The San Francisco call., 1897-11-30
TO FIGHT FOR
TIE MACHINES
Saloon Men Will Champion
the Alleged Gambling
Devices.
Chief Lees Will To-Day Arrest
Nickel -the-Slot Oper-
ators.
Schemes Being Devised by Which 1t
Is Hoped to Defeat the
Ordinance.

Chief of Police Lees said yesterday that
to-day he would commerce in earnest to
enforce the ordinance recently passed by
the Board of Supervisors against the
alleged gambling devices known as
the nickel-in- tbe-slot machines.
About score of liquor and cigar
dealers met yesterday and organized to
test the legality of the ordinance. The
members of the organization all have the
alleged gam bling devices in operation On
their premises, and at their meeting yes
terday they decided to fight the ordinance
to the court of the last resort if it became
necessary. Their principal contention
Will be that the Board of Supervisors
legaliZed the nickel -the-slot machines
when they licensed them, and all the
machines that are now in operation in the
city are projected by licenses that do not
expire until the end OF the year. 1t will
also be claimed that the machines are
not gam bling dev ces, as they give on an
average more than full value for the
money the players put in them.
Nearly every one of the me EN- bers of the
organization that was formed for the pro-
lection OF the machine said that the ma
chine as machine netted loss for the
saloons or cigar-stores that tolerated
them, but on the whole they stimulated
trade and, though the machine ilself lost
the proceeds OF the days business OF the
houses operating them, IL was increased by
tue influence of the device so that on an
aggregate they were q source OF profit.
The meeting OF the defenders of the
nickel-in-the-slot machines vas held in
the office OF Attorneys Walter S. Levy and
j. Kelly, and those attorneys were en-
ployed TO defend the cause of the ma
chimes against the ord nance OF the Super
visors. Money IN IA sufficient amount was
pledged by those at the meeting TO carry
the cases OF those charged with violating
the law through the courts to a final de-
ci;ion. l. q. Gross and l. Deutch of the
firm OF Gross & Deutch, who conduct
cigar store at the Elite saloon, have Of
| fered to become martyrs for the occasion,
and they will ask Chief Lees to send some
officer 10 play their machine and place
them under arrest for operating 1t.
Cnief Lees has sent the following notice
to the proprietors OF places where the
machines are in operations: "You are
hereby notified to remove from your place
of business all gambling devices known as
ME 'I-in-the- slot machines, and discon-
tinue their use. They are lotteries within
the meaning OF section 319 of the Penal
Code of this State, and are in no manner
legalized by being licens sed pursuant TO
the ordinance OF the Board OF Supervisors.
If not removed at once, arrest will follow
in accordance with the a bove law"
The Cnie said he propo, ed to enforce
the law, and that he would issue orders to
his officers to-day 10 arrest all proprietors
OF places where the machines are in
operation.
Saloon men and cigar dealers were yes
terday amusing themselves trying 10 de-
v!se some means whereby they could
defeat the law should it prove to prohl bit
the machines as they are now operated.
Ex-Supervsor Joe King said he would re-
move the piacard from the machine in
his saloon which announced the winnings
of the device and so make it u toy. Any
man could play it as he chose, and if he
should be lucky enough to get any OF the
combinations OF the cards that generally
won the bartender could pay the winnings
by asking him to take his drinks with the
house. S. Danneb baum, q cigar dealer on
Market street, has machine that he
thinks viii not come inside the pale OF
the law. 1t has no slot for the reception
of nickels, but instead is arranged to give
any number of chances that may be pald
for over the counter and winnings will be
paid not as gains of the machine but as
favors from the house.