Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-30

| \ Wt. NV pose of the case. sent
in from the grand Jury
room. The work of hearing this class OF cases
naturally falls upon the Police Court jury sys-
tenn and during the past few weeks Judge Mil
Ter has heard many such cases and sent many
OF the offenders to jail. The trials of the cases
have enlightened the court as to the magni-
tude OF the business, in which collections as low
as one or two cents are made of the poorest
people II the city. who play in anticipation OF
getting the enormous sum of 100 for l. The
| result OF the business in court shows that the
| policy men possess great deal OF money back
| ing, and from the fact that they command so
much cash capital it has often been remarked
| that the chances are decidedly against the
| payer anu IN favor OF those who are not sup
| posed to he known in the business
THE EXTENT OF THE POLICY PLAYING.
Judge Miller in the hearing of 90 many
cases has become possessed Of a good idea of
tho conduct and extent of the traffic in this
city, and speaking TO STAR reporter the other
| day he said he confident that the daily
plays amount to at least $1,000 and often. he
| thought, great deal more. There is but a
small percentage of the writer's arrested" said
the judge, ''and in court they say that their
DOCKS amount to from SIS to $50 and many of
| these writer's are new in the business 1t is a
business that should be broken up 1t cannot
De done by sporadic arrests, but systematic
arrests and punishment will go great way to-
ward ending the business here. 1t will be like
water dropping on stone; after long time it
will crumble and fall. /. will not only decrease
the number OF writer's, but it will narrow the
circle OF operators in all its branches and the
result will be the accomplishment of the de-
sired end
| THE BUSINESS MATERIALLY LEssENED.
There is no d0Pt" continued the judge,
that the vigorodU prosecutions and punish
ment Of offenders has materially lessened the
business. The convictions and sentences have
demonstrated that the vigorous prosecution of
| the cases has caused the police to be more
energetic. The imposition of Jail sentences
| frlghteIs off the writer's and no doubt the
pronts are much smaller than they were, even
II the business is still in operation. The mum.
| Der OF writer's seems to be dwindling down.
| Those VIII wrote the game months ago were
| men OF apparent responsibility. They dressed
| well and did not belong to the more ignorant
classes But they could not stand Jail sentences
staring them in the face, and they gave way
only to be succeeded by men of the lower ele-
| ment well as women and children. In INV
opinion the business cannot be carried on sue
cessfu.ly without intelligent people When
the managers have to go to the slums for
rouShs aud rowdies and the most ignorant
people they cannot hope to carry on the bust
ness SO successfully when they had intelli-
gent people to conduct affairs.
RESULT OF THE PROSECUTIONS
The prosecutions have had wonderful eff
feet on the business and but few intelligent
men can be found who are willing to risk a Jail
sentence for the money they would earn The
more desperate the game gets and the more the
fair dealing is eliminated the easier it is to
oreak IT up; for the players if not paid their
hits will complain and ut the same time MANY
of them will be willing to appear in court
"here, with square game, they would do all
IN their power TO keep out of court
One remarkable feature of the game" the
judge continued, lis that nearly every witness
VINO appears IN court is of the lower and more
ignorant Class; the very people who can leas:
afford to lose money. 1t may be that others
play the game. and have no doubt that they
do, but they don't find their way into court as
witnesses, and that Is probably due to the fact
that those of the better class who play are
waited upon at their homes or places of bust
ness. where their dealings are more secret
lhere Is one class of writers who rent rooms in
alleys, where the PLAYERS congregate and make
their plays and then loaf about the alley all day
10 hear the result. Indeed, the game seems to
have such fascination for some of them that
after making their play they remain about the
alleys to learn the result rather than go to
work and earn an honest dollar. This is prob
ABLY the most common practice among the
writer's, and when their business is so con-
Quoted the police have better chance to catch
them, for the witnesses arc in sight and MANY
OF them when questioned will give all the in.
formation they possess
on THE LOOKOUT FOR THE POLICE.
'Most OF these writer's, the testimony has
shown, have men about the alley on the look
out for the police, but even they are not smart
enough to prevent the vigilant officers from
reaching the house in time to make successful
raid. In these alley policy shops the furniture
generally consists Of a table aud stove and the
drawings are received twice u dsy, and if the
game is a square one the hits are paid
''On the other hand there are scores of
perlpatetlc writer's who 60 around to barber
shops, back alley gates and houses and in
every conceivable way get at the PLAYERS and
gather in their nickels, dimes and dollars and
then return with the drawings This Is the
more dangerous class of the two because il Is
more difficult to detect them and bring them
to justice, and it is next to impossible to pro-
cure witnesses against them.
THE system OF BOOKKEEPING.
1.-THE system of bookkeeping of the policy
people is a remarkable one. and is the best 1
have ever seen" the judge continued. THE
writer has square piece OF tin on which rests
the paper containing tine numbers PLAYED The
top sheet OF tissue paper is properly dated nj
the top with the number of the writer and al
he writes the numbers PLAYED on the top sheet
1t is transferred to Gnother sheet oy means of a
sheet of carbon paper. and at the close of the
days work the writer has the sum total of his
collection, the amount of his percentage and
the numbers played. Ono sheet he retains
while the other he sends to the hackers or
managers, and when the returns of the draw.
ings are made he has every number PLAYED on
him and the player produces the slip or ticket
given him by the writer, 50 that there is no
chance for q mistake
PLAYERS SHOULD BE PUNISHED
In conclusion the j1dgs suggested that an |
amendment to the present law furnishing play |
ers as well as writer's for promoting the illegal
business would have the desired effect and
would about end the business, as he thouobt
few persons would risk playing or 10 Cent?
when 1t meant a possible sentence of not more
than one years imprisonment in Jail
DETECTIVE BLOCKS RxpERIENcra
Detective Block. who has been in terested in |
the game to the extent of raiding scores Of |
policy shops and arresting hundreds of writer's
tells OF the raids in which he has figured and
how the writen and players jump from second-
story windows and vault fences in their en- |
deavor to escape. This officer understands we'll
the dif6culties encountered in getting around
'spotters." or persons who perform the duty Of
an outside sentinel. At some places he has an
countered the finger nails Of irate females ana |
at other places the presence Of large bulldocs
has retarded the work Of the officers In corr
versation with STAR reporter the officer told
OF the manner OF making the books, a. already
told by Judge Miller, and he showed The r.
porter . copy OF the evening drawing Of De.
cember n last, which was 10 follows: