St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-09
COULD GET A GAME IN ST. PAUL
ALMOST ANY TIME, SAYS
MIR. LEWIS,
IN A REPORT ON GAMBLING.
SCATHING CRITICISM FROM THE
WEST SIDE OF ALLEGED
OFFICIAL NEGLECT,
AssembIyman johnson Raises n
Breeze on the Question of
Damage Suits.

1t was a long, but lively, session
that the assembly held last night.
After spat between the corporation
attorney and the assembly commit
tee on ways and means, and a spir-
tied discussion over preliminary or.
ders for paving Fifth and Wabasha
streets, occaSioned by the report of
Chairman Robb, of the special paw
ing committee, Mr.. Robb opened the
way for further entertainment by
calling upon Mr.. Lewis, the chair
man of the special committee ap-
pointed to investigate the alleged
gambling houses, to make a report.
Absolute quiet prevailed as Mr..
Lewis arose deliberately from his
seat, and fishing some memoranda
from his pocket, began:
Il am unable at this time to make
as full a report upon this subject as
l could wish, but 1 will report what
progress the committee has made up
to date. This is not to be taken as
final report, as 1 did not expect to
be called upon for any report at this
time.
When the committee started in to
investigate the gambling houses, the
grand jury was in session and the
places were closed, but soon after
the grand jury adjourned, they
opened. Thereupon the committee
resumed it's Investigations, but Der
fore 1T could accomplish much, the
gambling houses received intimation
of our work, and closed again. The
committee succeeded, however, in
ascertaining the following facts:
In the first place we discovered
that after a period of cessa ton,
whenever the gambling houses
opened up again, the same persons
appeared to be operating them.
have few notes here
GIVING THE LOCATIONS
of some of the places, and the
names of their managers and em-
ployes.
AT the Brunswick hotel the com.
mittee found a full-fedged gambling
house, of which Joe Bell was the
manager. In the Ryan block, 41S
Robert street, the committee dis
covered another gambling resort, of
which James Carney was the day
manager and Joseph Poppenberger
the night manager. The third place
was found by the committee at 40
Wabasha street. James Griffin was
it's manager at a salary of $40 a
week, and Is per cent of the net
profits. Charles McDermott was the
proprietor"
Mr.. Lewis also gave the names
of the faro dealers and of the gen.
tlemen who presided over the rou-
lette wheels in the various estab-
lishments.
''Your committee further ascer-
tained," continued Mr.. Lewis, that
these places We're largely patronized
by prominent and responsible men.
We learned of one case in which a
bookkeeper for one of our leading
commercial houses was fieeced out
of a considerable sum of money.
Complaint was made to the mayor.
and the gambling establishment was
compelled to refund some of the
money"
1--WE found the managers of these
gambling resorts very elusive" pro-
ceeded Mr.. Lewis, "and concluded that
they could not be made to close their
places permanently unless they were
raided without previous notice, and
their implements and devices confis-
cated.''
After Mr. Lewis closed, Mr.. Van
Slyke wanted to know of whom the
committee on gambling consisted. Mr..
Lewis answered.:
''Of Mr.. Van Slyke, Mr.. Reardon and
myself" Oaughter)
Mr.. Van Slyke assured Mr.. Lewis
that he (Van Slyke) had informed him
at the time the committee was ap-
pointed that he would not serve on it.
President Copeland then announced
that the committee would be continued,
and there the matter dropped.
WEST SIDE CRITICISM.
The city engineer and his depart
ment came in for a severe denuncia-
tion at the hands of seventy-two West
side citizens. These gentlemens names
were signed to a petition addressed to
Assemblyman Lewis, wherein the pc
titioners openly charged the engineers
dCpdI Will HCSllSGHcG
in not having removed the overhang-
ing sand rock on the West side where
the two children were recently buried
alive. The petition states that the at
tention of the engineers department
had been specially directed to the
dangerous overhanging sand rock, yet
no proper remedy has been applied, and
that the inevitable consequence came,
and two little girls were buried and
crushed to death. The petitioners say
they do not know the inscrutabIe
causes which let the matter pass with
put so much as an inquiry on the part
of the coroner. After intimating that
the coroner hushed up the matter or
tried to, as the result of a belief that
The city would be less likely to suffer
pecuniary loss by thus ignoring the
Continued on Second Page.