Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-01-17
EUGENE Cline Gets
STIFF JAIL. SENTENCE
IN A LIQUOR CASE
Saturday Afternoon Before the
Court Was Arraigncd as
John Williams"-Case Is APP
pealed to the April Term of
the Superior Court

/ The attention of Judge Lancaster of the
municipal court was taken up for awhile
Saturday afternoon by a case in which
the. charge was the single sale of intoxi-
eating liquor. The respondent In the
case was Eugene Cline, alias John Will
liams, and the complainants were Frank
l.. Brown of Albion and Fred Martin of
Oakland, who alleged that on Friday last
they each purchased of Williams a half
pint of liquor at the latter's shop out
near the 'Snowplow," near the National
Home reservation. The respondent was
represented by Burlegh Martin and
pleaded not guilty.
The first witness called was Deputy
Sheriff Edwin Bullock. but his evidence
| was brief and consisted chiefly of re-
cital of the fact that he went to the place
! indicated above by Brown and Martin
as that in which they said they pur-
| chased the liquor and identified John
Williams" As the man who sold It to
| them.
Brown said that his name was Frank
L. Brown Of Albion and that he was a
farmer but that he sometimes did other
work. and when asked what that work
| was said it was that of protecting poor
people from the rum sellers. He also
told of work that he had done in that
line one of the places being at Windsor
fair. He then told of the visit to the
place of John Williams accompanied
by Fred Martin, and the purchase by
himself and Martin of a half-pint of
IIo Of "i11ianS SaVjney 40
had thousand pints of wfiskey.
Martin was then called to the stand
but his testimony was not of a very ma
terial nature. 1t came out that he did
not know Brown very we'll He said
that the latter came to his home in Oak
land one day and asked the witness to
work for him, offering him dollar day
and expenses, to which witness agreed.
Regarding what Brown wanted Martin
to do, the latter allowed that it did not
make much difference to him so long as
he got his money.
The respondent, Eugene Cline, was
placed on the stand and denied that he
had sold Brown and Martin liquor, and
also denied that they were at his place
Friday-that the day was Thursday. He
then added another denial to the list and
said that he did not sell liquor anyway.
He did admit, however, when questioned
by the court relative to a pile of wood
out by his show that he sometimes
chopped wood.
Counsel for the respondent argued as to
the improbability of Browns action and
also spoke of the entire absence. of any
md al no olive Sbon pf lunOT
being sold there, but at the conclusion
of his argument the court promptly found
Cling guilty and imposed a fine of $500
and costs and six mouths in JAIL and in
default of payment of fine and costs six
months additional. An appeal was taken
from the sentence and bonds furnished In
the sum of $500 for Cline's appearances at
the April term of the superior court.
Another case was heard at the con-
clusion of the above, in which the prin-
cipals belonged in Waterville, and while
one was a Hebrew the other was Po-
lander The inside of the trouble was
bill for about s. which the Polander. Alex
Lexvich, is said to have owed the He
brew, Boront JoloitZ, and the charge on
which the two men were in court was
mutual assault
Lexvich could not speak English very
well, but with the assistance of JoloitZ
it was learned that LeXvich came to
Augusta Friday from Waterville-that
Jolitz, becoming alarmed lest he lose his
money, came to Augusta Saturday aft
ernoon and, finding Lexvich. resolved to
take the law into his own hands and
collect the cash himself. Accordingly
with Lexvich he boarded a Waterville
Corner Lexvich jumped it and started up
the Belfast road. Jolotz followed him
and as near as could be understood from
his somewhat broken English he soon
overlook Lexvich.
There was something about Joloitz
haling a mail carrier to stop the fleet
footed I.exvich and to send for the po-
lice, but whatever may have been the
case the police appeared and took the
two men to the police station During
the hearing before the court Joloitz &C
cused Lexvich of threatening him with
a knife, but no knife could be found on
the latter, and Lexvich accused Joloitz of
usins him roughly and tearing buttons
from his clothing-and the buttons were
missing.
The case was finally disposed Of by the
co,,rt deciding that the cases be mol
prossed on condition that Joloitz pay his
counsel, Burleigh Martin. the fees. In
order to prevent any possible trouble Sat-