Evansville (IN) Courier Press, September 23, 1903, p. 3. NOTE: The item
below was abbreviated as noted by the ellipsis.
.Since the fire eight years ago, the temperance people have kept up a strong
fight against bootleggers and blind tigers. Many times parties have made
application for retail license but were defeated by a remonstrance. On
horseback and on foot women and men carried the remonstrance and always
succeeded in defeating the applicant.
About a year ago Richard Collins came here from Columbus and made
application for license and was defeated. He said he would run the business
anyhow, and he bought a government permit and opened for business. Many
efforts were made to convict him of selling intoxicating liquors illegally,
but the little wheel, through which the customers got their drinks, always
saved him.
Finally the ladies' church auxiliary was organized for the purpose of
running the blind tiger out. Week after week, though the columns of the
Brown County Democrat, the women poured volley after volley at the blind
tiger and its proprietor. One night in the spring, stones were thrown
through the large glass windows in the front of the building. These were
replaced and business went on.
The remonstrance defeated applicants for license but did not defeat the
traffic in intoxicants, and this was the cause of some pretty straight talk
by the church auxiliary. The grand jury found an indictment against Collins
Thursday, and a trial was held immediately in which Collins beat the case.
These things happening no doubt angered the temperance people, hence the
dynamite was used as the only means of ridding Nashville of the blind tiger.
The probable damages from the dynamiting are: M. T. Poling, $300; blind
tiger, $500; court house, $100; Nashville House, $25; drug store $10; other
business houses, $25.
The Columbus Republican, whose force was before the grand jury here, said in
a recent issue: "We will ask the Democrat, since it denies absolutely that
some of the county officers are in any sense parties to the illegal sale of
intoxicants, whether it is true, as reported to us, that Judge Buckingham,
at the close of a former term of court, found it necessary to call up the
sheriff and the clerk and made public statements to them in regard to the
daily assembling of persons in the courtroom during vacations of the court
for the purpose of drinking intoxicating liquors and whether Judge
Buckingham did not indignantly declare that before he would tolerate such a
stigma on his court that he would resign his office."
This article stirred the county officials and later on the Republican asked
if it were not true that three of the county officials were members of the
whitecapping organizations.
Men are sleeping in the clerk's and recorder's offices until the window can
be replaced that were knocked out by the dynamite. More trouble is expected
if the blind tiger opens again for business.