St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-23
AWFUL REVELATION.
Gambling Has Been Openly
Carried on in Mime
apolis.
Right Under the Noses Of the
Vigilant Police
Too.
Retpenchment and Reform
Raid for the Suppression
of Crime.
The Band Plays ''Annie Lau-
rie" Before the Process
sion Starts.

The police force of Minneapolis
which is run upon plan that is fully in
accord with the manner in which
the other departments OF the re-
trenchment and reform admins
tration are conducted. executed brill
liant coup yesterday which illustrates
the leuth-like vigilance that is
exercised for the suppression
of crime under the direction
of the illustrious superintendent,
Winn Barckett. A gambling house
that has been in operation for six
months within 100 feet of police head
quarters, was suddenly discovered and
raided. 1t was done i'll the usual dress
parade manner.
A patrol wagon, with its changing
gong and cantering horses, drove up to
the ''Pickwick Club" as the place at
206 Nicollet avenue is called. A squad
of fat policemen, in full uniform, pa
raded UP from police headquarters.
The crowd that had been at
tracted by the raid upon
the supposition that the building was
on fire quickly blocked the streets.
Capt. Helm, who was in charge OF the
raid" opened the door of the place
and walked III. The "club" occupies
three floors of the building. which eX-
tends from Nicollet to Hennepin, and
its accommodations are sufficiently
commodious to serve as a barracks for a
full regiment of soldiers. Up to
about five months ago it was occupied
by the Pickwick club, a social organlZa-
ton which had billiard tables, a reStau-
rant, reading room and parlor, but dur
ing the past winter it has been oper-
ated simply and solely as gambling
house. Of course it has been so con-
Quoted with the full knowledge of the
police. and all that would have been
necessary to have closed the place
would be simply notice to "Quit bust
ness" But that isn't the
Style of the Retrenchment and
Reform
administration by good deal, so the
patrol wagon was summoned, and a
squad of police was brought from the
East Minneapolis police station SO as
to attract as much attention as pos
sible. At 3 O'Clock Capt. Helm mar
place in as transformations manner
as possible. Heknew he had a grave and
important duty TO perform, and his
manner showed the deep sense of re-
sponsiDility that permeated his entire
system. He informed man at the
door that he had search warrant, and
was told to go ahead. Without any
hesitation he walked up stairs to the
tigers lair at the head OF half dozen
or so patrolmen. The second floor is
partitioned off SO as to form an apart
ment at the front which would accom-
modate a hundred or SO persons without
crowding-Here were couple of faro
tables, roulette wheel, a stud poker
cable. chairs. etc. There were probably
twenty spectators in the room, but only
few were playing. There was
No Wild Alarm,
no desperate attempts to escape. No
one iyelled "slougl the jiggar." Only
one faro game was in progress at which
a man named Yates was dealing.
with Frank Billiter in the look
out chair. They were told that they
were arrested, and didn't faint away,
but walked over to the municipal court
where they pleaded guilty to gambling,
and were fined 500 each. which was
paid.
The spectators were told they could
go, but they did not hurry off but en-
gineered around careleSsly watching
the "confiscation" of the furniture and
the gambling appliances, a good portion
of which has been
Confiscaied So Many Times
Before that it is quite we'll worn, and
shows the hard usage in being loaded in
and out of patrol wagons. In the mean
time another force of patrolmen, in
charge of Sergeant Foster. of the North
Minneapolis police station, were en-
gagged in the suppression of more
crime further up town. They sta
toned themselves at 112 Fourth
street south, and LOG Third street south,
which are known as clock joints. At
the first place no one was in sight but a
woman who tends an apple stand. As
the o'clock" had not been ticking for
several days, when it
stopped short never to go again."
because of orders from police headQuar-
tiers. The Third street place was
closed, and, in fact,
Has Never Been Opened
at all. No one was within. so the door
was broken in and new S12 ''clock''
was dumped into the patrol wagon like
so much old iron and ratified off to the
police station.
The raids created considerable excite
ment naturally enough and lookup alley
was we'll filled with sightseers, but that
was about all there WAS to it. The
reason for the Sudden spasm OF reform is
a subject OF considerable curiosity. There
had been no complaints about gambling
sknocking," as affection to other peO-
ple's affairs is termed in slang phrase
ology, save periodical cutlery against
.sclOck' gambling in an evening paper,
10 which no attention is ever paid.
There were various theories discussed
ON the streets and in saloons last even
ing. Generally the cause was at
tributed to the fact that an cleo
ton was coming, Some seemed to think
that certain machinery needs oiling,
and others that there was too much
gambling, or rather that there were too
many who want to make trouble be-
cause they can't run gambling houses.
One professional sized up the situa-
ton systematically when he said:
100 many hawks for the amount OF
chicken III sight"
At all events, gambling has been sup
pressed in Minneapolis again for
the time being, 1t is not
known whether the vigilant po-
lice will extend their attentions
to games in hotels, private clubs, crap
shooting in barber shops, the bucket
shops. or the stock gambling at the
chamber of commerce. A GLOBE re-
porter sought for Supt. Bracket. but he
was out home, probably Frustrated from
the effect of the intense strain upon his
nervous system as the result OF his