The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-29
THE SLOT MACHINE CONE.
It Can no More be Found at It's Erst-
while Familiar Haunts.


/ The slot machines have met their doom
in Savannah, though there has been no
action taken with regard to them by the
1 courts, and the. officers of the law have
only taken slight cognizance of their ex-
istence here.
But thorough search yesterday failed
( to reveal the existence of one of them
here. The announcement of Solicitor
General Fraser seems to have the effect
the authorities desired, and the machines
have silently but rapidly disappeared
They have gone, nobody knows where,
but there is no doubt that they are out Of
sight.
The solicitor general intended his statess
ment given for publication to the MORNING
News as a warning that he had the mat
ter under consideration, on account of the
fact that he considered their operation
against the laws Of the state which pro-
hlbit all machines or games in the way of
lotteries or chance. He said at the time
heehad determined on no plan Of action,
but having reached the conclusion that
they were in violation of the law, he
would probably take the matter before
the grand jury if it was found necessary.
MOST OF THEM GONE.
The action on his part, however, will
hardly be found necessary. The proprie-
tors of the nickel in-the-slot machine
have fOrestalled this action, and the erst-
while familiar, and often deceptive slot
is no more to be seen at its accustomed
place on the counter of the bar and the
cigar store.
"Where's your slot machine?" was
asked of former proprietor of one of
them yesterday.
Didn't want get into the courts"
was the reply. The same proprietor had
kept three of them at different places,
and he had called them all in.
Another who had kept q machine in
which there was no chance taken on his
part, as 1t always turned out the moneys
worth, and sometimes, little more, had
called his in too.
'lt's not like the Others" he said. "a
man never plays it for money, and he
always gsts the value Of his money and
sometimes more, but thought it best to
stop running it until it has been decided
whether 1t comes under the law or not.
GOOD MONEY MAKERS.
There is little doubt that many of the
proprietors made considerable profits out
Of these machines Some of them ad-
mitted that they were lucrative, while
others protested that there was no money
in the business. But the proprietor of
the machine which was played for money
would always win. The player of the
machine, if he won, would generally be so
elated with his success that he would
drop all his winnings back into the SLOT
in hopes that he might repeat his former
efforts.
The slot machine; it seems. has been
rather short-lived. They were all looked
upon at first as harmless and innocent,
but in many quarters they have become
TO be as bad as lotteries. Many an inhab-
liant of Yamacraw and the old fort has
stood by one of these machines until he
dropped his last nickel in the
slot, ana the eagerness to win
something from it has become with
many more of a craze than playing the
policy lotteries. It's destinations with
many have surpassed those of a game
called skin. Now that the warning has
bern given ana has been taken by most
of the proprietors of these machines, it
will probably go harder with any of them
caught, should the grand jury decide
that they are illegal.