The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-03-18
SALOON
bES|EGEO
IN CITY.
Unprecedented Condition of
Affairs Is Witnessed in
Flatiron Saloon Last Night
When Owner of Building
Tries to Get Possession.

The new Proctor restrictive saloon
license law has precipitated a peculiar
condition of affairs in Hammond. In
directly the law was responsible for
a four-hour siege of the State street
fiatiron saloon leased by Mrs. Thomas
Hamilton, the wife of Thomas Hamil-
ton. recently deceased.
The building is owned by Nick Kais-
er. who is seeking to get possession
1t is asserted by Jim Smith. the ad-
ministrator of the estate of Thomas
Hamilton. that the kaisers seek to
gain poss ession of the place, the fix
lures and the license so that they can
turn them over to Jake Sweitzer, who
is said to be a resident of West Ham
mond.
Smith. who is also the agent of the
Evansville Brewing company states
that the Kaisers have demanded that
Mrs Hamilton sell out for $3S.OS.
which they are alleged to claim is the
amount Mrs. Hamilton's goods will in
ventory.
This raises the question. What is
the value Of saloon license under the
new Proctor restrictive measure?"
License Now Valuable.
Before the Proctor bill was passed
lit would have been possible for Mr..
and Mrs Kaiser to lease the building
to anyone, and the lessee would have
had no difficulty in securing a license
from the county commissioners.
Now before any one can conduct a
saloon in the Kaiser building 1t is
neces sary for them to purchase Mrs.
Hamilton's business and with 1t, her
license. 1t is also necessary for the
county commissioners to approve of
the transfer of the license
s}ts-sszunztnis skea- that the Kaiser place
is good location for a saloon, but the
trouble with Kaiser's plans is that he
cannot get Mrs. Hamilton to sell out.
She insists that her license under the
new law. is worth a great deal Of
money.
Mrs. Hamilton has always paid her
rent promptly and recently made a
tender of the rent. but it was refused
by Kaiser. She then employed Attor-
ney Joseph Conroy to look after her
interests.
Siege Begins.
Last night the whole trouble was
precipitated when Mrs. Kaiser went to
Hamilton's saloon and tried to take
possession by force. Mrs. Hamilton
was on the inside and she valiantly
fought to retain possession. Jim Smith
came. on the scene and aided the
widow.
| Finally after Mrs. Hamilton succeed
ed in expelline, Mrs. Kaiser from the
! place and a crowd of three or four
| hundred people had gathered about the
| saloon, quiet was restored and the at
| tempt on the part of the Kaisers tc
get poss ession was abandoned
Today Attorney Conroy is expected
| to file bond for $500 in the Lake
| superior court and to ask the court tc
| appoint some eligible person to run the
saloon for Mrs. Hamilton The law
| will not permit a woman to hold q
| license, but in a case like this where
| the proprietor of the saloon is deceas
| ed his wife may have her license trans
ferred to some one else who can rur
4 the place 1t is claimed by Jim Smitl
that Jake Sweitzer could not run tn,
place anyway in view of the fact tina
he is nonresident.
Hair-PuIling Match.
There were stirring scenes of Eas
State street last night as result o
this effort on the part of Mrs. Kaisel
to gain possession OF the saloon Their
is said to have been hair pulling AM
Jim Smith stood on one side of th
door holding it shut while Mrs. Kaise
stood on the other side trying to ge
in.
1t was really a very unusual situa
tion and the change in the Procto
. law, which makes a saloon license Il
a rapidly growing city like Hammon
/ bi gasset, was what made the figh
SO bitter.