The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-01
CHAMBERLAIN. SCORCHES
 PASTORS ASSOCIATION
 FOR BLUE LAW CRUSADE
Prosecutor Delaney, in View of His Attitude Toward Sunday Amusements, Will
 Rot Recommend Penalty
Judge Booth Imposes Small Fine Upon Accused Men Charged with Operating Amusements
 Sunday at Steeplechase

Judge John R. Booth of the Dan
 bury city court, acting in the disquali- fcation of both occupants of the Bridgeport city court bench. fined
 Daniel Guilty and Michael Murray $1o
 and costs each in the city court today I for violation of the Sunday law in their participation of the conducting
 of Steeplechase Island.
 l. The conviction and the imposition
 of penalties were both prefaced by long and strenuous argument by At- | torneys John C. Chamberlain and Thomas C. Ooughlin counsel for the | defence-both cases being tried to-
 gether-and while Prosecuting Attor- ney Delaney brought out such facts as he believed necessary for convic- | ton, and he argued that there was | clearly a violation of the law, he would not suggest to the court what
 he believed would be a proper pen atty
 In this connection he explained to Judge Booth that his attitude in the matter of the crusade of the Pastors l Association against Steeplechase 1s- land was well known, and that he felt | through his personal views in the mat l ter that he was disqualified from sug-
 
 posed.
 | The men on trial were Prof Guilty, 1 the well known dancing master, who | is in charge of the dancing pavilion at Steeplechase under the direction of Captain Paul Boyton, the manager of concessionaire who conducts "a pool and billiard parlor. They were charg- ed with having participated in the conduct of these places on Sunday, June 25. This is the date on which State policemen, brought here at the 1 instance of the Bridgeport Pastors Association, secured evidence that re- suited 2rxt in the arrest of EuseKe. McCann for Sunday baseball, and ] later in the issuance of warrants that
 were returned for trial to the city court today.
 The witnesses for the State were State Policemen Alfred l.. Rudd of Rocky Hill, and Antonio Falow. The
 last was not called to the witness stand Dudd testified that he visited the | island on the date in question, saw Prof. Guilty at the door receiving tickets, also that there was pool play ing at 10 cents a game under the su- stantiated his testimony. Both were cross-examined by Attorney Cham berlain, who brought out clearly the fact that there was no evidence of dis order at the island, and nothing in the conduct of the places in question to
 diversions were in progress on the Sabbath.
 He further brought out testimony as to the nature of the amusement re- sort, establishing by the statements of
 the State policemen that none was affected by the Sunday diversions ex-
 cept those who visited the island, and
 that none was admitted to the island
 without first paying admission and walking considerable distance into the place..
 The defence called as its only wit ness Captain Boyton, the manager of the island. He testified that the is- resort, and none live there except people directly connected with it's maintenance. Upon cross-examina- tion he stated that he did not con- sider the string of cottages down the
 beach as being part of Steeplechase Island, proper, which ends, he said,
 at the 12 foot fence along the division ford.
 Prosecutor Delaney claimed con-
 vtction of the accused, and declared that the question of whether there was public disturbance by these vio- lations did not enter into the ques- tion of guilt of the accused. He read the statute, and insisted that the men were guilty under it's provision. He admitted that the accused bore good regulations, and spoke especially of Prof. Guilty whom he said he had known for a number of years to be a. highly respectable citizen, and the proprietor of dancing academy pat 0f Tn summing up for the defence At torney Chamberlain declared the
 whole matter of the enforcement of
 the Sunday law was a question of evolution He dwelt especially upon
 the case of the State vs. Ryan, a Wa terbury case, in which Judge Case
 had charged that the jury should ac-
 quit the proprietor of moving pie
 ture show if they found that his Sum- day amusement was of such a char
 acter as not to interfere with the ob-
 servance by others of the Sabbath
 Then in his keenly humorous fashion
 he took to task the Pastors Associa-
 tion for their attitude in the Sunday
 law enforcement problem It re-
 minded him of the story, he said, of
 the young ladies who went to the se-
 lectmen of their town to complain of
 small boys bathing in stream with
 out such bathing togs as the young
 ladies considered proper.
 The selectmen, said Chamberlain,
 remonstrated with the young ladies.
 Its a quarter of mile from where
 you live to that swimming pool,'' said
 the selectmen
 Yes" rejoined the young ladies,
 ''but father was a sea captain and he
 has powerful spy glasses, and that makes a difference"
 Attorney Chamberlain declared that the Pastors association were not acting within the spirit of the law, that they were using a spy glass up- on Steepiechase Island to detect cer-
 tain violations of the law while they left others nearer at hand and more fragrant, untouched "You can't make people religious by statute,'' declared the attorney.
 At this point he drew forth several time worn volumes through which he traced the evolution of the modern Sunday law. In 1796 he showed that the law compelled all to attend church on Sunday under penalty of