Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-08
And Good Natured, Ready
For Another Round.
Says Report Of His Death Are
"GTeaiIy Exaggerated"
Some Conditions Which He Thinks
Public Should Understand.

The affair at Waterville on April
2nd. when an officer and his two
aids were all alleged to have been
assaulted, being opposed by the three
Wolmans and their bartender and Il
| few others of a crowd of about $50
| spectators which assembled, aroused
public interest.
Some of the newspaper accounts of
| the injury done me recall Mark
| Twain's eabled corrections: Report
| of my death greatly exaggerated"
| No bones We're broken. nor was L
unconscious and dangerously injured.
| as when assaulted at Eastport, July
| f. 1904. at Bar Harbor April ). 1867.
| | lost a little blood this time. but am
| ready for other unfinished business Z"
While two Wolmans We're resisting
| US in the front room and gaining time
| by demanding the reading of the war
rant, the bartender occupied his time
so well in the rear room that when
| the door was unlocked no intoxicat-
| ing liquor was found there. Similar
| tactics of obstruction and delay were
used by the three Wolmans at
Franks house adjoining, when We at
tempted to serve d warrant there. The
liquors We're removed from the rear
end of the house. When | discovered
two barrels of beer and other liquors.
there | was assaulted.
On evidence of the liquors being in
part destroyed to prevent seizure.
Frank Wolnlan was sentenced the
following day to 500 fine and
80 days Imprisonment Joseph VOL
man. who is alleged to have
struck me. while inspecting the
liquors at the rear. was bound over
| under $500 security. We might be
criticized for not forcing an entrance
10 the house and for deferring to
Wolman's ridiculous representation
that he needed an hour to obtain a
key to get into his house. where he
had just eaten dinner, but l still think
that we acted wisely under the cir
cumstanees.
There has been some comment be-
cause | gave my search warrant to a
| special policeman, so years of age 1t
was because this old man and | could
find wagon loads of liquor where the
deputy sherifs could not find any,
and where the police would refuse to
search This old officer did not go to
Chief Barton or Mayor Pattangall to
l
| nor send ahead a tip" At each of
| three places where the deputy sher-
| ifs had served one or more of my
| search warrants and found moth
| ing" the several infirm or amateur
officers since March 18th went with
| me and found one or more two-horse
| loads of liquor.
Our city government met the eve
| ming after | was assaulted and APP
/ pointed 81 regular and special police,
| Five of these are liquor dealers, three
| of whom are selling liquor now. Two
of them pay the United states re
| tail liquor dealer" tax, and the third
| does not. because he is only a bar
| tender. From one of the other APP
| pointees | made a seizure of gamb-
ling implements a few years ago. lie
| was fined and the implements were
destroyed by throwing them off the
| Kennepec river bridge on the rocks
| below. The night on which these five
| liquor selers were appointed as spe-
cial police, three other special police
| (having served respectively, 6. Z ane
% years. We're dropped from tl.e force
apparently because they "butted in
| In the past three weeks they had
helped me seize about Sl100 worth Of
liquor at two saloons and assisted il
my attempt to make large seizure
at the place where | was assaulted
The people of Maine, / believe, vii
not fail to right any great wrong
| when the facts are plainly brought
to their attention. There were 80 Unit
ed States retail liquor dealer" Ger
tificates exclusive of druggists is
sued last year in Waterville. OF
| complaint of the officials, no liquor
| seller in the city suffered more thai
one search and seizure conviction il
| the last IS months. OF 81 Jail sentence
imposed in our municipal court, 3
| were settled in the superior court b.
| the payment of fines only. This wide
| open policy of Mayor Pattangal
| Sheriff Richardson and few othe
| officials resulted in 723 arrests TO
| drunkenness and ABB commitments t
Jail for drunkenness. records neve
before equalled or nearly approache
in our city.
Fl. N. PRINGLE.
Watervil!e. Me-, April s.