Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-11-04
RAID ON GAMBLERS.

NALL YIN YAM DhEi1eS.
A much-talked talked of subject in
this city yesterday was the raid on Jack
Heath's gambling house in the county
on the previous night and the bringing
of the captured paraphernalia to the
front of the station house in this city
and its demolition. Faro, keno, poker,
crap. roulette and hazard outfits, cost
ing thousands of dollars, fell meath
the ruthless hands of the law officers,
despite the protests of counsel for the
owners, while ''chipso we're scattered
in every direction. The debris was
finally gathered up and deposited with
in the station house and during the cay
the remains were viewed by large mum
bers, most of whom eyed them curious
ly and allowed acquaintances to explain
the use of this and that piece. Probably
in some instances it was carrying Goals
to Newcastle, as the listeners were
doubtless as we'll posted as the obliging
ones who volunteered the explanation.
The raid was cleverly planned and
successfully accomplished, and when
all had been done the following dispatch
was sent to Governor O'Ferrall
Tine raid was successful, Eight are in
Jail here Got several thousand dollars'
worth of stuff Will destroy. Ny men shot
at. One of the gamblers was shot. News
paper reports of the sheriff being with US are
false. Everything lovely;
Heath's den is above Rosslyn and the
raid was made by Detective w. G.
Baldwin, who was acting under the or
der of the Governor. Neither the
sheriff of Alexandria county nor
Commonwealth Attorney Johnston
knew that raid was contemplated
nor did any of the constables, the whole
affair being managed by Detective
Baldwin end officers brought by him
from Roanoke. Heath's gambling para
phernalia was worth So, 500 at the low.
est figure, and what remains Detective
Baldwin will burn in the Columbus
street court yard. The raid had been
planned about two mouths ago, and
two or three days ago several men
dressed as countrymen visited the place
and entered in the various games.
They appeared to be green, but they
were sharp enough to win quite little
bit of money. These men were detec-
tives and they carefully noted the posi-
tons of the tables, and obtained the
names of those who managed them. %
Saturday night these apparent country
men were all on hand. Detective Bald
win visited Magistrate Birch, of Alex
andria county, and procured the neces
sary warrants. At 10 o'clock that night
Baldwin entered the den. ALI the
gambling was being done on the second
floor, and almost 800 persons were
present. Interest was centered in a
gigantic keno game, which one of the
Heath brothers was managing. Over
100 men were playing. Twenty-Five,
ten, ninety.one, seven," the caller was
crying, "Jhirty-one, forty-two." Keno, !"
yelled Detective Baldwin, as he sprang
| upon table and drew a brace of re-
solvers. This was followed by great
CONSERVATION, and the gamblers ran to
4 the doors, only to find them blocked by
armed detectives. Baldwin had seven
men with him, and they completely in
undated the crowd Will and Ed
Heath were not to be caught, however.
They escaped by jumping out of second
story windows. Jack Heath was not
in the house and thus escaped. After
the great crowd had been corralled the
gamblers commenced clamoring for the
money they had invested in various
games. They wanted to cash In their
chips, and Detective Baldwin granted
permission. Jimmy" La Fountaine,
one of the managers of the place,
took charge of the cash box and
the holders Of the chips crowded
about. The first person to cash
In was man named Jefferson, who Sc
cured S26. He is one OF Baldwin's de.
tectives. As fast as the others cashed
in they were lined up in one corner,
and it soon became apparent that the
'cashers-in" were the men the detect
ives intended to march off to j il. So
the cashing stopped short, ana over
$500 worth of chips were left in the
hands of the disappointed players.
Twenty three persons had cashed in,
and two large 'husses were called from
Georgetown, in which to convey the
men to the Alexandra Jail. Just as
tuO unCho WClO lO6iuCu tuLCO iuOh q y
| peared on bluff near the place and
commenced firing at the 'busses. The
detectives believe that one of these
men was Ed. Heath. The shooting
frightened the horses, and one of the
'busses broke down. Twenty prison
ers took advantage of the breakdown
and the shooting and escaped. De-
tective Jefferson exchanged shots with
the three gamblers and one of them
fell. A search for the injured man
was made later, but he was not found.
1t is said that his name is Levy. The
to this city and locked up. All OF
them gave fictitious names except Jas,
La Fentaine. Several of the prisoners
are Washington department clerks,
and at late hour last night they had
not been released. The 200 and more
gamblers who were not arrested were
afraid to cross the Aqueduct bridge un-
til many hours after the raid. They
seemed to think that they had not
been taken into custody simply be.
cause the raiding party had not been
large enough and that they would be
arrested at the bridge. Many of them
remained in the woods. After the
raid it is said the gamblers openly de-
clared that Sheriff Palmer had sold
them out. The only one of the Heaths
who was arrested was George Heath,
second son of Jack Heath. Heath and
tno mon ppho Ooua tho maniac nf Inn