The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-14
AFTER THE POLICY SHOPS.
JUSTICES HAVE ISSUED MANY WAR
RANTS FOR WRITER'S.

Nearly All Give Bond Which
Amounts to an Item for the Mngis-
trates--ScOres of People Playing the
Game Through "StricLland," Who
SOIicits the Business by Calling at
Ohices-FamiIies Said to he Pa
trOns-The Writers Never Contest
Cases, ana Hence Keep the Evil
Under the Surface,
Justices of the peace are raiding the pol
icy shops, and 1t is estimated that nearly
100 warrants have been issued the past few
days by different magistrates. One jus
tice yesterday issued nearly fifty against
writers and strikers connected with
the shops, nearly all of whom gave bond
for their appearance before the City Court.
This Is quite a bun for the magistrates,
who receive 50 for every bond. The money
is always sure, because the policy shop at
taches are generally flush, and have no
difficulty giving a bond even for twice the
amount the law requires. Then they have
no trouble making the amount they are
usually fined in the court, which, 1t Is said.
can easily be done with the receipts from
the time they are arraigned before the JUS
tice until they appear in court. There
they are fined as for m!sdemeanor, the
law governing the offense being section
406, as follows: IF any persons, either
by himself or his agent, shall sell, or offer
for sale. or procure for, or furnish to, any
person any ticket, number, combination,
or chance, or anything representing a
chance in any lottery, gift enterprise, or
other scheme or device. whether such lot
tery.y gift or enterprise shall be operated
In this state or not, he shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor"
The extent of the policy business in Sa-
vannah has almost. if not quite, reached
the point it did some time ago when the
installment houses complained because
the policy shops were getting all stray
change. and materially interfering with
their collections. Such quiet is maintain
ed, both by the operators and the players,
that working at the same desk with a
player can scarcely detect the, fact. This
is brought about through the Strikers. ("
generally negroes who are taken for por
ters about buildings, but who saunter
around and, being known by those who
desire TO play, take the business and give
the numbers called for. 1t is conservative
ly estimated by those who know. that a
large per cent. of the money taken in is
in this way. The secrecy given the trans
action is at once encouraging TO the play
ers and the assurance that they will not
be detected by either the law or their
friends and that they stand show of get
ing SS6 for quarter gives the policy
shops pull on the purses of many.
o This method naturally makes the off
ces" rather secluded affairs. as they are
seldom visited by any except the strikers.
There are anywhere from one to three
and even more strikers connected with each
shop' whose duty is to make reports to
players of the winning numbers and con-
vey prizes TO those entitled to them.
After drawings there it no trouble for
the players to get the resuitsin the same
secrecy as at first, by sending a negro 10
the office for one of the printed slips civ
ing the winning numbers In each class.
The strikers do this in many Instances
and when they have the good fortune to
carry player a neat roll won with a
sheer pittanee, an established custom ard
the future luck of the player demands that
tho Stiihcl nave take out OF at least
IS, or according to the amount won The
amounts the strikers get from this source,
coupled with the is per cent they get on
all money collected, at once explains how
they give bonds and pay fines without a
murmur.
1t is asserted that the strikers have been
recently known to make salaries which are
too seductive to warrant leaving The POI !.
icy shop for any other work. The per
cent allowed can well be paid them be-
cause there is Little expense attached to
the business, the Office rent being small
and the only license required is the semi.
occasional sweeps made by the law. a
slice OF which goes 10 the justices for
bonds and the other Is paid as fines into
the courts
THE shops are patronized not only by
men who would prefer not to see their
names in print" said am official to a
Morning News representative yesterday
but the strikers actually visit families.
Some families play and have been known
to spend as high as 50 day, vainly striv-
ing to hit a streak of luck This Is occa-
sionaly done, and when a good raise IS
made which frequently comes and Is
sometimes very taxing on the writer's IL
enthuses all in the neighborhood which
continue playing, probably in the hope Of
winning or getting back what has already
been lost When they start playing, these
people are visited by the strikers regu-
larly, just as the groceryman stops around
to take orders. They are probably told
what numbers are apt 10 win in the opin-
ion of the striker This can be carried on
with the hope of a haul eventually. and
with practically no chance OF being de-
tected"
There are policy shops in all parts of the
city, and all of them are prospecting. The
men who back them are making a good
thing out of the capital invested and when
arrested rarely ever contest the cases be-
cause It is desired to divert the public eye
by quietly submitting. In this they have
heretofore been very successful, not only
in avoiding lawyers fees by a contest In
court but in sending one man to the JUS
tice with power of attorney to submit for
all, and then allowing the cases to slide
along with such ease as to go almost en-
tirely tInnoticed by the outside world.