Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-03-30


out, too, just as 1t is at Jackson City, and
at the fork of the Columbia road with
the Alexandria turnpike. The Jackson City
faro games have been moved down to Alex
andria, I'm told, but craps and policy are
kept up there, and attract the lowest ele
ment OF whites and blacks. 1t is almost
weekly occurrence for somebody to be held
up and robbed on the roads leading to jack
son City and Rosslyn or the bridges COM
ing to this city from them, and in every
case the assaflants are from the class l
speak Of, who lose their money gambling
and will do anything. no matter how des-
perate, to get more to lose."
Political Assessments.
'In his last charge to the grand jury
Judge Chichester fully showed the neces-
sity of action in this matter" continued the
gentleman, but his words had no more
effect upon the sheriff and the other law
officers than water falling on ducks back.
What is the reason? Well, 1t is not far to
seek. 1t Is a notorious fact and it has been
a notorious fact for number of years that
the men who are permitted to carry on
gambling in Alexandria county pay nearly
all the expenses of the victorious party
during political campaign. They are as
sessed heavily and pay readily fully under
molested in prosecuting their nefarious
traffic. The decent element in Alex
andria county must get together and
rid itself of the internal ring that rules 1t.
1 hope The Evening Star will keep this
thing hot. 1t would add new luster to its
already brilliant fame If it would only
show what the. conditions across the river
really are and would help the approaching
fight for a decent county government
nightly, indeed.
The Virginia Laws.
The law of Virginia provides a heavy
penalty, fine and Imprisonment, for setting
up gaming table. The language of the
statute is explicit and leaves no room for
doubt, including within its operations keno,
faro, wheel of fortune and any game of
chance played with cards. dice or other
wise. The penalty for violation Is impris-
onment from two to twelve months, and
fine from 500 to 81 600. Fine and imprison-
ment is also provided for persons who shall
permit gambling to be carried on upon
their premises. AS the law Is plain in the
case, and as 1t is matter of open and
notorious fact that gambling is conducted
at Jackson City and other places on the
Virginia shore between the Long bridge
and the AQueduct bridge, the question
naturally arises. Why is it not suppressed
by the authorities?
Well, that is a question.
Judge Chichcster's declarations.
Judge Chichester, while presiding over the
county court at its January term, in his
charge to the grand jury. said there was
more defiance of law in the little tract
comprising Alexandria county than any
area of like dimension in the state of Vir-
ginia.
He had tried to remedy the matter. but
With Indifferent success. and said it was
mainly due to the fact that certain officers
had failed to do their duty. He had at
times appointed special officers for the pur-
pose of preserving law and order, but had
subsequently found they were paid by the
very lawbreakers thee were supposed to
prevent carrying on their unlawful acts.
They had. of course, been removed when
hn a
lar that the people of Alexandra county
allowed these things to go on, and that no
one would make a movement toward sup
pressing them. 1t was his duty to try the
cases brought before him, and 1t was high
time for some one to make complaint of the
unlawful acts being committed every day
within the jurisdiction of the county.
Congress, in it's wisdom, had passed an
amiga milling law. and every one In the
District of Columbia who desires to engage
in that pastime now crosses the river into
Virginia In order to indulge In 1t, and as a
consequence Jackson City and the entire
river front are now scenes of lawlessness.
These were facts for the jury to consider
facts which were crying shame. A few
years ago he had, for good reasons, closed
all bar rooms In the county. seeing no use
Of country sandwiched between two cities,
but the legislature of Virginia, by its ex-
else act had opened them and disorder and
murder had followed. The legislature had
also altered charter (never intended to
allow any such thing in q manner SO as
to permit horse racing-so as to render
gambling easy. Two race tracks had
sprung up Immediately and are still being
conducted. The judge said he had been
promised help by the governor to break
up these places, but the only help he had
obtained from that quarter was in the
governor signing the excise bill together
with the one allowing horse racing.
Worse Than Coxeyites.
p0y I'm
ter, had sent troops to remove the Coxey-
ties from our borders, while horde more
Injurious than the commonwealers are al
lowed to invade the state and carry on
their questionable ard unlawful commerce
without let or hindrance. The governor, it
is true. had made a show of attempting to
stop winter racing, but the judge saw no
difference in horse racing, whether it be in
summer or in winter 1t was mot the noble
pastime of our forefathers and was not
inaugurated for the purpose of bringing
about perfection in horsefesh as is urged,
and he appealed to the jury If such stock
are any better now than in days of yore.
If anything he said, there was better stock
then than now.
The governor. attorney general and an
array of legal talent had mada war against
winter racing and had been met by an ar
ray Of talent on the other side, and Jones
& Co., at Alexander Island, had graciously
agreed to cease racing during February
making was carried on at the st. Asaph
track all the year round in the face of the
understood fact that such should not be
done save only when races were actually
run.
Now, 1t made no difference whether a
son was ruined al ST. Asaph or Alexander
IslaEd track, and If bookmaking was un-
lawful at one it was equally so at the 9TH
er. Some of the parties should be brought
TO justice and this defiance of law stopped
and the judge hoped the jury would give
these matters serious consideration and
not allow Alexandria county any longer to
have such blots upon her history. The
movement, he said, was designed to save
the young, the old being set in their ways
and Joined to their idols.
Having thus called the attention Of the
grand jury to the existing evils the judge
could go no further until action should be
taken upon the suggestions thus made.
No indictments Found.
1t is understood that no indictments have
been brought against Jackson City gam
blers, as a result of Judge Chichester's
charge to the grand jury. 1t is said that
the jury brought in a number of indict-
ments for chicken stealing, fighting and
minor offenses, but, as far as jackson City