The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1893-04-07
ONE MORE!
Another Raid in SWlllt0Wn UDsGB the
Blaeklsgs
SHERIFF SMITHS GOOD WORK
Twenty-Five Bawdy Houses Raided ard
n General shake-up Effected In
n Few Minutes.

For some inexplicable reason the Inn
preston gained ground yesterday that
the raiding of the gambling dens the
previous night was only a owe to fur
ther an object, VIZ: to test the efficacy
Of the state law in reference to gamb-
ling, and that pending the settlement
of the question by the next grand jury
and before the circuit court, nothing
would be done toward the suppression
Of the evil. This impression was err
roneous however, for during the early
hours Of the evening Deputy District
Attorney Curtis was buslly engaged
in making out complaints against not
only those who had been arrested the
night before, but against those whose
whose places had been raided, and VINO
had again opened up their games. The
complaints were finally made out, and
with Constable Oberg, Mr.. Curtis start
ed in his mission. But he was antici-
pated by Sheriff Smith, who arrived
before him at the scene OF action and
succeeded in landing a prize at the
crap table in the saloon run by Erick-
son & Wirkkala. The man conducting
the game was e. w. Sehlin, best known
as .Bill Boxer and he was taken In,
together with the dice and some $64O, or
thereabouts, which constituted the
bank roll.
Sheriff Smith not only arrested Sch
lin but he did still more. He closed
up all the games, and next proceeded
in another direction. With his depu-
ties he visited the different bawdy
houses, and one by one and two by two
the occupants were arrested and taken
to Jail, from which some were quickly
released on furnishing the requisite
bail, while q few less fortunate were
compelled to languish in durance vile.
The arrests were made 81 quickly and
the raid so well managed that few es-
capped, and hacks had to be secured to
more readily and speedily convey the
arrested ones to the precincts or the
jail. The entire number arrested was
twenty-seven. OF these twenty-five
were women, eighteen of whom furn-
ished bail, and five men including two
Chinese Migrants, Pete Dourell and
Harry Christensen.
Sheriff Smith was interviewed by an
Historian reporter after his duties had
been finished. In speaking of the causes
that led to the wholesale raiding, he
said: 81 have for q long time past
thought. and in fact have been con-
vinced that public sentiment was
averse to any such radical change II
the manner in which affairs have beer
going on in this city. and for that rea'
son / have refrained from making ar
rests In certain cases where the state
law had been violated, but where there
seemed no probability of securing con
victions. During the past two weeks
however, the evils Of our social system
have been well and thoroughly dis
cussed by The Astorian, and l believ'
the time has just arrived when tn,
abuses Of the past can be corrected
A few arrests were made last night
the sheriff continued, "but tonight tn
games of all those who had been ar
rested were agin running and at one
determined that the law should not b
ignored II any action on my part coul'
prove effective. Hereafter, you can In
form your readers the law Will b
strictly enforced II the community vii
assist me. without public sentiment I
support me / am powerless; but II tn
citizens will do their duty you can res
assured that I shall never shirk mine,
ut will doubtless prove a fruitful
source OF surprise to some in this cit
to be made acquainted with many Q
the statutes n the code, every one o
which win be enforced to the letter
ma the education of these people wi
be begun tomorrow by the arrests Q
the owners Of all the premises occupie
as bawdy houses.
while speaking on the gambling ev'
/ wish to say a word with referenc
to q communication published In Th
Historian Of Tuesday. In that communi
cation It was stated by n Of the Ia
dies belonging to the Woman's Chris
tian Temperance Union, that n pet
ton had been sent to the chief OF pc
lice and to me over a year ago askin
these officers TO perform their swor
duty. with all due respect to this mos
estmable lady who wrote the letter.
must beg to differ with her. for Will
such n document might have bee
framed. It never reached my ofiic'
Furthermore. no petition OF that ne
ture was ever presented to me frol
any source, nor was any complaint eve
made against any one conducting gam
bling houses"