The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-03-12
DOM WILL FIGHT II.
Insists That 1t Was Only 3 Whist
Club
THAT OCCUPIED THE ROOM
In the Columbian Building and INA
1t Had over Thirty Members.

In the Columbian Building and That
1t Had over Thirty Members.
The case of the city against George 81.
Rhodes. w. E. Dom, Frank Hughes,
Harry Jenkins and A. J. MINIS, charged
with gam bling and arrested IN the Col
umbian building Sunday afternoon, was
not tried in police court this morning.
The city was not ready.
The officials and some of the occupants
of the Columbian building were fully as
surprised at the raid there Sunday after
noon as were the raided-
There have been hints that all was not
right in certain rooms Of the building Tor
some time.
The room raided is in the basement
and is the second on the east side from
the elevator.
It has been said that the room was oc-
cupied by whist club, but one suspic-
ious fact is that there was rough ante
room built into the main room, and 1t had
q door with lock and keys. These were
strange precautions for an innocent whist
club.
A reporter called at the office of A Il
Bates. who is manager of the building
and treasurer of the company, and he ex-
pressed great surprise at the affair or
Sunday evening.
"The JOURNAL. seemed to worry more
about it than anyone else,' he said All
ter its former accusation l made a
thorough canvass of the building and
could find no one who had any idea that
there was any gambling going on in any
of the rooms One of the tenants had
done a good deal of talking about 1t, I'M
derstood, and l went to him. He denied
knowing anything, but said he had ven
men going into the basement room THAT
he knew were that kind That's the only
thing l ever heard.
"Mr. HilIyer sleeps next door to the
room and have asked him about it but
he says he never has heard the least
noise there at any time. The room was
rented to a whist club, but l have never
been in it."
II. C. Dorr, president of the company
that owns the building, said:
1--WE had heard mention made of the
matter and | believe an investigation was
made although it is not the province of
1heeompany to nose about in its tenants
rooms and inquire too thoroughly into
their business. We do not want any such
thing as that going on in the building,
though, if we can help it. It is rather a
ldificult think to keep out however. 1t
was done mighty quietly if there was
gambling at all. | don't see how the po-
lice discovered it unless they had a
spotter"
Mr. Dom was entirely unconcerned
about it. He will defend himself and
his colleagues when the case is tried.
81 don't know just what the city is 60
ing to do about the matter" said he, "but
we are going to keep out of it if we can,
of course The fact of the matter is it
was simply whist club About thirty
young men belonged and it had been in
operation about two months. We had
round tables to be sure, but there were
no center holes in them such as are used
in poker. They had been poker tables,
but when we got them we plugged the
holes and sewed the cloth over them.
We had no use for poker holes. There
was never any noise there, SO there could
have been no distur bance.
There were poker chips in the room
of course, for we sometimes played seven
up and used them to count with. That,
besides the cards. were all the gambling
paraphernalia in the room.
"We aren't going to ask any mercy,
anyway, either from the police or from
the newspapers"
Mr. Dom is in very good humor about
the entire matter
Dom, Hughes. jenkins and MINIS were
released when arrested on bail of 800
each.
Rhodes, whom the police say wss the
proprietor of the place, was made &c
give bond in the sum of $500.
WrSrnTCVH "a znDc