Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-26
THE AFTERNOON SESSION.
Committee Some Points About
Gambling in Kansas City


The first witness placed on the stand in
the afternoon was Mason S. Peters, Il
newspaper reporter. He testified having
seer gambling going on at 12oS Walnut
stIeet Christie's saloon. The date was No
vember ~ last.
Edgar 2. Allen, another reporter. testi-
fled to having seen gambling done at lsl5-l1
West Ninth street in November, 1895. The
statements made by each seemed inCon-
troVertible.
The fast gathering crowd of auditors
stirred eXpectantly when Chairman Pope
said: ''Will Mr.. Findley please come for
ward?' The arch-gambler stepped TO the
witness chair and took the oath. Chair
man Pope began the examinations:
Where do you live?"
'l20i East Fifteenth street.
How long have you lived in this city,
Twenty-seven or twenty-eiSht years.
What is your age
I'm II years old"
what business are you engaged iu?
Gambled Since 1879.
Fndley wriggled in his chair and an
swered: Well, | run a gambling house
foc five years ut No. Fourth street-that
was from - to 50. Then | had an inter
est in u gambling house at SH Main
street"
when was this?"
We'll. that was up to So
well. what else?
Well, We had a place over here on the
market square and We run that five or
six years. That brings me up to so
What have YOU done since 1892
II couldn't tell you (vaguely. I've been
mixed up in race tracks and pool rooms
everything.
What business are you engaged in at
present?"
oh. I'm running pool room at 900
Baltimore avenue; it's horse pool room;
tn" supreme court decided l could run Il.
How long have you been doing that"
Bout twelve or fourteen months.
Have you ever been arrested. Mr.. Find
ley?"
taken before Joyce"
What time was that
I'm the spring; March l think"
''Was it before the city election
Il can't remember. l think 1t was be-
fore
had any understanding with the police
force or the police commissioners to eN-
tend
Gambling Wide Open.
"If you'll let me explain I'll tell you some
thing For nine or ten years gambling
went on wide open. There was Robert
Potee's place. Then l run II place at No. i
West Fourth street. Then across the street
Jake FORBADE had Il place which he run
four or five years. DIR. and Ben Flanagan
had Il place at S0T Main street. Everything
went there-roulette, faro, hazard and all
kinds of games.
What was the date. Mr. Findley?"
about 1880. Mr.. Speers was chief then.
He was an honest man-never took a dol
lar in his life. Such men as Craig and
McDermott and Corrigan We're commits
sioners along in then. | don't think any
of 'em used his office for political pur-
poses.'
Chairman Pope resumed the examination.
What do you know of gambling ut pres
ent. Mr.. Findley?"
'Well, about two, two and half years
ago | furnished Mr.. Bunker. the editor of
| the Journal, with a man to locate gambling
| places. He came to me with list of 'em.
l furnished the man and they located TWEEN
| ty-one gambling places in this city. Ever
since then there's been fight on the
| gamblers"
Have you conducted gambling houses
| here within the last four years, Mr.. Find
| ley?" a.,,,
Has Not Been Protected.
do you know of any arrangement under
| which gambling is protected by officers
connected with the police department."
| No, sir; l never spoke to the commlS,
| sionerS nor anybody else about gambllng.
DO you know why such statements have
| been made?
| .'Why. the newspaper reporters hang
around the ponce d sfaeo Saw rn anu arond and try
| and fix it up with the places. why, the
| other night l was standing down here or
| the corner of Main street and reporter
| run up and said they We're going to raid Il
| place back of Pendergasts, and Id better
| go over and tell em.
| Ein1lpV'S manner
| his tone raised Il big laugh. In answer tG
| an inquiry of Chairman Pope's relative tC
| the alleged protection of gambling. tlnuleS
| plunged into Il rambling account OF no" ne
| came to 30 out of the policy business He
| said thai Nis men were fined Il stipulated
| amount in accordance with an arrange
ment between Judge Jones, attorney nn JONI
| John W. Beebe and Attorney James Cole
| Then he continued. amid the laughter OF
| the crowd, in the room: ,
| For the last two or three years the
| have been
| ing round like rabbits. Why, there Baugh,
| man: they fined him $500. And the rest oi
EN- they'd fine em 800 or $50, or let EN-
| loose.
who's Baughman?'
"Oh, he managed the race track for me
last summer.
II think he went hunting last Saturday
he and Bob Forester ..,,-
| Did you ever have any conVersauor
with Mr.. Fyke or Mr.. Johnson about gam
Never in my life
"Did YOU ever furnish or have anyon,
| furnish anyone IN the pohce ueP''' ''ie"
with money!
Put Up Money to Beat johnson.
"I furnished some money about one com
missioner once. 1 put up 500 to beat John
| son for mayor. ..,.
Have you ever received any protecuoi
| from the police department lot S"u' S"i
bling houses? 80 ,,,,, obo,,
| it." ,,.,,,, t.,.a,o,,
''You had no arrangement Whatever!
Findiey testified that he had known Com
| missioner Johnson off and on Tor som'
time. He said he had known MI f{k'
three or four years. He went to the lat
tcr's office. he said. on behalf Of Bob
Murdoch. who wanted II license for sa
loon at Twelfth ard broadway.
REPRESENTATIVE Clymer crosS-eSamine'
ITindley sharply He told about his going t'
Chicago to the worlds fair to make mon
ey He was asked about the Joints ;lt th'
rear of the old Times building ana a
Christie's saloon. but professed little OF III
| knowledge of either.
DO YOU know Beam" was asked
Never saw him in my life but once. ant
then he was with Judge Clifford. CTht
with Il smile which provoked laughl
DO you know anything ABOUT MN
/ "OnlY by hearSay.
DO Bean and Baughman belong TO th'
same faction? ...,
panied surprise.)
Don't know that there's Findley fac
tion and an anti-Findley?'
Benn 81 Fiimfinmmer.
"Why. no. sir. with still more surprise.
Why Bean he amt gambler hes Just
| himflammer daughter on the part OF IN
audiencel He never was a real gambler
Not a real. live sport, the way am w ny
they took him off a train here at ST 10
for robbing Il woman of 81 VGreat laush
teri 80, ,-,..
Didn't you go to Chicago in 'sS becaus
il was getting too hot for you here?
mo. sir. | had Il nice house here-nic
| propprty OF course they said had to &c
They said that Mayor Jones said I'd hav
! to. but I'm here, and never believed tina
of his honor with patroniZing look a
| that officiaD. ! always thought II was a
just newspaper talk. Presently tindle
gave his own account of the fight he an
| Raughman and Clint Newell had Il
Twelfth and Walnut streets last summer