Miller Gets a License

New York, 1895

COMMISSIONER CLAYTON'S OBJECTIONS WERE NOT VERY SOUND.

The Excise Board Grants a Number of Licenses, Lays Some Over, and Rejects One — A List of the Fortunate Applicants — Saloons Growing Around Morris Park.

The excise board of Jamaica held their first meeting of the year at the Town Hall on Monday. Commissioner Clark presided. Forty-five applications were received, and three laid over until Wednesday. Emanuel Miller, of Ozone Park, made an application for a hotel license. Commissioner Clayton objected. He said that at the trial of Miller before Justice Seaman, for violation of the excise law, witnesses testified that they drank liquor in his place, and it was shown that he was selling liquor without a license.

Commissioner Broedel — "I was at the trial and Miller was acquitted. I am satisfied that Mr. Miller is a man of good character."

Commissioner Clark did not feel like voting upon Mr. Miller's application at once and it was laid over.

When the application of William Bird, of South street, Jamaica, for a hotel license was presented, Commissioner Clayton again protested. Three months ago, he said, a Mrs. Pearsall requested him to notify several saloon keepers not to sell her husband liquor. Three weeks ago Mrs. Pearsall called upon him again and said that her husband had received $30 for his work and did not give her a penny, but had spent it all at Bird's place. He went with her to Bird's, and asked him not to sell liquor to Pearsall. Bird replied that he would sell him as much as he had a mind to. The application was laid over.

The application of Andrew Burnett, of Jamaica, for a hotel license, was laid over to enable him to make three spare rooms in his house to comply with the law.

The following licenses were granted, for which the sum of $2,940 was received:

John Distler and Charles Koehler, Jamaica, hotels; Theodore Eckert, Woodhaven, hotel; John Kline, Union Course, hotel; Christopher Winze, Maple Grove, hotel; Charles Kaesinger, Morris Park, hotel; John Christbar, Woodhaven, hotel; Ernest Wieden, Richmond Hill, hotel; Frank Mang, Woodhaven Junction, hotel; Fred H. Meyer, Ozone Park, hotel; Phillip Stroh and Xavier Parker, Jamaica, hotels; Joseph Hoffmeyer, Rosedale, hotel; Frederick Garbe, Woodhaven, hotel; Adam Martin, Jamaica, hotel; John Grady, Union Course, hotel; William Geitlinger, Aqueduct, hotel; Edward A. Frost, Dunton, hotel; George J. Goetz, Hollis, hotel; Edward Kuster, Rosedale, hotel; John Popp, Richmond Hill, hotel; John W. Dayton, Ozone Park, hotel; Otto Buhler, Morris Park, hotel; Richard Freeman, Jamaica, saloon; Charles Fuster, Woodhaven, hotel; Catharine Corcoran, Jamaica, hotel; William Goeller, Jamaica, hotel; Henry Sattler, Clarenceville, hotel; John J. Fitzgerald, Jamaica, saloon; Frank Fleischaus, Jamaica, hotel; Frank Mahr, Rosedale, hotel; Chris Meiners, Rosedale, hotel; Frank Christbar, Jamaica, hotel; Henry Sandman, Ozone Park, store; Henry J. Bookman, Jamaica, hotel; Henry J. Kanna, Clarenceville, hotel; Adelaide Meyer, Union Course, saloon; William J. Glazebrook, Aqueduct, hotel; Oscar Rust, Aqueduct, hotel; Christian J. Prinz, Jamaica, hotel; William Maach, Ozone Park, saloon; Henry Schaupp, Hollis, hotel.

Commissioner Clayton moved that the board adjourn until the first Monday in June. It was a question with him whether it was legal for the board to sit three days in May.

Commissioner Broedel moved that the board take a recess until Tuesday. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Clark and carried.

The excise board met again on Tuesday. Commissioner Clayton said he had seen Counselor Fleming about the legality of the board meeting and receiving applications and granting licenses on any other day in May except the first Monday. Counsel informed him that if the board had unfinished business on the first Monday in May they could take a recess until Tuesday, but if any new applications were handed in on that day, they could not act upon them. The board could only appoint one day in each month for a meeting, and then only to act upon applications that had been handed in.

As the board could only receive applications and act upon unfinished business, the application of Emanuel Miller of Ozone Park was taken up.

Commissioner Broedel said that he had been acquainted with Miller for a number of years and he was a man of good character.

Commissioner Clayton — "There is no question but that Miller violated the law."

Commissioner Broedel — "That has not been proved."

Commissioner Clark — "When the board prosecuted Miller they did not have the support of the temperance people."

Commissioner Clayton moved that the application be rejected. Not seconded.

Commissioner Broedel moved that the application be granted. Commissioner Clark said that until the people helped the excise board to enforce the law they had better grant every application. Miller's application was granted.

The application of William Bird, of South street, for a hotel license, was next taken up. Commissioner Clayton moved that the application be rejected, and it was.

The following applications were received and will be acted upon next Monday:

John B. Dooley, Springfield, hotel; A. B. Pettit, Jamaica, hotel; Robert S. Crandall, Beach Channel, hotel; Philip Engledrum and Ferdinand S. Eckert, Jamaica, hotels; Benedict Brunner, Hollis, hotel; John Kerz, Richmond Hill, hotel; Patrick Callahan, Jamaica, hotel; Joseph Knoskey, Woodhaven, hotel; Louis Hommel, Woodhaven, hotel; Maria J. Sweeney, Woodhaven, hotel; John H. Karkbach, Springfield, hotel; George Durland, Jamaica, store; Thomas Daily, Jamaica, saloon; Thomas Gregory, Jamaica, hotel; Thomas Fox, Jamaica, saloon; John Solly, Chester Park, hotel.

—The Long Island Farmer, Jamaica, NY, May 10, 1895, p. 1.