Norwich bulletin., 1909-09-29

It was fortunate for the chauffeurs ol the automobiles bearing members or the Rhode Island state roads board and the Yoakum good roads party rom Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas, that Chief of Police Bransfield of
 westerly happened to be ;n attend ance at the superior court session at Kingston Monday
 After the party had toured from Providence through East Providence,
 Warren, Bristol. Portsmouth, New port to Saunderstown. and dined at sVarragansett Pier, the hour was 4.16 and Westerly was twenty-five miles away, and the train the Yoakums wanted to take towards New London was due to leave at 4.46. It was there fore essential to make the run in thir- ty-six minutes, and the speed limit in Rhode Island is twenty-five miles an hour. The train arrived in Westerly on time and the Yoakums and repre- sentatives of the Rhode Island state road board had been on the station platform just six minutes waiting for the train, the party having ample time for handshaking and general express sions of appreciation and good will The twenty-five miles was covered by the automobiles in just, thirty min utes. The speed law was violated, the viEitors caught the train. and the law violators escaped arrest.
 David Thompson, who was accused of furnishing saws to John Barnard Xavier Vaudeville de Mourney Hall, to aid the long-named gentleman to es- cape from the Kingston jail, was found guilty by the jury, after fifteen min- utes' deliberation in the superior court at Kingston. He was sentenced on Tuesday to four months in the Provi- -dence county jail and to pay the costs.
 The next case tried was that of Chief of Police BransfieId against Ol ver E. Gavitt, charged with keeping liquor for sale in the Martin phar- macy, Martin house block, Westerly. The testimony for the prosecution showed that a quart bottle two-t thirds full Of whiskey was found in the place and also an internal revenue receipt for tax for a retail liquor dealer. There were many witnesses. the case occupying the courts attention nearly the entire session.
 While all is serene in Westerly in political circles, there are things do- ing over the river in Pawcatuck, which happens to be in the Land of Steady Habits, although within the Jurisdiction of the Westerly post0ffice, and there the hery issue is on the IT, quor question. Three years ago there were licensed saloons in Pawcatuck, for in 1906 the town of Stonington slipped into the license column. The next year and the next no-license pre- vailed, but claim is made that the sale of liquor has not materially less ened.
 A prominent resident of Pawcatuck stated Tuesday that he fad never voted for license. but that he was se- riously considering voting that way next month. He gave as reason that liquor was being sold under cover in many places in Pawcatuck, and that drinking clubs have been organized, have swelled in membership and thriv- en since no-license prevailed. He claimed that there was no determined effort to stor the illegal sale of intox- icants, and that therefore he thought it better to license and increase the revenue of the town, and have the business conducted under the custom ary legal restrictions.
 He said the time has gone by when Pawcatuck people are required to en- ter the no-license town of Westerly to get drink or a flask of that which