Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-08
BOYS MAY PLAY POOL AGAIN
Public Rooms No Longer Closed to Minors
by LAW.
Judge Eimbal Regretfully Invali-
dates II Praisewcrthy Regulation
of the commissioners.

Judge kimball in the Police Court this
afternoon rendered an important decision
in a case involving 4 charge of violating
the police regulato relating to minors in
pool rooms. The judge held that the Com
mis- sioners had no power to make such q
regulation, and hereafter minors may play
pool, billiards and other games in public
rooms.
In the case before the court Dennis Con-
nell was the defendant. Lawyer Oscar
Nauck represented him, and made fight
OF the law.
1t was charged that the defendant vio-
lated the law, which says:
ut shall not be lawful for the proprietors
Of billiard tables, pool tables, bagatelle
tables, jenny-lind tables or other like ta-
bles, shuf1ie-boards and bowling alleys kept
for public hire and gain in the District OF
Columbia to allow any person under the
age of twenty-oIe years to play at any
game of billiards. pool, shuffie-hoard CT
any game that may be played on sucn ia
bles or boards. or play at bowls on said
alleys, or permit such person to come into
or remain in their pool rooms saloons or
EoWling alleys; and all such places stall
be closed during the entire twenty-four
hours of each and every Sunday, and also
during the hours that bar rooms are re-
CURED to be closed
The cecond section CT the act reads:
Any person violating the provisions of
this section shall, on conviction, he punish
ed by fine not |. IS than s. nor more than
$40. and SHALL in addition, forfeit his or
her license, il the discretion of the Com
n ssioners.
When counsel for the defendant had con-
cluded his argument Mr.. Push said he had
always been afraid that this point would
be raised, ani virtually admitted that the
point was we'll taken.
Thic particular regulation it appeared
was made under the congressional act Civ
Ct
tain laws respecting the safety of persons
at theaters and public places.
Judge kfmbnITs Regrets,
This act, Judge KmbaL held, did not
give the Commissioners the specific power
to regulate pool rooms in this way.
So far as he was concerned, he was eX-
tremeiy sorry that the point mad been
raised, for next to boys in bar rooms he
thought this evil was the worst.
The regulation was a wise one. and he
certainly hoped Congress would make
law at the coming session fer the protec-
tion of the boys
HIS holding completely invalidates the
law. and the judge could do nothing other
than dismiss the case.
Many Persons Already Fined.
Since this regulation was enacted by the
Commissioners a number of persons have
heen prosecuted and fined, but not until
'his case WAS Drought was this question
raised.
Although the law is not an old one there
were some keepers of the more respectable
pool rooms who never permitted boys in
their places, but others had boys as their
only customers.
In some of them the boys loafed about
the rooms, smoked cigarettes and INDUCED
II, and heard nothing but profanity, while
at some of these places, it is stated tney
We're permitted to send out for buckets of
beer.
Ihls practice, the police say, accounted
for some drunkenness among bows and
they are extremely sorry that the law has
been invalidated