The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1894-11-10
A CAPITALS CRIMES.
SOME TOUGH TIMES IN WASH
INCTON CITY.
When Pistols and sandbags We're Al
ways at Hand-Noted Murders Mt the
National Capital-soverai Secret Som
fences OF Death.


Pennsylvania avenue from Twelfth
street to Fourteenth. Men were sand
bagged and robbed near Iowa circle.
First street, near the government
printing Office, had nightly saturn
ALA. Assassins, robbers and gam
blers flourished in what is now the
business center.
Those were the days when Lieuten-
ants Kelly, Gessford, Vernon, Amiss,
Sergeants Acton and Schilling and
other good heads of the present police
force were patrolling beats. 1t was
soon after the war, and Washington
was tough town. Patrol boxes
were not in vogue, and telephones
were unheard of. There was not
even such thing as patrol wagon.
In those days a policeman had to be
ready with his club and quick with
his gun.
During the war;" said patrolman
OF the old school to Post reporter the
other day, '.the toughest place in
Washington was Murder Bay little
strip between Thirteen-and-a-half
and Fourteenth streets, and from Ohio
avenue to the old canal. 1t was over
run with tough soldiers, gamblers and
negroes. All branches of crime flour
ished. Boys were given lessons in
porch-climbing and pocket-picking.
The ex-convict reported to his pals in
the Bay and many desperate plots
were Matched there.
"Why, it wasn't so very much more
than twenty years ago that Sunday
James shot and killed Race Bolster
on K street, just west of the National
theater, and about in front of where
the present Post building stands. John
Usher had big gambling place right
in there. Sunday James and Race
Bolster We're gamblers and toughs.
Bolster ran saloon on ID street, and
was something of prize fighter Bar
ney Aaron licked him once, remem-
Der. Well Sunday James and Race
his name was Moracio'-quarreled
over q poker game, and met on the
dead, then stood over him and
emptied two revolvers into him.
James was tried, but went free,
think.
at wasn't long after that until Dem
mis- Darden killed John Mccarthy.
That happened on Pennsylvania ave-
nue. between Twelfth and Thirteenth
streets. They were gamblers, and
good ones, too. Mccarthy was a
clever fellow, and the handsomest man
you ever saw. Well, some of the gam
bling houses were raided, and lot of
the gamblers got together and decided
that Mccarthy had given them away
to the police. So they declared that
he had to die. How to kill him was
the question. Finally it was agreed to
deal poker hands, and that the last
loser must do the killing.
at took some time to deal all the
fellows out, but finally it was down to
Dennis Barney and another gambler
old Dave johnson, think it was
Dennis lost. He didn't say a word,
but loaded up brace of revolvers and
went out to look for Mccarthy He
found him and killed him with the first
shot"
'.What became of Darden?"
ale was arrested, but went crazy
and died before he could be- tried"
Gambling kept increasing in
Washington from the time of the war on
to along in 1878, when it reached the
top notch. All, those were the days.
Why, in 1873 there were gambling
houses on Pennsylvania avenue, from
Four-anda-half street TO Fifteenth, all
over + street, on Eleventh street and
on Fifteenth street.
The police force at that time was in
charge of special police commissioners,
and they sent Lieutenant Austin, now
captain of police, into the First pre-
cinct in 1877, and after he had been
there few months gave him orders
to get after the gamblers. Well, sir,
he made two or three raids every
night. Didn't have to stand back
about breaking into mans castle in
those days.
"Austin used to carry little jimmy
with him, and would pry open the
doors. Then his men would rush in
and arrest everybody in sight, and
grab up all the paraphernalia.
There was funny thing about
breaking up the gambling. OF all the
hundreds of men who were arrested
just one single man was convicted.
That was Martin La Troop. He was
sent to the pen, but he hadn't been
there more than six weeks when he
was pardoned by the president. You
see, all the gambling cases were laid
over to the grand jury, and then car
ried to the criminal court, where they
died out.
Lets see, started out to tell you
about the old, tough places in Wash
ington. AS Murder Bay began to
die out, Tip Cup alley rose up. 1t
was near Four-and-a-half street, below
! the Mall. Along in 1868 the alley
was one continuous round OF shooting
and killing.
'.In 1870 big stretch OF country
over around the government printing
Office claimed distinction as the tough
est place in town. It was known as
the Sand Lots and jackson alley
was within its.domain. 1t was over
in the lots about this time that Gin
Cer' Warder cut Mike Hagan to pieces.