Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-03-18
The City Statutes Against Gambling
Alleged to be Defective.
interesting interviews With Citizens on the
Subject, and a Description of
the Tigers Lair,
Another Great outpOuring Of Temperance
PeopIe---A Superintendent Of the In
Urinary ChOsen---Fat Offices to be
Dispsnsed---An Heir Wanted
Stolen Property
City Chat.

Tie war being waged on our efficient.
ChieGoLPolice, in the disguise Of an attack
upon the gamblers of this city, was the gen
eral subject of conversation, yesterday,
among all classes of citizens, and the opir.
ion WAS very prevalent that, although the
evil should, b. al m ans. be wiped o Il Of ex-
istence as quickly as possible, it was no
more than Just 10 give Captain Smith suti-
c ent time to think before openly charging
him with grave neglect o duty and ofbeing
10 communication with and having sym
paihy for the proprietors Of gambling hells.
When Captain Smith came into Office he
found the city well sprinkled over with dens
Of vice, where poker, faro, roulette, aud
many other games had been openly run
for months, under the protection of q Re-
publican City Sergeant, and, in due season,
he would have turned his attention to them
and closed them up but this evidently care
fully prepared attack upon him will result
in the -postponement and alteration OF his
plans BY warning the gamblers that theyare
in danger.
A REGISTER reporter talked with a number
of citizens upon the matter yesterday, one
of the gentlemen spoken to being q leading
LAWYER. The truth about this spasm ofvir-
tue on the part oftke Intelligence" said the
latter, lis purely and simply this: First,
Mr.. Smith Is g Democrat; and, secondly, he
has refused to allow himself to be dictated
to By a Republican Mayor. Mr.. Grub is
the first Mayor, so far as my memory
serves ne, who ever presumed to take upon
his shoulders the burIheu of running the va
rious city departments himself, and relegat-
ing the heads of the various departments to
the obscurity Of mere clerks, with nominal
powers. Mr.. Grub, after having quar-
relied with the Health Officer. next tried to
bulldoze Captain Smith, and, finding that
the latter insisted upon running his office
in his OWE way (which, by the by, seems to
be a very good Way, he took his grievance
10 Mr.. Hart, and together they planned a
campaign, which they hoped would mislead
pubic opinion long enough to accomplish
the ruin Of the Chief and make a hero Of
the Mayor. That's about all there is in 1t,
to my notion.
Another citizen said: Il understand the
editor of the ~IntelligenCer claims he really
didn't know how much gambling was being
done until after Captain Bennett vent out
of office. Ny, how thin that is. | wonder
if the innocent editor knew anything of to-
'whirligig' that was run in the Opera Hous"
block during the holidays. 4 more open
and shameful violation OF the gambling laws
Of the city was never known, and | even
recollect seeing 8 long paid local, advertising
that very wheel of fortune, in the local col
umns Of the Intelligeucer itself. But then
a Republican was Chief Of Police, and tn.
boys knew everything was 0. r.
Still another we'll known gentleman said
il was almost useless for q City Sergeant to
attempt to put a stop 10 gambling in tn"
city under the existing city ordinance. Tn
law WAS very defective, and until Council
should enact a better one, increasing the
W. Of the police, very little could be
done. He believed the evil of gambling
had TOO strong q foot hold upon the city to
be broken Up under the existing order OF
things, bit that Captain Smith would do all
in his power to put a stop to that which had
grown up and been fOslerei By the preced.
ing administration. Gambling implements
could not nov be destroyed unless the
police came upon the game while in actual
progress, and he thought the better plan
hONIu DG v NuG NONhLl OAANGAo " pAONOOA
under the Stale Law. Stepping into a law
ver's office, near BY, he took up q copy OF
the Code, and read a portion Of chapter Isl,
as follows:
Sec. /. Any person keeping a faro Or
keno table, or any otE>r table of like kind
under any other denomination. whether the
game or table be played with cards, dice, or
otherwise, or shall be p partner, or concern
ed in interest, in the keeping or exhibiting
such table or bank, shall be confined in jail
not lees than two CT more than twelve
months, and be fined not less than 800 or
more than 1000. Any such table or faro
bank, and all money stsked, or exhibited to
allure persons TO bet at such table, may be
seized by order of q court, or under the war
rant Of a Justice, and the money 80 seized.
after deducting therefrom Oue-half for the
person making the seizure, shall De forfeited
- is provided in sec. 81 of chap. As, in re-
.Iect 10 the forfeiture declsredby that chap
ter, and the table aud faro bank burned"
Sec. 2. lf any person, knowingly, per.
Tit a gaming table, or faro bank, or keno
table, such as is mentioned in the preceding
sec ion, 70 be kept or exhibited on any
premises in his occupation, be shall be con.
tined in jail not more than one year, and
fined not less than 800 or more than
$1,000
This law said he gentleman 'seems to
cover the ground much better than the city
ordinance, and it is strange to me that no
attempt has ever been made By the county
conslables or Justices to carry it out. The
greet trouble with the city law on the sub
Jet is that the Sergeant is only required to
proceed on . warrant. What we need is
power which will enable a Chief Of Police
10 proceed to n house where gambling is
carried on, make forcible entry, destroy the
implements and furniture and lug of the
inmates. The fact that gaming iustru.
ments are in the room, aud that notorious
gamblers are found there, when taken in
connection with the general reputation o.
the place, seems, to my mind. to be suti
cient grounds to convict. And then tn"
owners of the property should be proceeded
against, and if the premises are used as a
saloon, the fact OF the arrest should cancel
the license, without any further proceedings.
II owners of real estate knew they would be
bauled up before q Court and heavily fined
aud imprisoned, they would be q little chsry
about renting rooms to gamblers.
Then there is another thing. 1t is well
known that hotels are freely used by poker
players. i know q house ID this city, where
a big game, one of the toniest in the town.
is run, it having been started up along
about the time the Legislature met. Nov.
what we need is o neat little clause like this
in a crty ordinance" and tur again tothe
code, which had been laid upon a desk, the
gentleman read section 6 Of chapter $50, as
follows:
"If the keeper Of a hotel or tavern per.
NIT unlawful gaming at his house, or at any
ost-house, booth, arbor, or other place ap
purtensnt thereto, or held Herewith, he
shall be fined not less than $40 nor more