The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-11

AND THE NUISANCE BANISHED.
From time imMemorial mankind has
been cursed with gambling devices of al
most every kind. Men have lost sand
won aud then great has been their dis
appointment or joy. But of all the de.
vices ever yet inaugurated for the pur-
pose of "skinn:ng" the unwary, the
nickel.in-theslot machines which have
recently come to curse Roanoke, the one
known as the Electric" is perhaps the
worst.
These machines, five in number, have
been brought here by w. a. Jordan, of
Ohio, and have been placed in various
places in the city, each one being located
in Il barroom. The machine stands about
four and a half feet high with an oval
top and posted on it's front i'm bold black
letters the inscription "Hold the handle
down or you losc'
On nickel plate is inscribed the name
OF the machine, "rhe Electric
The handle referred to above is craak
which after II nickel has been dropped in
Can be turned so as to stalt Il wheel OH
the inside. This wheel is painted in five
different colors viz: yellow, white, green,
red and black. Yellow pays 81. The
and black and red 10 cents each.
If man desires to play the machine he
must at first place an Indicator on the
color ne wishes to ''gamble" on. Some.
times he wins but more often loses.
Some men think that if they turn the
yellow and get &. dollar they are doing a
good business, but such is not the case
as the history of the machine is that it
almost invariably takes 50 and sometimes
50 for the man who PLAYS it to get the de.
sired dDlur.
Men who play them day in and day
out are the greatest losers, and so'entic-
ing are the prospects.of gain that men.will
stand before them for hours spending
their money until their. supply is en-
hausted and then if they have n frisnd in
the near vicinity his purse is drawn on
only for the capacious nav of the infer
nal device to swallow up all that comes
its way.
The hum of these machines can be
heard almost every hour in the day and
night as they rapidly gather in the hard.
earned money of the patrons of them. In
iact the over or proprietor has been
heard to say that it was n matter of i'm
possibility for man to..beat 1.-The Flee
trio, . at the same time claiming that he
was making barrel of money off the five
machines in Roanoke. The facts regard
ing the machines are that men lose some.
times as high as S14 or $l5 before they
will give up.
One man lost S14 yesterday. \ young
man who is clerk lost So or Sc on it,
and !nnumerable instances could be re-
cited, and the only instance known to the
writer where any one ever gained by it
was the time young man. dropped a
nickel on the white and Won He took
his gains and bid the machine good bye
Posted on the front of the machine are
the following directions with the notice
attached that failure to follow tue same
will forfeit all claims on misplay:
Select color by pushing button on
nickel uial and turning pointer hand to
color desired.
Put nickel or check in machine, wait
second until nickel or check Settles
down (Here might be appropriately
added and bid farewell to your earn
ings.")
''Turn the handle gently and slowly
down and hold down until wheel stops
and until coins are nil delivered in cup
In case winning color does not pay.
hold handle down until proprietor's at
tention is called
"A winning color does not win until
the indicator at top of wheel settles down
solidly between. brass pins.
III Indicator rests on side or top of a
pm on winning color when wheel stops
slight tap on top of case while handle
Is still held down will bring it IN place
Remember to hold handle down until
coin is counted and found correct and
until proprietor's attention is called If
not correct
Inc places at which these machines are
located are as follows:
Barroom of the Ponce de Leon Hotel,
the Stag, corner of Salem aveune and
Commerce street, B. o. Mays saloon at
~ oaiem avenue. st. James Hotel bar
room. The proprietor of the ST. James is
in no way connected with the saloon or
with this machine.
The license on the above machines is
SOU. or 500 for each machine, and the
records In the commissioners Office show
that w. A. Jordan Is the .owner of four
machines and Is. O. NAYS OF one.
The City Council has paved the way
for the infection of such devices upon our
people by passing AN ordinance which
should be repealed at once ami the use of
such machines prohibited in the city I'm.
der heavy penalties.
The ordinance is as follows:
~ license tax is hereby imposed for
the privilege of conducting or Keeping in
any public place any machine or thing of
like nature. used or to be used for the
purpose of gaming, either by mid of
money or the use of money in connection
Herewith, commonly known rs nickel.
in.the-slot. machines. The proprietor
of each machine of like nature shall paw
for the privilege of conducting the same
the sum of $50 per annum for each ma
chine so used. Any person conducting
or maintaining Such machine In his ,,lnce