Evening star., 1895-06-01
AN ERA OF REFORM
Big Gamblers Inaugurate 1t in Be-
half of Little Ones.
VIRGINIA DIVES CLOSED UP
But the Foreign Books and Policy
Wheels Run Every Day.
AIMS OF THE GAMBLERS

The activity of the board of trade In the
direction of helping the authorities of Vir-
| ginia to purify that portion of their COM
monwealth lying opposite Washington
which is directly injurious to the national
capital is already having good effects in
roundabout way. A few days ago the pro-
prietor of the disreputable resort on the
Virginia shore above the Aqueduct bridge
known "Heath's," where faro crap,
hazard and roulette have been played day
In and day out, and especially on Sundays,
was notified by certain officials of Alex
andria county to close up the place at once
and keep it closed until further orders.
This was Immediately done, and the score
or SO of dealers, cappers and other en-
pioyes ofthe notorious dive We're informed
that their services would be no longer re-
quired until further notice. The same ac-
ton was taken in regard to the gambling
room that has heretofore been openly run
above Clark's saloon in Rosslyn, and the
keepers of the various liquor places in
Rosslyn and Jackson City were instructed
to preserve order and to allow no games OF
crap or other form of gambling to be car
rfed on In their premises. The policy kings
who operate from Alexandria were also
notified to carry on their business with
more circumspection and to be careful to
whom they intrusted the duty of carrying
the plays to the various places where
policy players gather to learn the result OF
the days drawings.
Gambler Makes an Offer.
AS IL to swell the sudden wave Of reform
and further astound moral meteorologists
with the singular aspect of the Alexandria
county atmosphere, Mr.. Harry Gambler at
whose place, 1t will be remembered, Eddy
Desmond. now in custody accused of being
firebug, housebreaker, bank burglar and
highway robber, made his headquarters
and was arrested, announced that he would
place his commodious hall at the disposal
of the evangelists who might desire to
hold services at jackson City in behalf Of
purifying its pollution and reforming its
habitues.
OF course, there is no one with sufficient
temerity to even imagine for moment
that the authorities and gamblers and the
tough element generally of Alexandria
county Lave not experienced a complete
change of heart They have done so on
several former occasions when they an
ticipated vigorous action on the part Of
laws abiding citizens of both Virginia and
Washington who had grown tired of their
reckless and proflisate reign. There is no
need of going far, however, to discover the
reasons for this remarkable moral meta
morpEcsis which Alexandria county has
Undergone There is old couplet which
was written to show the manner in which
the strong are beset and annoyed by the
little things of the world.
Big heas have little fieas to bite EN-"
AHu 81 Oh, al lnnnltum.
The Meat in the Coconnut.
Across the river the big fieas are the
gamblers who have graduated from the
baize-covered faro layouts to boolmakerss
blackboards and their accompanying race
tracks. The little f1eas are the skin faro
bank proprietors, the crap joint keepers
and the others of that ilk who infest jack
son City and Rosslyn, and are scattered in
in iIaT.. n
fusion. The big feas some time ago ap-
preciated the fact that the presence of the
little ones and the attention they attracted
by the sore places they made Nirginia's
body polite was inspiring indigna ton that
reached the very chalk on their own black
boards. They therefore determined to have
them driven away for the timebeing at least
and, consequently, the gamblers owning the
race tracks made it part of their agree
ment to re-elect County Attorney johnson
and Sheriff Veitch that they should sum-
marily close up all the little gambling
places whose proprietors were not strong
enough to have what is known as q
pull" Attorney johnson was willing to
do his share but Sheriff Veitch declined to
interfere with the places that he had all
lowed for so long to continue without re-
strictfon. The result was that Mr.. johnson
was reelected and Mr.. Veitch was de-
feated.
Results That Are Expected.
The present era of reform has been in
trating the expected efforts of Governor
O'Ferrall and the Washington board of
trade to place Alexandria county on a
plane of decency and law. The idea is that
the detectives who may be employed by
the board of trade to secure evidence
against the gamblers and other law breakl
ers in Alexandria county will find every.
thing closed up. and be compelled to reS
port their inability to make cases. In thif
way the big gamblers who now hold abb
solute sway over the county will be en-.
abled to make the representations that tho
crusade of the Washington board of trada
is not really inspired by the actual con-
ditions in Alexandria county because It
the proof 1t had promised. The promoters
OF this novel scheme. however, seem to
have forgotten that the statute of Iimita-
tion covering such misdemeanors and fell
onies as those which have disgraced Alex
andr1a county will not become safe ref
uge for those who have been known to
break the laws of Virginia in the imme-
diate past for some time to come: Mean
time the small fry gamblers across the
river are waiting for permission to open
their dives again, and the race track gam
blers and policy kings are poking each
other jocosely in the ribs and chuckling
with satisfaction over the way in which
tention of the decent citizens of Virginia
and the District of Columbia to put a stop
to the reign of lawleSsness which has dis
graced Alexandria county for ten years
past. Meanwhile their foreign books are
illegally conducted at both st. Asaph and
roll with periodic regularity in the city Of
Alexandria itself.
THE PRESIDENT At WORK