The Washington times., 1895-06-05
THREE WIRES WORKING
Board of Trade Active In Jack.
son City Matters.
yIRGINIA'S PENAL CODE
No Other State In the Union Has
Statutes More Severe in Relation
to OffeIises Like Those Committed
Across the River-Property Own
ers Running Dangerous Risks.

The committee of the Board of Trade is
not asleep in the matter of the prosecution
of the Jackson City and outlaw track Of
! Tenders gainst the law. Mr.. John b. Wight,
| the secretary of the committee, said yes
| terday that they had three wires work
! ing" From further information it was
/ learned that these are live wires and that
maybe this week the Attorney General of
| Virginia win have evidence i'll his hand to
send to a special grand jury. Either the
Attorney General or a specially deputed
lawyer will have charge OF the cases.
There has been a good deal of work
done on the quiet. 1t was stated by
well-informed person that application had
been made to Commissioner TruesdeI and
that he had set some machinery in motion
which is to De followed by some early
concrete results.
WITNESSES WITH BACKBONE.
1t was also stated that the cases to be
made were not on offenses OF recent com
mission. but those which were well
known and only needed witnesses with
backbone enough to testify. The COM
mittee is guarding its secrets quite sue
cessfuIly, SO that it is not unlikely that
the first news of the indictments VIII come
from across the river.
In a talk with an extremely well posted
lawyer of Alexandria county yesterday
The Times was given some Information
which Will interest owners of property in
Alexandria county in which gambling
and offenses against the Sunday la WIS are
committed. The lawyer said that there was
not more stringent penal code in the
Union than that of Virginia.
nf ain
which are directed specifically against the
evils of which the people OF Washington
complain, aud the law is mandatory in at
least one of the grave respects in which it
has been violated by the commonwealth
attorney of Alexandria county.
SOME STRINGENT PROVISIONS.
Section 1916 OF the Code of 1887 pro-
vides that if any person knowingly permit
a gaming table, faro bank or wheel OF
fortune or similar games TO be kept or
exhibited on any premises in his occupation
he shall be both fined aud imprisoned
within the limit of Que year and thousand
dollars.
Section 3S17 provides that even the
doorkeeper, or guard or watch at any of
| these gaming places shall be equally as
amenable as the principals, and there have
been convictions in Alexandria county of
dOorkeepers VINO refused to admit Officers
to an inspection of surfeited places.
Section 1883 is: Every commissioner
of revenue, sheriff, constable, or other
officers shall give information of the viola
ton of any penal law to the attorney Of the
commonwealth, who shall forthwith in
stitute and prosecute all necessary and
proper proceedings in such cases. whether in
the name of the commonwealth, of the
| county or corporation, and may in such
cases issue, orcauseto be issued, a summons
of any witness he may deem material TO
get the evidence before the court or grand
jury"
DICKEY JOHNSONN' IS NEGLECT.
The attorney further said that it was the
duty of the commonwealth attorney to send
the commissioner of revenue, who is the
man who issues the licenses and who knows
who has and who has not licenses, to the
grand jury, SO that he may testify; but this
has not been done, contrary TO the plain
letter of the law.
He said that the publication of these
facts in The Times would certainly have
the effect of calling the attention of the
property owners in Alexandria County to
the great risk they are running in. allowing
their property to be used for the purposes
complained of.