New Britain herald., 1916-03-07

VICTIM OF SPITE,
 M'MAHON'S CLAIM
1'heater Man to Fight Charge of
 CroWding His Picture House

Patrick $, McMahon will appear in l police court tomorrow morning de-
 termined to fight to a finish two
 charges preferred against him by l Building Inspector A. N Rutherford | accusing him of overcrowding his
 theater on Sunday evening and
 Monday afternoon. He pleaded no,
 guilty before Judge James T. Meskijl l in police court this morning and on re- l quest or Lawyer $. Russell Mink, of l the firm of Kirkham &, Cooper, the
 case was continued until tomorrow Building Inspector Rutherford, Chief Dame, Fireman Edward Woods l and Chief w. J. Rawlings are the l states witnesses against the theater l man.
 Victim of Spite. Says P. S.
 McMahon is in high dudgeon over his arrest and declares in no uncer- 1 tain terms that he is being made the l Vlctlm or personal spite and ambition. Tie says that for year past he has managed his theater in a manner that | has been perfectly satisfactory to the authorities and he has obeyed the rule that a wide pathway must be left in the foyer in the rear of the theater Yesterday afternoon he says. both Chief Rawlings and Detective Bam- forth were at his theater and he fur thermore declares that every after noon Tor year Detective Bamforth mas inspected his house and found nothing to complain of
 The present trouble, McMahon at
 trlouteS to the pesOnal spite of two young men Who were in the SpeCta> tors gallery iE court this morning. lie recently had occasion to eject them from his theater, he said. ana angered at that they must have com plalned to the building inspector. Their grievance was, the heater man explained, because they got two seats behlnd a post and asked for their mony back. There being no reason for this, inasmuch as they had seats, their request was refused and they made such disturbance they were invited to leave. McMahon declares that all he wants is a fair deal. He does not want to be fighting the city govern ment all the time but it is forced on him in this case. He also criticises Chief Dame of the fire departme ent saying he is around looking for trouble all the time.
 In the rear of his theater is a twelve loot foyer. McMahOn claims, and he agreed with the authorities that he would not have this overcroWded anc would leave a paSsG ge way through it. 1 This he has done he claims On Sun day night Building Inspector Ruther- ford came into his theater and toIu hlm not to let people stand up in the rear. McMahOn asserts that he then 1 refused to admit any more people and ] when the inspector came back an 1 hour later he said ''all right"
 Yesterday afternoon McNahon de. 1 clares there were not fifteen people 1 standing up in his house and there l were seats enough for them. He l claims that to pull in Paddy is some 1 h OnOr'' so he is arrested. He intimat- 1 ed that Rutherford is but doing l Quigley's bidding and the latter is try ing to make up campaign material. i ''Oh. hell do what QuisIey tells him. too. all right McMahon says re- garding the inspector. McMahon in sists that he has got along well with the police but now the inspector in 1 terferes and spells it all by trying to make him the goat"
 McMahOn declares that his theater plays to 1000 people every week and l if it is possible to handle such crowds 1 any better than he does, he has got l to be shown. He points out that when people come into his theater it if oftimes dark, so they must per- force stand up until the lights are l lighted. He also declares it would be l an impossible policy to rush up to l every patron as soon as he enters the 1 door and inform him he must hurry l right down the aisle and get a seat ]
 Feeling that this time he is in the l right and that the authorities have l nothing on him, McMahon insists that 1 he will fight the c|se to finish in tne 1 courts.
 Boys Strange Case.
 In the case of Eugene LaFlamme l eihteen years old, his unusually bad l record has undoubtedly saved him l from being confined in the reform 1 school for two Or three years more. He 1 was in court yesterday on a charge of 1 drunk kenneSs and breach of the peace l As he was on parole from the reform l