The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-24
ASSEMBLYMAN REARDON RELATES
a GAMBLING INCIDENT THAT
STIRRED THINGS UP.
1T is VIGOROUSLY DENIED.
PRESIDENT AROSIN DENIES THAT
CHIEF GOSS SAID THERE WAS
GAMBLING.
| THEY HELD A CONFERENCE
After William PIiess Had Given the
First Ward Man n List of Gam
bling Joints.

Rumors rejecting seriously upon the
city administration were thick in and
about the city hall yesterday, in conse-
quence of the investigation by the
grand jury of the gambling evil. bill"
Pleiss, who says he used to be in with
it," but who is now telling all he knows,
is becoming extremely unpopular with
the st. Paul police department They
would like to suppress Pleiss, and last
night were willing to suppress Assem-
blyman Reardon, who told around yes
terday that he had heard that AroSin
had said that Chief Goss admitted
there was gambling going on, but the
police were watching it. The story
soon spread around, and, as it is gen.
orally known that previous to the ses-
sion of the grand jury, poker games
existed at a dozen places in the city.
some people were inclined to believe
Mr.. ReardOn'S story. 1t was the result
of this report, presumably, that caused
the grand jury to summon President
Arosin before it later in the afternoon.
Mr.. ArOsin was seen last night and
asked if it was true that Chief Goss
had made such an admission to him.
Mr. Arosin replied:
mo. sir. there is no truth in the
rumor. Chief Goss never said any
thing Of the kind to me. 1 will tell
you all L know about this gambling
business. Some time ago William
PleisS came to me and told me a long
story about the existence of gambling
resorts in this city. He furnished me
with list purporting to show the lOCa-
ton Of each place and the name Of it's
Of oit
government, L at once called upon
Mayor Doran and laid the list before
him. The mayor said he would have
the matter investigated
"A few days afterWard," continued
Mr.. ArOsin, "Chief GoSS called at my
place of business and We had quite a
talk about the same matter l QueS-
toned him about the alleged gambling
joints He said that he had made Il
thorough investigation and had failed
to find that the places reported by
BIZ Pleiss existed. The only place he
had been able to discover where gam
bling took place was a room over the
saloon at Seventh and Washington
streets, which, the chief said, had been
used for several years by a number of
business men Of the city who meet
there to enjoy quiet games Of poker.
Il am satisfied" added Mr.. Arosin,
that the chief of police spoke the
truth
Chief Goss was also asked about the
report. He denied the story also. II
cannot understand how any one could
make this statement before the grand
jury or any place else, that l had said
there was gambling going on in, the
city under the protection Of the po-
lice. There is no public gambling IN
st. Paul, and for any one to claim that
i admitted that there was is nonsense.
| testified before the grand jury myself
and told that body what l have al
ways maintained and still claim, that
nowhere in this city can public gam
bling house be found There may be
few private poker games, games where
a company of friends get together and
play privately among themselves. This
sort of thing the police cannot stop,
even if the department had knowledge
Of it. but as for the assertion that
there are gambling laYouts in opera
ton, it is false. This whole matter
has been stirred up by a man who ad-
mitS his only purpose to be to get even
with his former companions, with
whom he has had a falling out, and
who bears grudge against the police
department. and his claims to be able
to prove the existence Of gambling are
without the slightest foundation. AS
an example the Pacific hotel on East
Seventh street, was alleged by him to
where faro, roulette, stud poker and
crap layGuts were in operation. This
charge was fully investigated and
found to be wholly Untrue
LAS for my having had anything in
the nature Of conference with Mr.
Arosin, this, too, is mistake. ]
dropped into his place of business
shortly after my return from the coast,
this being about the time of the trouble
stirred up by this man Pleiss, and in
cidentally, the subject was touched
upon. He showed me list of places
where he said P1eiss had claimed there
was gambling, among them the Pacific
hotel Our conversation dealt with the
subject of Pleiss alleged disclosures,
very specifically, and l made no adj
mission Of any nature to Mr.. Arosin.
The case pointed cut by the informer.
as the most fragrant violation of thu
law was thoroughly Investigated by the
police department, and found not to
exist, showing the utter falsity of his
statements, and l consider all of the
so-called Pleiss information just as
unfounded and unworthy of belief
CnNVELNTInN REs.INS TnNTCuT