The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-01-07
TIE DIVE EVIL.
Places Where Thieves and Garroters
Are Sheltered.
The Disposition Made of the Herd
Pulled From the Casino Yesterday
Morning-Simple Remedies.

The gang Of dive fixtures taken from
the Casino yesterday morning by the
police were in the Police Court in the
forenoon, and in consequence the place
! had TO be thoroughly ventilated until
they were disposed of, and then fumi-
gated. A crowd of curious spectators
took the lobby by storm, and the little
courtroom was packed to its utmost limit
j. \. Moriarity was given until the 18th
instant to prepare for trial for vagrancy.
Thomas Davis, John Wilson and
Charles Hoy pleaded guilty, and will be
sentenced to-day.
John Grousen, sailor, who had strayed
into the herd, wanted twenty-four hours
in which to prepare for leaving town, and
| the Judge granted his request.
The remainder Of the gang-George
Wilson, William Dougherty, Charles
Lynn, John Witherson, William Lincoln.
James Henderson and Thomas Webb
( promised 10 leave the city Immediately,
/ and Judge CraVenS directed Officers
Maley and Shellars TO escort them out Of
town. The officers marched the crowd
! to the bridge, and there gave them orders
/ TO go west and grow up with some other
/ county.
/ In mentioning the arrest of these loafers
! the RECORD UNION referred to the Casino
! as dive" TO this designation of the
place a party who signs himself Phil
! FELTON," takes exception in letter sent
to this Office yesterday. He says he has
nothing to do with the saloon, but has
with the feeding of these men, that he
is, IN short, the cook Of the concern. In
! one place he says: Il am bound to adj
NIT myself that there are sometimes
! hav H., I, !.
] to behave themselves while there"
| This apologiSt for the place then goes
on TO say that the poor wretches" go
! there because there is no other place in
/ the city where they can get meals for five
! cents. In other words, they spend there
for rum the bulk of whatever money
! they can get by begging or stealing. or
! possibly by doing d little Job of work
| now and then, and are given something
/ to eat.
There have been and still are several
! dives III this city which are the resorts
/ chiefly OF eX-cOnvictS, local thieves, gar
rioters and everything else that is vile and
! criminal in human nature; but, bad as
/ they are, the officers say that the Casino
dive OutclaSses them all Just now. The
police also say that instead of bagging a
dozen or so ofVagrants on Tuesday night,
they should have got fifty or sixty, as
there is usually that number lying about
the place.
/ When the four tramps captured in the
/ brush camp on Monday were brought
! OUt that night into Sheriff Stanlev's office.
one at time, and questioned, the first
one was asked:
What were you doing about the Ca
! sinO last week 20
The party asking the ques ion did not
! know the men had been there, but pre-
/ tended he did in order to determine
whether or not that class of toughs did
! not all know and visit the place. The
| prisoner replied:
We'll, friend told me about it, | had
money when | came here from Oregon,
and blew II all in at the Casino"
The next one was asked: Ibid l not
see you at the Casino last week."
Il guess you did, boss. l was there a
/ good deal Of the time"
To third-"You say you came here
only few days ago, from Oregon; how
did 1t happen that you so soon found
! your way TO the Casino?"
"Oh, friend Of mine told me about
the place"
/ A few nights ago a RECoRD-U UNION re-
! porter encountered on the street one OF
! the Understanding specimens Of human
lty he ever met. The fellow was a
stranger here, and If his face and general
! appearance did not belle him he was one
! who would not hesitate to cut a MANS
throat for nickel. The reporter won
dered where the fellow was heading for.
and resolved to follow him. He made d
Decline for the Casino!
The police say that when a convict is
sent to the State Prison he informs his
fellow prisoners of the places where they
can go, when discharged, and meet Other
, eX-cOnVicts, and where they will be vel
/ coined and sheltered from the wintry
blasts as long as their money husband
longer if they show a disposition to get
out at night and prey upon the commu-
nifty.
That there are several such places Of
rendezvous in this city there can be nc
doubt in the mind of a person who will
go about at night and see what goes on
while the city sleeps.
A reputable citizen says one night re.
Gently a habitue of one of these dens OF
X street pointed out to him no less than
eighteen eX-convicts lounging about the
place, some OF them probably concocting
schemes OF plumber for that very night.
The keepers of these hell-hOles harhOl
and protect the thieves, who in turr
spend with them the proceeds of theiI
raids upon citizens. If they had no places
Of refuge they would have to 60 some
where else.
The police should raid all the thieves
dens at frequent intervals, and perhaps in
this way the class from which the pro
prietors derive their support might be
driven from the city. Decent, or half
way decent men viii not, of course, visit
or patronize the dives and they would
have 10 close.
But there is an easier and better renedy
than that-let the City Trustees revoke
the licenses under which the dives arr
maintained. That would solve the prob.
lem in short order.