Walker v. Terrell

189 S.W. 75, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 978
Court of Appeals of Texas·Decided June 24, 1916·No. No. 7616.·Published·Cited by 4 cases

Opinion

TALBOT, J.

This suit was instituted in the district court of Dallas county, Tex., July 15, 1915, against H. B. Terrell, in his official capacity of comptroller of public accounts of the state of Texas, to reinstate a liquor dealer’s' license theretofore granted appellant’ by appellee on a permit dated September 19, 1914, and which liquor dealer’s license was rescinded by appellee by an order dated June 22, 1915, for an alleged violation, on Hay 15, 1915, of what is known as the 9:30 p. m. closing law of this state-. There is no controversy over the pleadings. The appellant alleged the granting of the license to him about the 21st day of October, 1914, to do business as a retail liquor dealer for a period of years, and the revocation of said license by appellee on June 22, 1915. He denied that he had violated the 9:30 closing statute, and prayed that his license be reinstated. The case was tried before the court without the aid of a jury, and judgment was rendered upholding the order made by the appellee rescinding appellant’s said *76 liquor dealer’s license, and denying tlie relief sought. From this judgment, the appellant appealed.

Article 7451 of Vernon’s Say les’ Texas Civil Statutes is as follows:

“Every person or firm having a license under the provisions of this law (meaning the liquor dealer’s law), who may be engaged in or who may hereafter engage in the sale of intoxicating liquors to be drunk on the premises in any locality of this state, other than where local option is in force, shall close and keep closed their houses and places of business and transact no business herein (meaning no doubt therein) or therefrom from and after 9:30 o’clock p. m. on Saturday and between that hour and 6:00 o’clock a. m. on the following Monday of any week; or between the-hours of 9:30 p. m. and 6:00 a. m. of the following morning of any week day, and shall close and keep closed their houses and places of.business and tránsact no business therein or therefrom from and after 9:30 p. m. Saturday until 6:00 a. m. of the following Monday of each week; and between the hours of 9:30 p. m. and 6:00 a. m. of any week day.”

Other articles of said statute provide the procedure for ascertaining whether or not any person to whom a retail liquor dealer’s license has been issued has violated any of the conditions and provisions set out in the application filed with the comptroller for a permit to apply ftfr such license, and article 7442 is to the effect that, if the comptroller shall determine from the preponderance of the credible evidence obtained that at any time after the issuance of the license to the liquor dealer the place where the business of .selling liquors under said license was conducted was kept open and business conducted therein after 9:30 p. m. and between that hour and 6 a. m. the following morning, he shall rescind, vacate, and withdraw said license.

The trial court filed in this case conclusions of law and fact, the material facts being as follows:

“The facts in this case shows that the license in question was obtained for 1618 Main street. Connected with 1618 Main street was the number 1614% Main street. This was an entrance that led down into a rathskeller, in other words, a cellar where people were furnishecl with all character of edibles and drinks according to the taste of the individual. On the other side of 1618 Main street was a café or cabaret, with also- an entrance on Main’ street. The entrance into the café led you into the cabaret. There was a back or side door that led from the café or cabaret into a rathskeller or cellar; both the -rathskeller or cellar and the cabaret had communication with and through the back door of the saloon. On this particular occasion at the time and place mentioned, and prior thereto, Johnnie Senchal and Walker, appellant, were partners in the conduct of this business, and this business included the bar, the rathskeller, and the cabaret, all with free access to and through the back door of the saloon, which was a part of the same building and the same business. Walker, the plaintiff herein, presided over and had conduct of the saloon, Senchal presided over the two eating places, the cabaret and cellar. They were partners enjoying mutually the proceeds and profits of the saloon, cabaret, and cellar. On this particular occasion at the time and place when the officers, Roddy and Irving, entered the rathskeller at 9:45 (this time 9:45 was time used in Dallas, standard time kept by Linz Bros.), it was in full swing. A man was playing a piano, and there is some question as to whether a woman was playing a violin. There were in the neighborhood of 75 people in the cellar; among whom were probably a dozen women, known characters of bad repute. On the tables all over the room or cellar were empty and half empty beer bottles and glasses; some of the beer had been all consumed out of some of the bottles, and in other bottles half consumed, and on one table five or six bottles of beer that had not been touched, but was ready for use. While the officers were present one of the waiters went in the back part of the house and brought 12 or 15 packages of beer or drinks of some character and laid them on a table near the front door. There is no dispute as to the door of the saloon being locked. The testimony is that it was locked. No liquor was sold after 9:30 o’clock, all the liquor had been sold before 9:30 o’clock and put in cellar. The court finds and holds from this state of facts that the plain, obvious, palpable, and unmistakable meaning of the 9:30 closing law was openly, flagrantly, and notoriously and knowingly violated, and that the building as so arranged, the rathskeller and cabaret running as they were run, was an unmistakable subterfuge and disguise.”

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Walker v. Terrell, 189 S.W. 75, 1916 Tex. App. LEXIS 978 (Tex. Ct. App. 1916).

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