Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-11-15
WHAT CHICAGO is DOING.
They Have No Lexow Committee
There, No Golf and No Wellman.

The regular correspondent of the
Boston Evening Transcript draws a
picture of life in the windy city which
must make Boston people, even those
of this city who read it, shrug their
shoulders with a real Pharasaical
shrug and eXclaim: ''Thank God, we
are not quite as bad as Chicago"
The correspondents description is in
teresting to New Workers just now
from the fact of the real efforts at
present being made in this city to put
down the vice so long connived at and
even encouraged by the officers of the
law paid to suppress it. Here are a
few pointers given as to the iniqUity
of Chicago:
The noisy Darker" has succeeded
the quieter ''capper," who used to en-
trap his victims in quiet and unos-
tentatious way. The Individual who
stands in front of a saloon, which usu-
ally coAceals private rooms or gamb
ling house, boldly calls attention to the
attractions inside after the manner of
a side-shOw fakir.
"Craps, roulette, stud-poker, faro, all
inside. Step right in, gents he calls.
'No danger and a square game. You
get run for your money, gents
This in loud tone of voice and with
no apparent heed Of nearby policemen.
Often the barker goes further, and
lays violent hands on the passer-by,
attempting to drag him into the den
by force if he does not rise to the vocal
bait.
After dark certain of the downtown
thoroughfares fairly TEEN with dis
respectable prOmenaders. The police
on these beats seldom pay any atten-
ton to them.
A man can get any game he wants
in Chicago after dark now, and espe-
cialIy ''skin game" There are more
than a score of "swalr' gambling
houses in operation in the downtown
districts, and any one can walk into
! them without question. Outside may
. be found crowds of dealers who make
it a business to insult every woman
that passes. She may have an escort
/
| foolish enough to resent an insult he
| is attacked by the loafers and beaten.
| The police officer is not in sight, and
! if complaint is registered when one
is found he merely laughs and walks
on. 1t is absolutely unsafe for a de-
cent woman to walk the streets down.
town after dark. She has no prOtec-
ton.
In New Orleans lottery tickets are
displayed in the windows of saloons
and cigar stores. Such publicity has
reached here, and there are over a
hundred places downtown where lot
terry tickets are sold openly over the
counter The agent of the largest lot
terry concern here has his sub-agencies
all over the city. The agents receive
twenty per cent. commission. The
smaller concerns also have their de-
pots for distribution over town.
The recent crusade against the
opium joints has had no apparent eff
feet They are as numerous as ever
and are run as openly, principally in
the basement laundries of Cinnamon
along the principal thoroughfares.
These foul-smelling dens are well
tpatronized by the slaves of the drug.
The chief sports Of the colored man
policy and craps-are to be found
everywhere. Nearly every saloon in
town has it's wide-open crap game in
the back room, and these games may
also be found in cigar stores and bill,
, lard halls.
Gambling is by no means confined to
regular gambling houses. Saloons
: cigar stores and billiard rooms have
been transformed into dens in which
men can risk their money at many