The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-07-31
COURT SCORES YOUNG MEN IN
 LIQUOR CLUB
Finds Them Not Guilty of Violation of Excise Law,
 Under Technicality Sentences Six for Maintain ing Disorder1y House Policy Toward Liquor Clubs.


 Six of the nine young men round. ed up in a raid upon the vacant tene. ment at 695 Howard avenue a week ago yesterday, were fined s25 and costs each in the city court today or the charge of maintaining a disorder. ly house.
 This charge was preferred after Judge Foster found John T. Kelly and eight others not guilty of violation oi the excise laws in maintaining a store of liquor at the scene of the raid, for the sole purpose of having it on hand for Sunday use
 Judge Foster delivered a stingine rebuke to the crowd of prisoners lined up before him as he returned his Judgment of not guilty, and in a more extensive statement than is cus- tomary in cases coming before the city tribunal, he outlined the policy of the city court towards such enter prises as that of Kelly and his col leagues.
 Kelly and a score of others have maintained the tenemen for use principally on Sundays. It is the GUS tom to chip in $1 each during the week, select a treasurer as the mas ter of affairs, and allow him to pur- chase such liquors as are needed for Sunday. The liquors are placed on ice, and used as the mem bers wish. There is no attempt to divide the cost of the liquors in proportion to the quantity the various members use. The payment of the $1 entities those who contribute to use all they want. and to bring @ good fellow or two into the gathering.
 All this was disclosed in the evil dence offered Saturday, and Judge Foster considered the case over Sum r7.,rv N<lI Iz~ I II ment. "I am satisfied" said he, s'that there is a deliberate and premeditat- ed effort to evade the liquor law and I am further satisfied that it is suc- cessful. I cannot find from the facts as proved before this court any sale ! find as a faot there was no sale and therefore under the statute un- der which they are informed against am satisfied that they cannot be found guilty. believe that when men, most of yssa. "a as1slie; iaefs as these men are, deliberately conspire together. as it were to form pools, a fund of money, and buy liquor and in a back room on Sunday to drink this liquor, it is ono of the most disreputable performances that decent men can do. But they haven't sold liquor against the law. I find them not guilty"
 The men were about to file out of
 
 Prosecutor Delaney, and to the ap- parent surprise of their counsel, At torney F. B. Fallon, they were de- tained by Captain Began. To the captain, Prosecutor Delaney handed 3 bunch of warrants. He called off through the evidence to be closely identified with the Sunday gatherings It the Howard avenue quarters.
 He arrested them on the warrants charging them with maintaining a house. Prosecutor Delaney said he was willing to allow the evil Hence just as presented in the trials of Kelly and the others for violation of the excise laws, to stand against hem on this charge. Attorney Fall on said he too was willing to let the ease stand on it's merits as disclosed n the trial, on the liquor charge.
 By way of preface to finding the ,ix guilty, Judge Foster said: .sThe courts will go a long way to reach a case where it is the evident intention and where 1t is not proved that it vas not the evident intention-to svade and disobey the law. I have 10 hesitation in saying so far as Il IS far as the law permits in wiping ,ut of existence in this city these ,lubs that are organized for the pur- pose of dispensing liquors. These ,luDS cause men 10 drink more H- luor than they want While it is awful for a man to buy all the li- Iuor he wants and take it home and rink it this plan for a crowd of men o buy liquor and get together on Sunday and drink all they want-I nave no sympathy for it.
 'tI may say further while speaking If it that the court and I believe the prosecuting officers while adhering strictly to the letter of the law in every case will do what they can to prevent any evasion of the law. Il want these mems records taken. We will fix a fine this time and if they Ire brought here again it will be a aif sentence" He then found them ach guilty of maintaining a disorder y house and imposed the fine of s25 with costs of about $5 in addition.
 The men fined were John T. Kelly, 5 Parallel street; William Hawley, nachinist, 123 Clinton avenue; Ed yard Meyer, clerk, 129 Clinton ave lue; George Handley, machinist 695 Toward avenue; Harry Brown, sheet metal worker, 65 Colorado avenue :l -ohn Cronan, shop hand, 1O1 Lee venue
 Judge Foster fixed bonds for ap- zeal at $100 in each case Bernard 107 Benham avenue, and 4ouis Bonjon, 584 Howard avenue, furnished the bail. r,auvers Didn't Gnt