Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-05-11

in the defense of the impeached sher- |
if at the hearings on removal from |
office held before Governor Ralph o. |
Brewster and the members of his ex-
ecutive council.
Besides MIR. and Mrs. Cummings. |
In whose honor the guests assembled |
at the love feast, those seated at the |
Judge Connolly, Attorney Farris, Miss
Burleigh. Mrs. Maude f. West Of
winthrop of the Republican state
committee. former Deputy Sheriff
William A. Cole and Mrs. Cole of
Hallowell. former Deputy Sheriff
Ernest II. Foye and Mrs. Foye of
Pittston.
The table was decorated with sew
eral beautiful bouquets of carnations,
one of them bearing q card inscribed,
Henry, we are with you to the fin
ish-20 Brunswick business men,. An
orchestra rendered a program of Sc
lections during the banquet hour and
just preceding.
Miss Burleigh in opening the pro-
gram referred to the many friends
which the former sheriff had in this
county, and at the mention of Mr..
Cummings name the applause start
ed, continuing with hand clapping
for several minutes and then break
ing into cheers, while every man and
woman present stood and applauded
Henry Cummings to the echo.
There may be as good men IN
Kennebec county as Henry F. Cum
mings", said Miss Burleigh, But
there are none better. You may say
of him the greatest thing that can
be said of any man, He is an hon
est man..
Judge Connolly's talk in which he
reviewed the Cummings hearings con-
tinued for over an hour. There were
frequent witty and pointed illusions
to those who had figured prominently
in the proceedings which led to the
removal of Henry Cummings as sheriff
of this county.
The speaker characterized Chief Ar
| thur H. Field of the State highway
police as THE Little Napoleon Of the
Androscoggin Valley" and again when
| he had occasion to refer to the raid
| on the Jail he mentioned Field as
"chief Of the highwaymen,-I mean
highway police"
| my brother Farris and myself
knew from the very first day that we
| started this case that the cards were
| stacked against u.s." said Judge Con-
molly. 1--WE knew that the cards were
| stacked against us because our re-
quest of Mr.. Fisher, the special State
prosecutor. for specifications of the
charges against Sheriff Cummings met
with reference to the governor.
I'VE went to the governor and were
| informed by him that he knew very
little about the case outside the very
opening, but when a deputy sheriff at
tempted to get the necessary papers
to execute extradition proceedings on
| a prisoner in New York he was in
formed that he could not go as he was
under subpoena to testify in the hear
ing. The governor knew this within
an hour of telling us that he knew
little about the case. 1 don't know
what you call that down here, but
over my way we call 1t lying.
II then told Farris that Henry Cum
mings had no chance in that court"
continued Judge Connolly. He then
referred to enforcement conditions in
Waterville as revealed in testimony in
troduced at the hearing before the gov
ernor and council. when Chief Gaskell
of the Waterville police department
said that of four arrests in one month
for intoxication but one was for drink
ing alcohol.
Have you people of Imperial
Kennebec woke up to the fact that
Androscoggin is imperial? Franklin
Fisher, Charles B. Carter, Arthur H.
Field and Seth May are running
your affairs for you.
The speaker mentioned the pro-
ceedings before the governor and his
executive council, and recalling that
Franklin Fishers opening for the
state was read from copy which had
been in the hands of the newspaper
reporters several days, declared that
that opening had been revised and
edited by Governor Brewster. "And
call upon Mr.. Fisher to deny that,
under OATH" finished Judge Connol-
~.
He spoke of the unfairness of the
whole proceedings. in which any,
thing was admissible for the state,
but the defense was hampered at ev-
cry turn. "At times the thing be-
came rather ridiculous" said the
Judge. There was no semblance of
a court, and at least one of the wit
nesses who took the stand for the
state was drunk when he testified"
Carrying his recountal of the
Cummings case down to the time of
the assault by Chief Field and his
men upon the county Jail, the speak
er spoke in scathing terms of that
| proceeding, of the highway officers
striking a woman guest at the sher-
ifs residence, and Of their pushing
Albert, IL year old son of Sheriff
and Mrs. Cummings. down the stone
front steps.
He spoke bitterly OF the tear
bombs which the highway officers
had in readiness to use in their, eff
fort to gain entry to the Jail, and
said. Il think that the tears that
were in those bombs will be shed
about primary election day.
The speaker said that after the
highway officers with their full show
of force raided the Jail, they went
down into the kitchen and devoured
all the food which had been prepared
for the sheriff's family and for the
prisoners.
"They didn't find enough sweets, so
they went across to a nearby grocery
store and proceeded to run up a bill
of goods on the people of Kennebec
county. That bin was subsequently
presented to the County Commission
ers and they refused payment.
Judge Connolly paid sterling tribute
to Sheriff Cummings and to County
Attorney Frank Z. Southland. II
haven't the pleasantest job in the
! world, you know, it's pretty tough
for Democrat to be campaign man
ager for Republican. But you good
citizens of this county can do no bet
ter than elect these men to office and
refuse to be dictated to by any little
Napoleons from the Androscoggin
valley.
| Judge Connolly's final peroration
was followed by long and sustained
| applause. When the tumult finally
CT he 6o1 II ~;
| and introduced the following resolu-
] tons. moved their adnnfion.