Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-10-23
CHARGED With Being Implicated IN
the Trouble.
AFTER THE SLOT MACHINES.
Twenty of Them stored I'm the New
mort News Police Court-Some All
Loaded with Money-As to LIZ
censc.
censc.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA, october p
Cspecial)-The investigation OF the
Phoebus affair OF last Tuesday night was
resumed at IL \. NJ. to-day before JUS
tice Furness in the county-court room.
Those I'm attendance were nearly all Wit :
nesses i'm the case, officers and firemen,
or by-standers on the night Of the attack
on "the Ralto." As result of the IN
auiry this morning three men were held
for the grand iury's action on charges
Of complNlty In tho crime of arson or
for entering and robbing house In the
nighttime The three men were:
Private Dennis Murphy. Battery b,
Third Artillery, held on charges OF ac-
cessory 10 arson.
Private James Taylor. Battery b.
| Third Artillery; charged with entering
and robblng the saloon fired.
Private George Lynch. Battery l.
sixth Artillery; charged with hose-cut-
| ting and other conduct constituting COM
| plcity I'm the arson.
Lynch was indignant at his detention,
and vigorously protested, urging that
| every man i'm the army had a cape. He
1
was no iailbird. and did not enlist in the
United States army to become one. He
intmatcd an intention to ask bail.
All the defendants pleaded not guilty
20 the charges against them. and were
advised to make out and furnish list OF
the witnesses they desired.
This ends the preliminary hearing, and
as a result Of IL seven men are held on
serious charges There is some conflict OF
testimony IN several Of the cases. and the
n Identification in some Is not as positive
as it might be- but the Commonwealth
will endeavor 20 strengthen its case be-
fore the trial IS on.
The police this morning raided al ot
the saloons OF the city and seized every
slot gambling machine in sight As .
result of their work, acting under orders
of Chief-of-Pollce Harwood. twenty OF
? these devices are now stored In the Pollee
p | Court, and the next move by the police
| will be TO serve warrants against the
| ouerators. who have been coming money
| nv these ingenious machines in Newport
News. Last July Chlof-ot-Police Har-
IA wood gave the slot-machne owners no.
tice that they would have TO remove the
. machines. but the latter paid no attention
TO the order and the police let the mat
ter run on until the decisions In the test
n eases I'm Richmond and lynehDufB were
+. made known. When Chief Harwood
2 learned that the decisions were against
tho slot operators. he detailed six police
men TO gather I'm the machines, and TWEEN
10 were seized in two hours. There are
only thirty-two licensed i'm the city, bu
= il is said that fully fifty are operated
- here Several saloonkeepers managed
ii IN hide their machines or spirit then
away before the police ralded their places
n and other keepers managed 10 ger tn'
re money out Of the devices. The maJorlt,
Of the machines. however, are loaded VIII
b money. which, under the law. viii b'
e diyided between the State and the Of
p Gcers II the decision IS against the ope
= rators. This Is the first instance In tn
i, state where the police nave made
i wholesale seizure Of tho machines; II
" other cities only one instrument Dein
taken. I'm order 10 serve the purposes 0
tx a test case. Chief Harwood stated III
afternoon that warrants against the own
- ers would be issued on Monday IN
nereons and companies which operate
- H. machines in this city are j. J. HerZoi
" charles Belknap, a. j.. KitZmeler. II. J.
IN u,mman Speciality Manufacturing Com
lie nanv and A. Mara. COmmsslOner-oi
h pevenue NJ H. Jones contends that unde
N the law he was justified IN issuing license
ne 10 the owners, and further states tina
he will continue TO issue thel. as long q
the law reads as II does and the Attorney
General refuses 90 give him an opnloi
g Some time ago he wrote TO Mr Mohtasu
ri asteing for his opinion on the cOnstructio
.n Of the new law, and the latter referre
a. the letter 10 Hon. Morton Marye, WI
replied. but did not touch the case 9
no | which information was asked.