Will Be Permitted in Newtown Parks on Sundays

Two Places Against Which Complaints Had Been Made Were Closed Up by the Town Police Upon a Warrant Issued by Justice Monteverde.

Police Justice William T. Monteverde, who assumed the duties of his office on May 1, yesterday threw a bomb shell at Sunday amusements in the town by closing the two leading parks in Maspeth and arresting the musicians in one of the parks.

The justice received a complaint from the Rev. Frederick S. Griffin, rector of St. Saviour’s Protestant Episcopal church, which is in close proximity to the park, that services were disturbed by the music and shouts of the ball players. Yesterday, the magistrate summoned all the available officers in the town and proceeded to Maspeth. A crowd of over ten thousand generally visits the village on a Sunday, and when the officers arrived there the amusements were at their height. In Feldman’s park, ball playing was in progress and the players were ordered to stop playing. They obeyed after finding fault with the laws of Newtown. No arrests were made.

The officers next went to Bowden’s park, where dancing was in full swing. The musicians were placed under arrest and brought before Justice Shumacher in Middle Village, and were placed under a bond of $200 each for trial before the police justice in Newtown village on Monday morning.

This morning, they were arraigned before Judge Monteverde, where they gave their names as Frederick Paul, George Steumpf, Gustave Jopannes, William Kelgaat, Charles Schmidt and John Lazanis. The men asked that their case go before the grand jury and the old bond was continued in force. Charles Schmidt, one of the prisoners, asked the justice if Sunday beer selling was not a crime against the law and was informed it was. The questioner evidently thought this query was a hit at the justice. Mr. Monteverde was at one time made the object of attack by the law and order people. He kept a park near Maspeth where Sunday ball playing was one of the amusements. He was indicted and compelled to give up the business. The other parks were allowed to amuse their patrons. Since then Monteverde’s park had been open only on week days. The license for the park was granted last Monday and is in the name of M.E. Monteverde. The police justice says he severed his connection with the park some time ago and only issued the warrants in answer to complaints made to him. The park proprietors affected declare that they will compel all other people in the Sunday amusement business to close if they are obliged to obey the Sunday law.