The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-11
CHIEF GoSS QUIETLY TELLS THE
MANAGER OF A CLOCK
GAME
TO LET 1T RUN DOWN QUICK.
BUSINESS OPENED ON JACKSON
STREET BY A MAN FROM
ST. LOUIS.
HE WAS PROMISED PROTECTION
But the Promise Wasn't Kept After
the Globes story About Nickel
Machines.

Chief Of police Goss has been shak-
ing hands with himself, ever since
Tuesday morning, to think that he had
closed up ticker, or clock game with
out Mayor Doran having known that
the game was progress in st. Paul.
1t was one of the immediate results of
the Clio b e story about the fact
that the administration officers were
machines to be used again A peculiar
thing about 1t, too, was the fact that
Chief Of Detectives Schweitzer knew
nothing about it until he heard about
the chief closing the place.
Sometime ago the authorities In ST
Louis concluded to close up a few of
the places which are run under the
guise of bucket shops, but which have
either the board OF trade or a stock
exchange. Some kind of fictitious stocks
are used for the purpose of gaming.
There are various ways of arranging
the tickets. For some of them the
tape is written out the night before,
relied UP and then unrolled next day
OH the ticker There are other ways
in which the quotations are fixed up.
The man tndulging In this form of
gambling, buys or sells as he wishes.
In square game OF this kind there
is a chance to win, but the odds are
against the speculator because, if for
no other reason, he has to do the guess
Ing. The game, however, Is always
good one for the firm and is so strong
that few cities will stand for such
business even though the authorities
may not be enforcing the law touching
other forms of gambling The bust
ness IN St Louis was so good that the
authorities stopped it.
When business closed there Howard
Hill, who managed one of the places,
heard that ST. Paul was beginning to
get good, and wrote UP to friend to in
Quire what was the prospect of open
ing in ST. Paul. A certain st. PauI
man was found who said he could
guarantee the necessary protection. So
Hill came and made the necessary ar,
rangenlents for opening a game here.
The st. Paul man was to furnish the
protection while Hill was to put in his
capital and experience. Two weeks
ago Hfl1 & Co., opened their ssstock
exchange" at 327 Jackson street When
he was moving in he said he had been
assured he could run and so the clock
started. 1t took few days for the
news to get around that there was q
chance to get rich in a minute, specu-
lating in ''Mfnnehaana" or "Hiawatha''
or "Greenhorn" or any old stock, and
SO business was light. But it began
to pick up and last Saturday was a
good day.
Sunday the Globe had a story
about gambling devices.
Monday Chief Goss sent word to
Hill that he wanted to see him. Hill
went up to the central station and
Goss told him he would have to close
up the game, let the clock run down.
Just why he asked him quietly to quit
instead Of raiding the place Is, OF
course, only known to Chief Goss
himself. He is not, however, raiding
games or anything else, 1t seems, unless
1t be party of politicians so he just
took the quiet way Of telling Hill to
stop. The clock stopped, and while the
doors of the place have been open ever
since nobody has ben buying or sell
Ing blocks of mining stock.