEE NEWS and which is as follows:
 "A number of reputable citizens ot the town of North Canaan have written the prosecuting agent at intervals for number of months relative tc violations of the liquor laws in the town but owing to the many engagements o1 the state police we were unable to send a man here until early in July. AS 2 result of the many tips given by well known citizens of the town, it became necessary for the man to spend consider able time here. He was suspected ant it was difficult for him to obtain the necessary evidence. He did obtain il however.
 To those people who did not hear from their repeated inquiries it is perhaps sufficient to say that nearly all of then are strangers to the prosecutor and il would not be wise to inform them that
 
 already engaged in procuring evidence for experience has shown that frequently the very best people inadvertently made some remark which will be overheard or repeated and which may serve as tips to the people who are violating the law and of whom the detectives are il quest.'
 During the first week in July there appeared ill Canaan man about 4! years of age, of medium height and o substantial build. He wore somewha ragged coat and vest, pair of yellowish brown oyeralls, pair of cheap shoe! and on his ears rode battered derby o the vintage of 1884, A weeks beard, z well-seasoned corn cob pipe and apparent inattention to the details of persona cleanliness completed the picture whicl "James Seaman of Seymour presented to the Canaanites. He was a pilgrim "down on his luck and ready to turr his hand to any sort of a job that woulc bring in the wherewith for a bite and g sip'' particularly and principally the latter for "James Seaman of Seymour seemed endowed with an unsuitable, un. Quenchable and ever-present thirst Although Canaan is supplied with the purest of mountain water "Jim," as he soon became familiarly known remarked that once he examined drop of water under a microscope and had never had the courage to touch a bit of 1t as g beverage since. He acted as general roustabout at Van Deusen's pool room but the information confided to him ly the friends he quickly made, that daml ness prevailed quite generally up East Canaan way, caused him to seek boa with Clement Kegler, an East Canaan farmer. He soon hired ont to Robert Lee. another farmer, and for several days he followed the blow on Lees land