Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-11-14
NEAR BEER" FIGURES
IN THIS COURT CASE
Charles Green Acquitted of Selling
Liquor at Laurel Track.
WAS ARRESTED BY SHERIFF.
OfficisI Bought Bottle Of "MaIted
Hops" and Then AppsreGiIy Con-
fscated Private Stock

The aequittal Of Charles H. Green.
charged with violating the local OPP
tion laws of the county by Judge
Brashears in the Circuit Court on
Tuesday, furnished a rather inter-
esting case. wherein Sheriff George
7. Beasley, it is said confiscated as
evidence beer that belonged to pri-
vate parties, instead of that alleged
to have been sold by the accused.
Green, who was proprietor of the
general supply stand at the Laurel
race track course, the grounds of the
MARYLAND State Fair Association, To-
Gated in the Fourth district of the
county, was arrested in June by the
Sheriff himself, when a few minutes
before he informed Green that he
was a county officer, had purchased
and drank a bottle of the alleged
beer.
1t appeared, according to the tes-
timony brought out at the trial, that
the Sheriff approached Green's stand,
and asking for drink, was handed
over bottle of what is known as
"near beer" Asked whether the
liquid had the taste of keer, the Shsr-
iff said that ii did, but could not say
that it produced the same effect as
regular brand. However, the Sheriff
proceeded with the arrest and when
informed of it, Green asked that he
be allowed to get his coat and other
personal belongings.
This ,.anuacf fUoc kxy fha
officer, and while Green was gone,
Sheriff Beasley went behind the coun-
ter and procured some bottled goods
from a tub, and brought it to Annap-
oils, to be used as evidence when the
case came to trial.
Taking the stand in his own behalf,
Green positively denied that he had
knowingly sold beer at his stand.
On the contrary he told the Judge
that the goods he had been dispen-
sing was what he had purchased from
o Baltimore firm as matted hops.
And it later developed from the testi-
mony of other witnesses that Green
had frequently ordered the "real
goods for private parties, including
officials Of the fair grounds, "iced"
it at his stand in a ,ub, where they
could get it whenever desired.
And while the beer that was con-
fiscated by the Sheriff was denied adj
mission as evidence, this circum-
stance left open the question az to
whether that taken by the Sheriff
was from the tub of the "real stuff"
belonging to the fair officials, or from
another tub that contained the malt
ed hops.
Incidental with the crusade waged
against liquor law vic lations during
the summer months, not only was a
large number of cases rounded up
that will mean big bit of coin for
the county's Golfers, but the methods
employed in securing evidence against
the offenders, will prove very profit
able one to several men, upon whose
evidence indictments by the grand
jury resulted, and who, as the inform
ers, will get half of the fines imposed
in each of the cases whether there
was acknowledgment of guilt, or
verdict of conviction was brought by
the court or jury.
Most of the offenders are proprie-
tors of places in the upper section
of the Third district, and the Fifth
district, aud it is und srstood that
Mr.. James P. Bannon, one time
prominent in politics has aided ma
terially, though not openly in break
ing up the alleged system" in
those sections, whereby violations
have been persistent for years and
the vioIators have escaped punish
ment. Howard Riley, Ernest Alten
and Robert Reitz are the names of
thre1 men that have appeared most
frequently in the indictments return
ed by the grand inquest, and among
this trio, and others who have fur
nished evidence, one half of the total
fines imposed willsbe divided. These
"scouts" will, therefore, reap a neat
little sum as a result of their work.
There were more than fifty cases of
the character brought to the atten-
tion, in most of which indictments
have followed, and the cases disposed
of by the assessment of heavy fines.
1t is estimated that when all cases
have been disposed of. the sum total
of fines imposed will aggregate more
than $4,000. Under the provisions of
the Local Option law of the county,
the other half of the fines are tdrned
into the county treasury for use by
the School Board in educational pur-
poses.
II is understood that in most of
the cases in which convictions have
been secured, or pleas of guilty en-
tered, the bulk of the evidence was
gathered as a result of the operations
of plain clothes detective, employed
at the instance of the County Com.
missioners, and the names of the
men appearing so often on the indict
ments worked in conjunction with the