Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-08-19
xrorHsR poEroY aAID.


fuPeds
Officers Grier, Broadhart and Welch
made raid on the policy hackers head
quarters No. 302 French street about noon
Monday, and captured Benjamin Laws, the
colored messenger employed in delivering
the drawings as received by wire to the
head dealers.
The headquarters is in the second story
Of the building, which has been under
surveillance for several days, the ground
floor being tenanted by William Miller as
a cigar store.
The officers made detour and ap-
preached the building gaining access TO
the second story but were at first denied
admittance 10 the suspected apartment.
Upon insisting that they would enter
Laws opened the door and invited them in.
A bright fire WINS blazing in the stove
and clouds of smoke darkened the room.
Officer Grier. seeing the fire, opened the
stove door and thrusting his hand into
the fames, drew forth number of blank
slips used by writer's and II Reore Of slips
of various dates from December 3lst, '65,
to Saturday last.
Among the paperR was also telegram
from l.. G File 10 Il. Il. Stroud. A lad,
who said he was left in charge Of the
cigar store, ordered the police out of the
house and upon saying he was in charge
of the premises, with Laws was brought
10 the police station.
The raided house is the meeting place
of hackers and writer's, where the draw
ings are received and the shifts" sent out
to be paid.
The officers who made the capture state
that they saw Lee G.. File and e. T..
Stroud in the room short time before
the raid was made, and the officers were
in hopes of catching them red-handed in
the Work.
Other arrests are liable to follow upon
the testimony procured by the raid and
in the possession Of the police.
Frederick Allen was arrested on King
street above Third at noon Monday by
Officer Broadhart, on q warrant fol
writing policy. He was taken TO the city
| hall and locked up for q hearing before
Magistrate o'Neili Monday evening.
In searching him the officers found sew,
eral slips of policy upon him, which were
retained az evidence.
Allen is the same man who was arrested
Monfay week on the same charge, OIL
/ whom was found q policy writer's para
1 phernalia complete. He was held Their
1 $500 bail for the next couri
Of general sessions by Magistrate
0'Neill, e. Il. Stroud going on his l'ond
That experience did not seem suflici, mt Il
wean Kim from the game, and tho result
has been a second arrest for similal
offence.
Frederick Allen, who was arrested b,
Il nnGaar n.nal hax4 NanHax fHr Fl,n oaonp.
time, on the charge of policy writing
was given hearing before Magistrate
O'Neill at O'Clock that evening. Tn
testimony Of Officer Broadhartand Specia
Officer Foster was taken and the magis
trate held Allen in $400 bail to answer a
the court of general sessions. About
O'Clock Edward T. Stroud went to th
magistrates office and went security TO
Allen for the second time.
But as soon as he had finished his busi
ness connected with Aliens bail bond b
was taken into custody himself by Ser
geant Taylor, who had warrant for him
A warrant had also been sworn out for LIE
G. File, and the latter was arrested 0
Fourth and Tatnall streets by Office
Weleh at the same time. The warrant
for Stroud and File cited them to answe
the charge of being policy hackers. The
, had been sworn out before Magistrat
, | O'Neill, and the men were at once a
| raigned before that official. They waive
: O hearing, however, and were held
$500 bail each and taken to the hall whel
they remained about an hour, being r.
) leased upon security furnished by job
| Fehrenbach of the finn of Hartmann
| Fehrenbach.
The law covering lottery policy sci
/ ing imposes a fine of 300. In defau
of payment of fine, it provides term
two months imprisonment for the fir
offence and four months for the secoI
offence. The raid on policy has no
struck the head and front of the offende
and has been badly crippled.
BENJAMIN Laws, the colored messeng
! who carries the Geographic drawings
9 the hackers, and who was found OF the
a headquarters when the raid was ma
/, Monday afternoon, was discharged fro
y custody in the evening, there being
4 evidence to hold him.
n The stand Mayor Rhoads has TAX
J. with respect to the policy dealers it
b stated has so materially reduced thu
Q profits that the business is hardly wor
g the attention it demands. The backe
j. however, do no intend abandoning t
;. business, but propose rather to keep
r going until the cases now pending o
disposed of in court They hope throu
the ingenuity Of able counsel to fine
mesh in the law large enough to releu
q all who may have been arrested with
o belief that this will be sort of rebuke
i the police. The officers meanwhile 9
+ keeping watch upon suspected premii
8 and individuals and will continue t
+ crusade against this form of vice until
a is entirely broken up.