Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-28
ITWASATOUGH TOWN
Lively Scenes IN the Washington Of
Former Days.
PISTOLS And SANDBAGS RElGNED.
Neco,lcctions Of an Old Police Onrcer Of
the Time Whom Murder Was OF AL
most Daily Occurrence
(yvashington Post)

ago, the crack OF the revolver frequency
,eue,-ed the ,ponotony OF pennsylvania
avenue from Twelfth street TO Fourteenth
Men were sandbaggcd and roopeo near
Iowa Circle. FIRST street, near the Gov
eminent Printing once. had a nigh'y
x.turnalia. Assassirs. robbers. ana sa'no-
lens nourlshcd in what Is now the ous'-
ness center
Thosc were the days when IAeutenants
Kelly. Gcssford. Vernon. Amiss. SER
rcants Acton and Sohilling. and other
good heads 81 the present police force
were patrolling beats. II was soon
After the war. and Washington was
touch town. Patrol boxes were not IN
vogue. and telephones were unheard OF.
There was not even such thing as
patrol wagon. In those days policeman
had TO be ready with his club. and quick
with his gun
During the war" said n patrolman or
the old school to q Post reporter. the
other day. che toughest place in Wash
ington was Murder Bay little strip
be;w.a Thirteen and q half and Four
toenih streets. ana from Ohio avenue
10 the ola canal. IL was overrun with
tough tldicrs. gamblers. and negroes.
All branthc 81 crime nourished. Boys
were given lessons in porch-climhing
and pockrt-pickirg The CX-Convct re-
ported 90 his pals in the Ray ana many
desperate plots were Matched there.
with these gamblers were lots Of
women. Of course. and they settled in
the Bay and as close TO IT as possible,
many Of them locating on Twelfth and
Thirics nth streets This was the begin
ming o. 1Iooker's Division, which exists
20 this day.
Is the Fay was gradually broken
I'D. ne crooks crowded together. getting
closer 90 the heart Of the city all the
trno Along ia 1876 they had filled up The
block row covered by the Central-lowcr
Station. and made it the worst kind Of n
hole Then the tough places spread up
and down Pennsylvania avenue. and there
va I'D the cutting and shooting that one
could wish.
.,yly. a. wasn't so very much more
-f,- twenty years AGO that Sunday
Jarn,s Shot and Killed Race Bolster on
= street. just west Of the National Thea
o.. ..l about In front Of where the
r,.ssnt Post building stands John Osher
has DIS gambling place Ught IN ther'
sunday James All Race Bolster were
e.mn.rs aud tourhs. Bolster ran sa-
i..r .pn II street. and was something OF n
,,.,. f.n,er. Eouny Aaron licked him
I-.. remembers Wen. sunday James
..f ...'-lis name was Mordcio-auar-
rallied ot.ra poker game. and met on the
,.,..f James shot the other fellow dead
then stood over hin. and clnpued TWO re-
t3i,srs in,1 him. James was tried, but
went free. ! think.
MS LIFE ON THE DEAL.
ct wasn't long after that until Dennis
pard,n Killed John Mccarthy mat nap
rencI on Pennsylvania aNenle between
twelfth aul Thirteenth streets. Ihey
were gamblers. and good ones TOO NC
r.rfEy VS. ia clever fellow, and the
l.,a.,re,. man Won ever saw. Well,
Some ~ fhr saWhlug-houses were ran, o.
and ID Dot If TIE gamblers got together
nYa decided that Mccarthy had given
r-u away 20 the police. 50 'n,' ut-
,l.r.d that be- had TO die HOW TO XII
lri was the question. Finally II was
n.f,cl o. deal poker hands. ana lha'
o.. last loser must 90 The hiiNht.
.It took some time to deal all the fcI-
lows ont. but finally II was down u Den
rIs uirl,u ana another sambler-old Dave
r,n-..r think 90 was. Dennis lost II"
t.f,., ..va word bui loaded mp a brace
g.. r..,al. rs qua went out 20 look FOR bic
c.ftrv DE found him and killed him
w.,. tte first shot
What h.c1mc Of DarIen|
.I- Was arrested. but went crazy and
t.I l.f.i. De- could be tried.
.Gt.l'rr h,qt Increasing in Washing
Cd, fr... tl.. time II the war on to along
H. Isl. when 1t reached the top notch.
l t,... were the days Why, IN 1873
,I.-. w.r Gambling houses on Pennsyl-
,ra avenue from Four-aui-a-half street
p. fy,..uth. all over Il street. on Elev-
--, str-.t. and on Fifteenth street. The
I.ttn.wu house AT that time was Park
-. rrcsume 1t was near the corner OF
J..-t..tth street and Pennsylvania ave
il. B.. me building, II am not mistaken
,v ...lpied by the Press club II was
swell mace. / tell you. The chandeliers
..r.. .rurely Of glass. and the pipes which
carried the gas along the wall were also
.L~- The floors were covered with the
,.--t carpets. and things were so swell
90 I'd ror-professionaI gambler could
u.s.. DTS r,n and think he was having a
t.nr They say that the suppers
ttt Parker used 10 spread IN ms pace
..-' go night.
An. Their big gambling house was KEEL
Ir. OIL thirteenth street between the
s,.ru, ana l. street. At this place the
,..I.ti.-tinl,s were OF ivory, mounted
v,.1 silver one Of these tables was worth
~ 30 Then there was 'Sawdust
J.u. .. y street. and Tharp's place, at
Seventh and T. Tharp always had big
...cI ~ players. George Manse had a
t.. house. too. then. and Shoemaker $
was GONG FUN blast. and l don't know
4w many move.
RAIDS BY LIEUTENANT AUSTIN.
'Hh. police force at that time was in
G u.s.. of special police commissioners
all. they sent Lieutenant Austin. now
captain ~ police, into the First Precinct
t. $500 acd after he had been there a
tv months gave him orders to get at
f.- ~. Gamblers Well sir, he made two
or ttr.- raids every night Didn't have
- stand back about breaking into a
f..- castle IN those days. Austin used
o.. carry Il little jimmy with him. and
would lry open the doors. Then his mer
..l rush In and arrest everybody III
..... and grab UP all the paraphernala
..s with him one night when he raided
r...s big place. The gamblers were al
ttea 10. and thought they were safe
l.t Austin broke down the bars. The
r.mtl,cs had put out the lights, anc
a.r- hiding under the tables The police
AIRED every one Of them. and took The
l. 1913 roulette tables and lot more stun
rs 70 the station. The next day
3 SUMS men TOOK hNcS d4u pIShe tH'
ttIes into knlling-wOod
-Il, as the last table was smashed
L..r came two lawyers. with replevin:
r. tle stun But they were too late
Inev sued Austin for $500 damages, bu
Gets an the good IL did them.
austin kept on raiding and raiding
triI finally the gamblers were pretty
wi routed out. They hung around tow
.rg time. getting into private games
-. doing a little business, but the day.
% he big game were past
There was funny thing about break
rr ~ thc rambling. OF all the hundreds
.- men who were arrested, just one singh
Ban was convicted. That was Martin il
mop. he was sent 10 the pen. but hi
hasn't been there more than six week
Wa he was parloned by the President
Va See. an the gambling cases wer
!s!1 over 10 the grand jury. and thel
r.rr.ed TO the Criminal Court. where thel
-..l out The gamblers used to sc
hopping mad al the repeated raids. ans
u.4Ly threats were made against Austin
bat he was game. and Kept right afre
Them rntil they concluded that TIT
PRESSURE was too r'.ong
BREAKING THE COHEN GANG.