The sun., 1909-02-21
A TRUE PROBITIONIST HE
COL. JERR+RD WAS NAMES
GREATEST RAIDER.

Deeds Of the War veteran VINO Tried 20
Mako Bangor Actually Dry Remem.
bered-His RiKor Led TO the Max.
ing OF Whiskey while lou Wait
BANGOR. Me. Feb. 2O.--Simon Jerrard
is dead and in the liquor trade there are
dry eyes after him, for OF all the Sherifs
OF Penobscot county who ever made
honest efforts or transparent bluffs at
enforcing the prohihl.ory lay Je-rayd
worked the hardest, stirred up the most
excitement. got the most rum sellers into
jail, spilled the most liquor into the
Kendusk Gag stream.
When Col. Jerrard died at his home
in Levant, near here. the other day there
expired one OF the genuine prohibitionsts
OF Maine, one who not only talke ed pro-
hibition and beloved in 1t but spent
years, often at the risk of his life, in zeal
Gus efforts to make Bangor dry. He was
cordially hated by part OF the commu-
nifty for what he did, and he lost not only
friends and comfort but a good deal
OF money by his saloon crusade; but he
stuck ~ 1t. and now that he is gone there
are more vivid recollections OF his career
than OF the work OF Hannibal Hamlin
The people Of Hannibal Hamlin's home
city know that he was Vice President
with Lincoln. Senator in Congress and
after that for a brief time Minister TO
Spain. but few Of the things he did are
recalled, while hundreds remember
clearly almost everything that Sheriff
Jerrard did in that lively year Of 1877 W hen
he set out 10 make Bangor dry.
When he took the Sherif's Office Col.
Jerrard was right in his prime-4s years
old, fine example Of what the late SEN
stor Carmack OF Tennessee styled the
stiff neck ed Republicans OF Maine, "a small
farmer and lumberman Of rigid puri-
tanical ideas and veteran Of the
civil war, with the record OF having
earned dshonorable discharge for a
fat refusal TO obey an order TO lead his
regiment, the Twenty-seoond Maine,
in third assault where two had been
costly failures. He declared the order
not only foolish but almost criminal and
refused to lead the remnant OF his regi-
ment to certain death.
Afterward it was shown that he was
right and the dishonorable discharge was
rev oked, while his men applauded. This
incident took place at Port Hudson. 1his
same detern ination to do what he con-
sidered right in spite Of all obstacles and
no matter at what cost he brought to the
adm inistration OF the office of Sheriff
and when the Republicans and Prohib
tionists had elected him in the fall of 1876
a
trouble ahead.
There were in Bangor at that time about
a hundred and fifty places OF all kinds
where liquor was sold at-retail. Large
or small. high or low. the saloons were
oil the same 90 Jerrard--dens of iniquity
and he had no sooner taken Office than
he made ready for war.
His first step was the enlistment as
deputy sheriffs OF Paul +. X. Clark. tail
and handsome member of the Bangor
police who was afterward one of the
mounted police in Washington, and John
Pratt. a muscular man Of the bulldog
type, who would as soon fight as eat. Thus
was the celebrated rum squad made up
Jerrard, Clark and Pratt-and very early
10 the new year they got busy.
Up to that time searching for liquor
consisted usually in entering the saloon,
poking about for Jew minutes in per-
functory way and then going back to the
jail to report Nothing found" Jer-
rard's squad did things differently,
They pounced upon the liquor shops
at all sorts OF unexpected hours and
literally pulled the places TO pieces in their
ha Ia
keeper had constructed hiding places
between the walls or under the floors OF
his building. 30 much the worse for the
walls and floors, for the raiders carried
axes and crowbsrs as well as badges OF
office, and they didn't mind pulling a
small house to pieces when they knew
whiskey was to be found.
Often the squad would work all day
10 gel al the hidden liquor, while great
crowds would gather in the streets and
express sympathy for the saloon keeper,
hooting and jeering the officers and some
times pelting them with stones or any
thing that came handy In such local..
ties as lower Exchange street and The
Devils Half Acre" fights often occurred,
especially when raids took place at night,
and on more than one occasion Jerrard
and his men were forced to draw revol-
vers to save themselves from mobs.
Many and ingenious were the devices
resorted TO in those days to conceal liquor
from the raiders. Deep holes were dug
in the ground, with secret pipes leading
from the barrels therein buried to the
empty barrooms, where faucets would
be cleverly concealed in the wall.
False walls we're built in many collar
and false partitions set up. There were