Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-04-17

thS charge OF lllegaI possession OF in
| toxicating liquors, to wit, one dozen
quart bottles Of whiskey which was
opened at o'clock Friday afternoon
before the municipal court, was resum-
| ed at the opening of court at 10 o'clock
Saturday morning. 1t will be remember
ed that upon being arraigned Friday
afternoon Mrs. Roderique, who was rep
resented by Burleigh Martin, entered
plea Of not guilty and that the case was
at that point continued to the following
| morning.
| On the resumption of the case Satur-
| day morning Conductor Russell Lowell,
who had charge of the car which arriv-
| ed at Augusta at II o'clock Thursday
night from Lewiston, testified in effect
| that he knew Mrs. Roderique and that
| he had seen her on the cars Of the Lew
| iston and Augusta line many times;
that he had noticed the different places
at which she had left the car; that she
was on the car that reached Augusta at
midnight Thursday from Lewiston and
| that she remained on the car up to Pet
tengll's corner and back to Water street.
| He also stated that she went to Lewis
| ton Friday night and came back on the
| last car.
| The testimony Of Deputy Sheriff Wes-
| ton Lewis of Augusta was in effect that
he boarded the car in question Thurs
day night at Hallowell and that he saw
| the respondent with the suit case on
| the car when he got on board; that he
| remained on the car all the way to Au-
gusta and to Pettengill's corner; that
| on the way down Bangor street to Will
| low street, where he left the car, he
| said to the respondent: rs that your
| booze?" to which question she replied
in the negative. whereupon he took the
| suit case and it's contents. Mr.. Lewis
| also testified to the suit case having
| been reinforced so that heavy loads
could be carried in it.
| For the defence Mrs. Roderique took
the stand and testified that she lived at
State street, that she was widow and
that her husband had died March 16 Of
the current year, also that her husband
was not yet buried, the body being in
the tomb. Regarding her movements
| last Thursday she said that she went
to Waterville that morning to get lot
in which to bury her husbands body:
| that she saw Rev. FIR. Charland and
bought the lot, after which she return
ed to Augusta, arriving at o'clock in
the afternoon; that she then had sup
per and later, at P. NJ, took car
| for Lewiston, arriving at 9 o'clock; that
Iher errand to Lewiston was to see the
priest about removing the body of a
| child which she has buried there to
| Waterville but that she did not see the
priest; that she took the 10 o'clock car
| back and remained on the car on the
| trip to PettengilFs corner, intending to
go through to Waterville; that she did
not know that car didn't go through to
| Waterville. She also testified that when
the car passed Swan street she went
| out on the platform to expectorate. Re-
| garding the suit case of whiskey which
caused her trouble she denied all knowl-
edge.
On cross-examination she said she had
| lived in Augusta seven years this time
and was in the habit Of going to Water
| vile and Lewiston, but did not know
how the cars run. That she was good
at catching cars however would seem to
be indicated by her statement that on
one Of her trips to Waterville she left
her home at State street at 7.45 in
the morning, went down around Bond
street to store, got some groceries and
sent them home and then made her way
down Water street to the trolley car
waiting room and had to wait five min
utes before the o'clock Waterville car
came along.
Following the close Of the testimony
Mr.. Martin. counsel for the respondent
submitted his argument which was in
brief that the prosecution had not
shown that the suit case Of liquor had
been in the possession Of the respond
ent, nor that she had anything to do
with it.
The court then found the respondent
guilty and imposed sentence OF 500
and costs and 60 days in Jail, and in de-
fault of payment Of fine and costs 60
days additional, from which sentence an
appeal was taken and cash bail furnish.
ed in the sum of 5000 for the September
term Of the superior court.
Other business before the court Sat
urday morning was one case of 1ntoXi-
cation in which the respondent was CIV
en- 30 days in Jail, but sentence was sus-
pended.