Daily Kennebec journal., 1922-02-11
SHERIFF COLE. OF OXFORD COUNTY CLEARED

question. Weeks said Cole approved
his course as to gambling.
Gov. Baxter said every reasonable
latitude would be allowed. as the facts
were wanted. The hearing is not a
court.
Weeks described the gambling
games he found at Canton on Sept
I6. He went. as citizen, not as a
sheriff, was accosted and asked to
take a chance" by man. One man
was in the booth and two solicited in
the crowd.
These men were JohnsP. Fenton,
Charles j. Edwards and Leon Bren-
nen.
He also sawIames G. Shugrue, who
run another baby doll game. which
he (Weeks) exhibited and explained
Saw Frank York there, stranger
Had another booth, different game
similar to a punch board. q variation
of baby doll.
Consulted Judge Stevenson of Rum
ford, returned to Canton next day and
arrested the four men. All but York
taken TO Rumford. He was allowed
to say in Cant0n ON account Of sick
wife and in custody Of Deputy Kinds
Sheriff Cole about IL p. NJ. called
me on phone and said had gone toe
far, broken up fair and he had inves-
tigated and found games all right. He
wanted the men discharged in the
.. morning.
Continuing his testimony. Deputy
Weeks testified that the men were
convicted the next day.
did Sheriff Cole telephone you
about going to the Andover fair?''
asked Attorney Parker.
"He did, and / went there to keep
! law and ORDER" replied the witness
The witness said that two booths
at the Andover fair were run by men
| named Rockwell and Farrar. He
told the officers of the association
that if he found any gambling go.
| ing on he would inform them. He
| advised. the men not to work the
men told the witness that he had
permission from Sheriff Cole to play
the game. Sheriff Cole told the wit.
| ness that if he arrested anyone who
was operating the so-called dol
game" he would withdraw his com.
mission. Sheriff Cole did later re.
woke the commission of the witness
He was told by counsel at Rumford
that he had not legally been re.
moved. He returned to Andovel
and arrested both Rockwell and
Phillips for gambling. That after.
noon Sheriff Cole read formal dis.
charge to the witness. At the tria
he heard the attorney for the alleged
gamblers ask for light sentence
on the ground that Sheriff Cole had
given them the right to run the
games.
| On cross-examination by Attorney
! Dyer. the witness testified that he
] was a candidate for the Republican
nomination for sheriff of Oxford
County.
did the court order a verdict Sc
aside because you talked with 6
| juror" asked Attorney Dyer.
| II believe so," replied the witness
| Dlu YOU hHoW tIldI IllS SO-Cdllc1
| Baby Doll game was operated a
practically every fair in Maine las
fall?"
II do not know"
"Did you ever buy a ticket for thu
Baby Doll game?"
| "I did not
| did you go to the fair official:
and tell them that there was gam.
bling going on at their grounds"
II did not"
Ibid you arrest anyone wht
bought a ticket to this so-called
gambling game?"
IT did not"
| Did YOU see anyone buy 6
ticket?"
II did"
| ''Isn't' the person who plays the
game as guilty as the man who op.
crates ?'
! II suppose So"
| did Sheriff Cole tell you thai
your action would mean that the
Canton fair would lose it's state sti.
pend?"
| 'I do not recall"
! do you mean to say that Sheriff
Cole ordered YOU to go into court
and ask that these alleged gamblers
be discharged"
| Sheriff Cole Said that could tel
the judge that there was no evidence
against the alleged gamblers"
do you believe that Sheriff Cole
ever benefited by these games?"
, II do not
! A recess was taken at this point
until afternoon.