Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-12-24
DEFENSE OPENS IN
TRIAL GRANT AND
levin AT BANGOR

Bangor, Dec. o2-The government
took county cum conspiracy case in
the United States court, where Sher-
if Edmund w. Grant and Atty. Will
lard S. levin are on trial before
jury. The government completed
its case when the request of Dist
Atty. Dyer for a suspension that
out Of town witnesses might, be here
to testify was refused by Judge Pc
tcrs after strong objection was rails
ed by Atty. +. w. Hinckley for the
defence. Court was suspended I'M
til Wednesday.
The fireworks started when Atty.
ing objection to the suspension, that
the government had weeks and
months in which to prepare its case,
while the defence had only a week.
He thought the government ought
to have had its witnesses here and
should go on with the case. lie de-
clarcd that two of the witnesses
were in Canada and had been there
for some time and that the govern
ment had only hopes of getting them
to testify and might not be able to
do SO, even if the suspension were
granted. Dist ATTY. Dyer declared
that the government had had only ~
days in which to prepare its case,
and that the statements made as TO
a greater length of time were false.
He said that the witnesses We're in
Canada and that he thought he knew
why they were there.
Judge Peters declined to halt the
trial, as it appeared. he said, that
the. witnesses for the government
whose testimony had not been sub
poenaed, and he directed that the
defence openings be made. Before
this was done, however, Atty. 1linck-
ley asked that Atty. Terence Il.
ToWle of Bangor, who was counsel
for William Tactikos of PreSquc Isle,
a government witness who was UNI
der Indictment. be reached, and
when Towle appeared on the stand
Atty. Iiinckley asked him if he had
been assisting the government in the
conspiracy case and il he had talked
with Dist. Atty. Dyer before he he'd
talked with his client. ToWle dcclar-
cd that he was interested in the case,
only III so far as it was necessary
to protect Tactikos.
Atty Hincllley then asked the wit
ness if lie had ever heard Of a let
ter being received by d Bangor
liquor dealer from Dist. Atty. Dyer
recommending that the liquor deal
or, who was under indictment by.the
federal agents. employ him. TOwlc.
as counsel, as he CTowle), 'coUld do
as much with the government as
anyone" Atty. Towle Indignantly
denied that he had ever heard of
such Il letter and didn't believe that
Hincllley did either.
An effort on the part of the gov
eminent to introduce testimony in
support of Charles +. Calvin's state
ment that he had paid Sheriff Grant
$1,000 i'll April, 1921. to purchase an
automobile, by putting in evidence
the records of deposits and with
drawaIs made by Calvin in the
Farmers Bank in HouIton, was cx-
Guided by Judge Peters on objection
of Atty. Hinckley Russell H. Bur
ton. assistant cashier of the. Farm
crs' Bank. was called and record
from a loose leaf ledger showing
Calvin's deposits and Withdrawals
during April. 1921. was offered
Judge Peters ruled that the evidence
OF Calvin on this point was not dis
puted and that the withdrawal of
the amount named did net mean
anything, as there was nothing to
show to whom the money had been
paid. The government introduced
without objection the record of q
chattol mortgage given by Sheriff
Grant. April ;. 1927. to Fred l. Hall
& Co. of Houlton. for an automobile.
which was recorded i'll the records
OF the town of IIoulton.
The only witness called by the
defence after the opening statement
by Atty. Archibald for Sheriff Grant
and Atty. Hinckley for Atty. Levin.
was Percy II. Richardson OF Port
land. civ engineer. who had pre-
pared a Large plan of ArOostook
county by means Of which the de-
fence expected TO show that any
attempt on the part of the defend
ants TO give Il monopoly 10 anyone
III the rum business in that section
would be an abSurdity owing to the
NaStneSS of the territory, Aroostook
county being 50 per cent. as large
as the whole state of Massachusetts
After Engineer Richardson had
described the territory to seine eX-
tent, Judge Peters declared that
ther" did not seem TO be any rea-
son for taking up time with this
matter rs Sheriff Grant was not be-
ing tried for inefficicncy. and that
the matter of enforcing the law
had no bearing on the present case.
The monopoly alleged TO have been
promised was in certain towns, not
IN the entire county. The court
would certainly not try Grant for
lncfitclency. declared Judge Peters.
Atty. HinCkley argued that evidence
bearing on the unreasonabIeness of
the OTTER of monopoly had Il bearing
on the case. but the court ruled that
II wa not trying the county com
lllisSlonerS for parSimonN. He OBJ
lected TO the course Of the attorneys
for the defence and advised them to
confine the testimony to the actual
issue in the case.
liCturing the immense eXpanse Of
AfooStooE county as the seat of a
gigantic ring of bootleGgers. casting
us SHADOW of influence over the en-
tlre state of Maine and far beyond
us horderS. Atty. Hinckley for Lew
IN. gave IN the opening a description
OF Inc Workings of the Illegal organ
izauoh IN drawing his client and
Sheriff Grant into its net 10 rct 4ban,
out OF the way. At the same time
ne Sald, the conspiratorS wanted 10
set their fate up as an example for
these to follow them. if they shon1d
attempt to interfere in any wav
with the successful promotion Of the
rum business. vi 'H0
lie said the defence would attempt
70 SOW Calvin at the head of the
gang and former DENNY
sheriff Crosby, as a self confcssed
graz ter. both OF whom discovered