The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-23
THE MORNING NEWS THURSDAY NOVEMBER %, 1890
GAMBLERS AND GRAFTERS.
both HELD FORTH YESTERDAY
WITHOUT HINDRANCE.

WITHOUT HtNDRANCE.
PoIicy shops Opened Up Early In the
Morning and the Keno Rooms
Were Running at NiEht-Some of
the sports Claim That They We're
Not Given the Tip and Are Kick ed
because They Were Not sGiven n
Chance With the Rest-The Graf
tiers Running Boldly and without
Interference.
The gamblers and grafters have fun
swing. This statement was generally
made on the streets yesterday and last
night by people who ought to know, es-
pecialy as some of them are not averse
TO taking a hand at this sort OF thing
themselves. Bright and early the policy
shops began operations and the keno
rooms on Broughton street were in fun
blast last night. The proprietors are a
little more cautious than they formerly
were, The bright lights do not stream
from the windows upon the streets nor
would the preachers be able to hear the
sound Of the electric bell as it registered
the numbers nor the voices Of the callers,
but the game was going on just the same.
BY what peculiar system of mental tefe-
pathy a majority of the policy proprietors
and gamblers generally arrived at the
conclusion that II would be all right 10 re-
open their games spontaneously with the
beginning of the reunion of the veterans
remains to be explained. Another pecu-
liar thing is the failure of portion of the
sporting fraternity 10 connect with this
system of mental telegraphy or under
ground telephony, whichever 1t may he,
and hence were left to the melancholy
pleasure of Witnessing the operations of
their rivals while they stood by idle all
the day.
To say that some of the sports are sore
because they were not tipped off to the
fact that il would be all right to resume
operations barely expresses. That indig
nation could not be measured in words,
and what they want Is revenge. How they
will effect this remains to be seen. One
well known sporting firm, not considered
as being in close touch with those who
have the say In these matters, Is under
stood to have caught on and gotten into
the swim along with its competitors.
1t was evidently an understood thing
between several of the policy and keno
propretors that they should resume bus
mess yesterday. Whether the city de-
tectives were too busy protecting the Wis
itors from professional crooks to give
their time to enforcing Mayor Myers
gambling order, or whether the order has
been suspended for the occasion Is a sub
ject that calls for further discussion.
Whether or not the detectives were aware
of the fact. that gambling was In pro-
gress behind closed doors there was moth
ing to prevent their perceiving the numer-
Gus skin games which were In opera ton
all over the city. 1t was true that these
people all had licenses to conduct some le-
climate business, and as rule the IL
censes for which the business was issued
and the game conducted under it had lit
tie relation to each other. 1t was not be-
cause of any lack of complaint that the
detectives failed to have their attention
called to these games. In some instances
the victims Tesorted to magistrates and
swore out warrants but the parties were
either not arrested or succeeded In imme
ately giving bond.
Some of the frauds were the old, old
games which have gathered i'm the coin
of the unwary since the veterans wore
knee pants, such for instance as the ball
and pin game, where II is so easy to
knock down the pin when you swing the
bail just for fun and so impossible to ac-
complish this feat when you put up the
money.
One fellow who operated at Barnard
and Broughton streets introduced an in
novation on an old game which was de
cidedely interesting. 1t is the old paddle
game common In church fairs and other
institutions where large profits and small
returns are the rule. You buy a paddle
with lot of numbers on It and If the
wheel stops at your number you get five
for one or some other profit The gen.
tleman at Barnard and Broughton streets
does not use a wheel, however. For this
device he substitutes a cage of canary
birds. The cage is divided into number
of different compartments with cards neat
ly placed i'm trays alongside them When
a sufficient number of paddles has been
sold the dealer simply lifts the door of
one of the compar tments, when out steps
a canary, and picks up card in his bill,
which the dealer takes. The birds are
nicely trained and do their work wen
Several Savannah darkeys were acting as
boosters for the game when a Morning
News reporter passed by yester-
day Apparently the negroes were
winning money at every round.
Suckers were not biting free
ly, however and the game took a rest
during the middle of the day. This may
have been due to the fact that one OF
the proprietors was arrested on the COM
plant of a visitor VINO charged that he
had been swindled The game was run
ming again In the afternoon, however.
Down on Congress street between Bar