Adaline L. (Dyer) Glover Fought a Good Fight

Previously, I shared Muskegon, Michigan newspaper articles about my second great-grandmother's, Adaline L. (Dyer) Glover, membership in the Women's Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.)  Adaline and her husband, Samuel S. Glover, Jr, were on a committee that called for the arrest of saloon keepers who sold liquor on 4 July 1881.  The W.C.T.U believed that selling liquor on the 4th of July was illegal.  The saloon keepers were arrested, but were they convicted?

The article below describes the court proceedings:

"Not Guilty!," Muskegon (Michigan) Chronicle, 14 July 1881, p; column 3; online images, Genealogy Bank (http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/newspapers/ : accessed 7 May 2012), Historical Newspapers.

Transcription:

NOT GUILTY!

Is the Verdict in Bodendor-

fer’s Case

July 4^th Decided not to be a

Legal Holiday in Muskegon.

The first Benefit the Sa-

Loonists Receive from

that $700 Fund.

Wednesday afternoon the first suit

against the saloon men for keeping

their places open on July 4^th was

tried before Justice Jamison.  The

case was that of Wm. Bodendorfer.

The jury after hearing all the evi-

dence returned verdict of not guilty.

A Grand Rapids lawyer convinced the

jury that July 4 was not a legal holi-

day and therefore Bodendofer had

not violated the liquor laws!  Spirit

of Blackstone the ways are devious

and the blinded public places reliance

in thee!  One peculiarity, however,

was that only few temperance people

were present at the trial while the

room was crowded with dispensers of

the ardent, who drank in every word

of testimony or argument rapidly.

   It is rather surprising, however, to

remember that some have celebrated

the fourth so many times, and resid-

ed in Muskegon for a long period,

and then be informed by a Grand

Rapids lawyer that July is not a legal

holiday—well it knocks all the pa-

triotism out of us!  It is remarkable

that Muskegon should be the first lo-

cality in Michigan to determine that

question, entirely ignoring our law

makers and the supreme court-but

be that as it may, the verdict has

been rendered, and Mr. Bordendorfer

has been proved an innocent man,

and is therefore cleared of all respon-

sibility.  Great courage is now ex-

habited in the ranks of the sal-

oonist, who imagine that the re-

mainder of their chums will also es-

cape the majesty of the law.  We

await developments.

   In relation to Mr. Bordendorfer for

keeping his saloon open on July 4^th,

there was positive proof from sever-

al witnesses that the place was open

all day and a crowd in there most of

the time, and two witnesses testified

positively to the sale of liquors and

it was proved that the proprietor was

in the saloon when the liquors

were being sold, and there was no evidence

on the part of the defense to dispute it.

As to the assertion that there was no

proof that the 4^th of July was a le-

gal holiday any person should know

that it does not require proof of what

the law of the state is.  The statute

making the 4^th of July a legal holi-

day and the decision of our Supreme

Court construing the statue was

read to the jury.

   We have no ill-feeling toward the

saloon keeper some of whom are es-

timable gentlemen, but we do think

in conjunction with a large number

of citizens, that the law has been vio-

lated.