Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1893-03-27
War ON the Gamblers.

y
in Norfolk the Landmark of that city
says:
About three weeks ago the papers
noted the arrival in Norfolk Of the Hon.
George Mushbsch, of Alexandria. Mr..
Mushbach was State Senator, and al
though noted locally as man of abiil-
ty, his name has never spread through
out the length and breadth OF the Com
monwealth until he introduced IN the
Senate what is now known as the
Mushbach anti-gambling bill. The di-
rect object of this bill was the breaking
up of Monte Carlo, situated across from
Washington, and a place which, IN the
course of time, if its prosperity were
not interrupted, would rival the world
famous Monte Carlo, situated in the
little principality on the Medlterra-
mean; but Mr.. Mushbach was the man
who interrupted this growth, and the
means used was his bill.
The purport of Mr. Mushbach's visit
TO this city was made known for the
first time on Thursday when the ar
rests were made, and from him the
following startling facts were obtain
ed:
He said that there was an incorpor-
ated society in the State of New York,
with headquarters in the city OF New
York, called the Abou-Ben-Adam, an
untranslatable Arabic name, the Eng
fish for which would be an auti-gam-
bling society. This society has mil
lions of dollars at its back and its sole
purpose is to eIterminate gambling in
all its forms, if possible, and that he is
the general attorney for this society.
The attention of the society was turn
ed toward the lottery companies, as
there had been numbers of places in
New York city which had been recent
ly started. Immediately every effort
was made to obtain all information nee
essary to break these up, and during
the search for evidence it was discover
ed that other cities, among them being
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Richmond,
Washington, Lynchburg, st. Louis and
Chicago, had similar places, and that
Norfolk was the headquarters for all
these places.
He came to Norfolk, he said, to per-
sonally look over the ground and
stayed there four or five days. He visit
ed all the shops and secured all the evil
dence necessary. He found that the
same numbers drawn out of the wheel
both at the - and o'clock drawings
, were mailed all over the country, and
| after being received ut their destina-
. ton were posted up, as If drawn from q
wheel in that city.
He described the manner of working
this grand scheme as follows: In New
York city there were a number OF
places where policy was written-that
is man pays five cents and takes three
numbers, for example, 4-1l-44, if he
strikes he gets 50, but he must strike
this at the day and hour of the draw
f ing for which he plays. When the
numbers are drawn, for the time he
plays, he goes around and finds posted
upon blackboard thirteen numbers.
But these numbers are not drawn from
any wheel in New York city but from
the wheel at the headquarters in Nor
folk. This same state OF affairs exists
in the other cities, so that the hugcness
of the scheme can be readily seen.
Before Mr.. Mushbach left the city he
had obtained all the necessary facts and
figures to convince him of the truth of
r the above statements. He got the num-
beers as they were drawn out OF the
wheels and compared them with the
numbers sent elsewhere and found them
similar After staying here long enough
to determine what course to pursue he
left for his home.
A few days after his departure,
another stranger made his appearance.
He was quiut unassuming man, with
the face of stole and careless, indie
pendent manner which, although fail
ing TO win confidants, yet won respect.
1t was noticed that he was quite fire.
quenter of the place where the symbolic
numbers 4-11-l4 were found.
This was the man who presented the
warrant to Captain Vellines Thursday
night, and whose name is John Miller.
He came here under orders from Mr..
Mushbach and is q New York detective.
He was to obtain all the information
, possible, and when the time was ripe
was to spring the trap. That the trap
went off can be testified to by the large
crowd on the corner of Main and Church
street Thursday afternoon.
While Miller was bringing the mat
ter to climax, in order TO make assur-
ance doubly sure and at the same time
pluck the goose that laid the golden
egg before he killed him, he invested
about $50 in playing the game without
any results.
All the paraphernalia was captured.
1t consisted, among other things of two
wheels, new brass wheel ard an old
wooden wheel. In the brass wheel
were found seventy.siS small packages,
these being the numbers, which are
printed on slips of paper and placed in
small tubes, which are drawn out
through door in the wheel, which is
about nine inches wide and two feet in
circumference.
1t is claimed that this raid will seri-
ously interfere with policy playing
throughout the country, with result
that in the end it will be entirely ex-
terminated.
A WEDDING IN THE PRESENCE OF
DEATH.-NIiss Matilda Van Ness Lon
ey, daughter of Colonel H. D. Loney
and of the Mrs. Anna N. Loney, and
First Lieutentent George Arthur linn,
A