Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-20
TAKING TO B DAT S
Policy Runners Abandon the Bridges Across
the River.
Officers Raid Their Navy on the Monu-
and the Men Sent Down.

The policy business seems to have taken
new lease of life in this city and the
policy men are displaying a degree of
activity which If displayed by officials Of
Alexandria county. across the river, would
undoubtedly put end to the business.
During the past few years police deals
with policy men have been rumored, but
the rumOrs amounted to nothing until the
developments in the case of Deteo tive Suth-
erland and Policeman Greeley, who are now
fugitives from justice. These officers, VINO
were convicted of a charge of being in
terested in the business of one firm, when
they were making an outward appearance
of attempting to break up a rival firm,
have been at large and working in Chicago,
but so far as can be ascertained no effort
has ever been made to apprehend them.
Since their trial. conviction and escape the
policy business has caused trouble in police
departments of other cities. In BALTIMORE
and Alexandria an effort is being made to
investigate these low gambling games,
" lille the officers here have exerted Them
selves in an effort TO apprehend all viola
tors of the law
1t Is not suspected that there is a single
policy headquarters in this city at present,
but 1t is notorious fact that in Virginia,
rear the Long and Free bridges, shops of
this character are permitted to run and do
business in open violation of law, so 1t is
said. 1t is certain that the shops open
and that people from this side of the river
make daily visits to them and gamble
away their hard-earned. cash. From time
to time officers have been stationed about
the bridges to prevent the stream of policy
players from wearing out the planks on
them and also protect them from their de-
sire to play the seductive game.
Many arrests have been made and the
travellers sent down as Migrants or policy
Yesterday Policemen RnSSal
and Joyce suspected that policy men
had stopped going over the bridges
and taken to going over in boats. Just
where they had made their shipping point
learned that some of the suspected men
had been seen going in the direction of
the Monument lot, and yesterday the Off
GERS, in citizens clothes reached the lot
in time to see the men start over to reach
the gambling shops for the morning draw
ing. There were several boats on the river.
but their occupants had reached point
of safety, and it was impossible for the
officers to have overtaken them, even If
they had had boat Having no boat, all
the officers could do was to stand on the
shore and see them moving over the mud
dy water in the direction of the other
shore.
But even then the officers were not dis
heartened, for they waited in expectation
of seeing others come to take the boats
across, and they We're not disappointed.
In few minutes they arrested four col
ored men and would have caught few
more had they had assistance.
Two of the men. William II. Douglass
and Emanuel Boon, had policy slips and
money enough on them 10 indicate that
they were runners, while Henry Carter and
John Toler were in the business a
smaller scale, or perhaps only for them
selves
Boon had more than fifty rows on him
and money to correspond with the plays,
while his companion had, perhaps, about
half that number.
These two men appeared in Judge Mil
ler's court this morning to answer charges
of promoting policy Boon was first ques-
toned, but he declined to tell by whom he
had been employed to take the policy pa
pers over the river, and a sentence of four
months was imposed.
Il was taking these plays over for some
friends" was the excuse made by Doug
lass.
who wrote these numbers?" he was
asked.
II did, he answered.
Can you write?'
only write numbers"
"Just enough to get you in trouble" the
Judge told him. You will have to go to
Jail for four months
Judge Kimball heard the cases of Carter
and Toler, who We're charged under the
vagrancy act.
TN admit that 1 go across the river
once in awhile" said one of them. II
have a good friend over there but l seldom
get farther than the bar ROOM"
do you get stranded there?'
Not exactly"
Toler was given fifteen days on the farm
in default of security and Carter was re-
leased on his personal bonds.