Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-01-08
POLICE MATTERS.
A Fruit Peddler Who Does
Not Peddle.
THE LOTTERY INVESTIGATION.
The Chief Instructed to Arrest
Ticket Sellers-A Saloon
keeper Warned.

keeper Warned.
At 9 O'Clock yesterday afternoon the
Lottery Committee of the Board OF Po'
lice Commissioners met in the office OF
the Chief of Police to resume its investi'
CATION into the lottery question. AS on
Saturday and Monday, Mr.. 7. A. Lewis
presided over the meeting, and there
we're present Messrs. Collins. Dexter and
Knox. Before going into the question
before the meeting, Mr.. Lewis intro
duced the topic of fruit-peddling, and
informed his fellow-C Commissioners that
Cobb, the orange -peddler who stood on
Spring street in open defiance OF the po-
lice, had informed Sergeant Morton and
another officer that he had right to be
there, and that if he was interfered with
he would fill the streets with peddlers.
Mr.. Dexter said that he had been in
yolved in very warm discussion of this
very matter before coming to the meet
ing with an attorney named Hughes,
who had upheld Cobb and advised him
to fight the matter to the bitter end.
Mr.. Lewis stated that he had seen the
City Attorney on the matter and was in
formed that Cobb was violating the or
dinance in standing on and obstructing
the street.
Mr.. Collins said that he thought as
Cobb had obtained the permission OF the
property owners to stand in front OF their
premises he should be left alone, but If
they had complained against him for
doing so it would be the duty of the
police to arrest him for obstruction. He
understood that Cobb had stood there
for twenty years past without being
moleeted, and he could not see any rea-
son why he should be so now.
A spirited tilt ensued between Messrs.
Lewis snd Collins, the former insisting
that as sworn officers the Commissioners
were bound to see that every ordinance
was enforced, and the latter asserting
that if that policy was literally carried
out every industry in the city would be
tied up, and he would not be party to it..
Mr.. Knox said that the committee had
met as an executive board, not to con-
strue the ordinances and statutes, but to
enforce them literally and without ques
tioning their validity. That was mat.
ter for the courts to decide afterwards.
He thought that if Cobb was allowed to
continue the sale of oranges and fruit
without paying rent for his cart it would
be doing a gross injustice to the occu-
pants of the neighboring fruit stands:
rents. As far as Cobb's having
taken out a peddler's license
concerned the csse, he must insist that
it only aggravstes it, in that a peddler
was explicitly defined as one who went
from house to house, and then only with
the permission Of the occupants. Cobb
had no right to stop in one place as he
did, and the law should be enforced.
Mr.. Lewis asked the committee to
stand by him in carrying out the resolu-
tion he put forward at the last meeting
of the Police Board. Mr.. Dexter, how
ever, thought that the matter ought to
be deferred until Mayor Hazard was
present, and at his suggestion the matter
was postponed until today's meeting,
when it will again be brought up. Mr..
Lewis jocularly remarked that out of five |
reputable citizens he anticipated no
difficulty in obtaining the requisite three
votes on the side of law and order to
carry his resolution.
Mr.. Collins then asked the committee
what end it had in view in making an
investigation of the lottery question, and
expressed it as his opinion that if the
sale of tickets was an infringement of the
law, the Chief ought to 60 ahead and
enforce the statutes without any further
investigation on their part. He thought
that the names of the parties who sold
these tickets should not have been given
to the public, and that the Chief OF Po-
lice ought to have notified each one that
he was breaking the law.
Mr.. Lewis said that it was not right
and proper for the Chief to communicate
to anyone the fact that he was breaking
the law.
Mr.. Knox believed that in publishing
the name of every person who infracts
the law, a great deal of good could be
done.
Mr.. Lewis said he hated to see $780,
600 going out of this State every month,
whereupon Mr.. Collins asked him if he
had any guarantee that if the lotteries
were closed up the money would remain
here.
Detective Wallin's report was then
produced, and the list of the persons
who sold lottery tickets was read. 1t
was voluminous document, and con-
tains the names and locations of sixty
eight Chinese lottery agencies and about
a dozen of the leading cigar stores where
Louisiana coupons are disposed of.
Mr.. Dexter offered resolution to the
effect that the Chief be directed
to enforce the law prohibiting the sale Of
lottery tickets, either white or Chinese,
and to arrest all persons infringing the
same, which was carried unanimously.
Mr.: Knox suggested that the Chief
take chances Oh ttth.s passage Of the above
resolution by the full board today, and
proceed Immediately to arrest the lottery
agents.
The committee then adjourned,
but almost Immediately recon.
vened as the special committee ap'
pointed to investigate the matter Of
q deficit in the funds = collected
on numbers for licensed vehicles ss re-
quired by law. Owing to the absence OF
Mr.. Lewis, the Chair was taken by Mr..
Knox, who conducted the investigation,
assisted by Mr.. Dexter. Secretary f. d.
Curran was first called, sand after pro.
ducing his book containing the entries oi
the sales of numbers, he stated that the
last payment of ouch funds was made on
December 20, 1888, under the Cooney
administration On January | 1899