The San Francisco call., 1896-08-12
Mooted Question of the Footsteps
May Be Decided in a
Few Days.
TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS DAY
This Is What the Attorney Could
Make Should He Arrest the
Players

Over at Sausalito the air is rife with
speculation as to whether the poolrooms
will continue to exist or whether their
career will be stopped summarily by the
irresistible course of the law.
Like mushrooms and toadstools that
grow in night to be plucked on the fol-
lowing day, poolshop after poolshop has
rented rooms, hung out it's sign of can
vas and hung within its blackboards for
recording Eastern events, only to have a
guietus given them by Town Attorney
sylvia and Marshal Greed.
All of the poolrooms yesterday had
vanished excepting that of Harrison & Co.
The nerve of this company has kept it
above the breakers of the Sausalito law.
Goldtree d Co. and Schwartz & Co. closed
down suddenly on Saturday last, but the
Harrison company, as has been stated be-
fore. took on an extra quantity OF ballast,
trimmed its sails and was prepared for a
new direction of the hurricane of the law.
Therefore it is still afoat and will continue
to be so al least until this evening.
Judge Pryor has issued venire of fifty
jurors, returnable at 7:30 o'clock this even
ing, to try the Harrison case. az The Judge
says the case is set pe-emptorily and must
come off this evening.
Town Attorney Sylvia said yesterday
"There is rumor floating about that 1
have received bribes both from the Town
Marshal and from the Harrison Company
in order that l would make no arrest of
the players in that pooiroom. The truth
of the matter is this: Last Saturday l
ordered Marshal Creed to announce to the
players of the poolrooms of Goldtree & Co.
and Sch hwartz & Co. that if they continued
to play in those rooms they would be ar
rested, and would either be compelled to
serve term in Jail or pay fine. As soon
as this announcement was made by the
Marshal the shops mentioned closed their
books and their doors and left town. But,
strange to say, when the announcement
was made in the Harrison shop-the room
being then filed with buyers-H Harrison
spoke up and said: Gentlemen, l have a
sack here that is sufficient to bail every
one of you who is arrested out of jail, and
enough also to pay all fines. Go on and
play; you needn't be afraid of anything.
These players" continued Mr.. Sylvia,
"have not yet been arrested for the simple
reason that l have been Instructed by the
Trustees to go slow in making arrests. 1t
costs the city $16 for every arrest made,
$40 of which is paid to myself, So to the
Recorder and So to the Marshal
Now could make $1,000 day, you OBJ
serve, by causing to be arrested at least
200 pool buyers. Do you think either
Harrison or Creed. or both, could afford to
pay me this amount for neglecting my
duty? You observe it is preposterous on
the face of it. | am simply going slow be-
cause of the action OF the Trustees and be-
cause such a large number of arrests
might bankrupt the town of Sausalito.
Harrison's knowledge of this state OF af-
fairs is a mystery to me, unless it was a
clear case of nerve"
To-day the case of Harrison & Co. comes
up, and tomorrow the cases of Goldtree &
Co. and Schwartz & Co. The Board oil
Town Trustees meet next Monday even
ing.
Colonel Slinkey, proprietor of the El
Monte Hotel, who was arrested for rent
ing his hotel to booksellers, said yester-
day: II shall fight my case to the bitter
end. have engaged the services of two
lawyers, T. ]. Crowley and P. w. Reed.
rented my property simply to men who
HOAO AOuulhs ASSAllmoOS COA nlSSlOH
business and who possessed licenses.
know that the advent of the pool-rooms
here has been of vast benefit to the busi.
ness portion of our town. They bring
money here and enliven the town. The
class who come here come for business
only"
The proposition is evidently soon com
ing to a crisis. Rumors are extant that
Schwartz & Co. will reopen to-day. The
trials, however, of the three companies
which will take place to-day and to-mor-
row will perhaps. to a certain extent,
solve the question as to whether the shops
will remain or close.