The evening world., 1893-07-26
R|DeWAY ON BUCKET SHOPS.
He Declares Them Legal and
Will Act as Counsel to Them.
His Construction OF tho law Causes
Amusement Here.

James w. Ridgway. District Attorney
of Kings County, was at white heat this
morning because Of story published In
a morning newspaper to the effect that
he allows bucket -sh ops to fleece the un-
wary within stones throw Of his office.
The more serious charge. however, was
that not only did he permit the law to
be openly violated, but actually acted
as counsel for one Of the buckets shop
proprietors, against whom suit was
brought for the recovery Of money lost
at the game.
The story also implied that some one
In the District-Attorney's office was in
terested in the bucket-shop business.
When an Evening World" reporter
saw Mr.. Ridgway in his Office this
morning. the District-Attorney had Just
finished reading the story, and for a
few moments the air was blue In his
vicinity.
Then, in answer to a series Of questions,
he. said that the same paper had pub
lished the same story at least half a
dozen times to his knowledge. and for
the sole apparent purpose OF injuring
him. He then went further and put a
construction on the law regarding
gambling that will create surprise gem
orally.
at is charged" he said. "that allow
these places-bucket shops or gambling
dens they call them-to flourish right
here in Brooklyn. Now, what are these
places? Are they any worse than the
New York Stock Exchange, which is
nothing. II not gambling institution
Not bit.
These people are open around here.
They are carrying on their business,
feet right to do so. The Supreme Court
has held that they have a perfect right
to keep open, and so long as the pro-
prietors want to keep. open they can do
so without the slightest Interference
from the Observation-Disclosures office.
Now, as to this particular case. where
1t Is charged that / acted as counsel
while being District-Attorney. Il is true
Friedman in a suit brought against him
by Charles s. Daron for money lost
in alleged gambling.
of mine long before i received the nom
tnation for District-Attorney. He is
still a client of the firm of which l am
a member, and ! want to say right now nov,
that II he has 100 suits of the same civil
nature l propose to defend them all for
him.
extort money from Friedman. The man
times, and threa atened that II he did not
@ iished. Il II. "1 did take ' his M story % to pdh ths
an sns i. II has kept on pSei56lhs 1t ever
"The suit was settled finally, I be-
lieve, by my client paying Dorion some
thing like SIS. That rs all there is to
the story. and I only care to repeat
was and still is a client of mine. The
courts have said that he has a perfect
right to carry on his business. and he
"As 70 tho cbarpe that some ma In
my office has an interest in the bucket
shop business. think u you draw a
netooth on na comb .,rS;s oyer the place y9S
money enough to pay for the fitting up
Of such place"
Assistant District-Attorney Weeks, of
Mr.. Ridgway's assertion that the su-
preme Court had held bucket shops to
be legal. but after thinking the natter
over moment he said:
ways opinion or knowledge of the mat
ter, because I do not know enough about
1t to. criticise. over here, however we
always thought that II proper evidence
proprietors they could be convicted. The
trouble always has been and always will
be to get the right kind of evidence
What Mr. Ridgway probably, refers
which was brought into the Supreme
Court where a question Of his being
criminally responsible before the law
was raised. am not prepared to say
offhand that the opinion was against
his being criminal. As I said, we al
ways thought in this office that man
could be convicted of keeping a bucket
shop on the presentation Of proper evil
dence"
Recorder Smyth nearly fell off the
bench of Part H., Court of General
Sessions. when he heard what Mr.. Ridg-
way had said.
well" he said. II thought I knew a
little about criminal law, and I never
heard Of the Supreme Court having de-
cided that bucket shops were not H.
such a decision been rendered I would
have heard something about 1t.