Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-19

the day time without their approach i
being known and | concluded that the .
only effective way in which | could en-
force the Jaw with the small crew at
my command was TO station them at
the public transportation centers and F
seize all suspected packages as they
arrived in Bangor or which might be
consigned to any part of the county.
With five men it would be impossi- +
BILE to have an efficient night and day
enforcement because to divide the
squad impairs it's usefulness for the
reason that it is not safe for one man
alone to attempt to enforce the law
in some localities, and while the squad
is working in one part of the city the
traffic is going on in other parts and
also in the rest of the county. If [
divided my squad so as to have three
men working by day and two at night
/ could accomplish very little by max
ing searches or raids.
Much of the deputies time is taken
up with court work, either as wit
nesses or in filing libels and other pa
pers, and procuring warrants so that
the amount of time which they actual
ly give to the work of raiding is small.
During the summer of 1918 the city
council of Bangor appointed a special
committee to wait upon the county
commissioners to see if some pressure
might be brought to bear upon the
sheriff to reduce the liquor squad on
account of the expense to the county
more than one-half of which would
have to be paid by the city of Ban
gor. l appeared before the county com
missoners and the committee of the
city council and proved to them that
the liquor deputies had been benefit
to the county financially through the
fines which had been paid This Incl
dent aroused public sentiment against
enforcement and my work was made
more difficult. During the summer of
1913 | had made many searches and
seizures of liquor in which the respon-
dents were found guilty and sentenced
to fine and Imprisonment At the Sep
TENDER term, 1913, the imprisonment
was dropped from all the sentences
Of the lower court and only the fine
imposed There were over 100 liquor
indictments pending at that term
Upon these indictments there was no
sentence of Imprisonment, but d fine
was imposed by the court, During
the last two days of the September
term there were 157 liquor cases dis
posed of by the court.
All papers from the courts have
been served promptly, and l have per-
sonally conducted the trial of all the
liquor cases in the municipal court of
Bangor, which has taken consider
able amount of my time. | have also
attended to the libelling of the va
rious packages of the seized liquor
which has been no small Job. Some
of the largest seizures which | have
made have been returned on account
of lack of sufficient evidence or ques-
ton of law.
1 have seized 1882 gallons of hard
liquors. such as whiskey, gin, brandy,
rum, ETC.; 26O barrels of bottled ale
and beer; 65 one-half barrels of ale
and beer; 81 one-quarter barrels of
ale and beer. There has been paid in
to Penobscot county in fines since 1
have held office the sum of $26, u.
The amount paid out for enforcement
during the same period is $76S1. Is,
showing a balance to the county of
slS,456.97. Since January l, 1914, l
have arrested 50 liquor dealers on ca
pias, Is on Illegal deposit, and three
on Illegal transportation. The report
of the county of Penobscot will show
in detail my work before January !,
1914.
On March l. 1909, there was IS per-
sons in the county Jail; on March l,
1910, there were 100 persons; on March
l, 1911, there were &c persons; on
March l. 1912, there were 70 persons;
on March l, 1918, there were IS per-
sons, and on March l. 1914, there were
81 persons.
On March / 1909 there were ninety
in all parts of the country there have
been a large number of men coming
to Bangor, to seek employment, most
ly foreigners. During the last spring,
and in addition to my other work. l
found it my duty TO care for, includ-
ing meals and shelter, as many as 1855
unemployed men at one time, which
greatly increased my work during that
period.
l do not pretend to say that I have
made Bangor dry. but | do claim and
stand ready to prove that 1 have en-
forced the law more strenuously and
efficiently than the Sturgis deputies or
even during the classical enforcement
period of Sheriff Jerrard
With the handicaps before mention
ed together with other duties incum-
bent upon sheriff 20 perform. and
the small number of deputies at my
disposal, l know that 1 have done as
well as any other man could do. I'm
der these conditions 1 do not think it
would be justice to myself or to my
friends to give you my resignation.
but l shall continue to enforce the law
to the best of my ability. If there can
be way provided to furnish me with
more deputies and an attorney to con-
duct the cases in the lower court l
can give a much better enforcement
and will be only too glad to do so.
Very respectfully,
j. FRED O'CONNELI..
Sheriff, Penobscot County.