The morning news., 1899-12-23
DETECTIVES IN HOT WATER.
MAYOR MYERS THREATENS THEM
WITH DISMISSAL.

lhe hayof IL angry because FOF-
mcr Orders for the Suppression of
Gambling and Skin Games Have
Been Ignored-A PeremptOry Order
Issued for the Suppression of Skin
Games-UnIess the Detectives En-
force Orders They VIII BE Dis
Games Have Promptly Disappear
ed-superintendent of Police Screw
en- Has Nothing to Say.
Mayor Myers has found it necessary TO
resort to extreme measures in order to Sc
cure the enforcement by the police de-
partment, and more particularly the detec-
tives, of his orders for the suppression of
gambling, and especially those devices
known skin games by which the I'M
wary are deprived of their money without
the ghost of show to get even.
The Mayor has not been unmindful of
the numerous reports which have been
made of the existence of the various fraud
ulent games which have been in operation
in the city for some time past, some of
them being conducted with the greatest
openness. The swarm of fakirs which
swooped down upon the city at the time of
the veterans reunion, evidently found Sa-
vannah an easy place in which TO work,
and were in no haste to take their Depart
ure
The Morning News called atiention to
the presence of these gentry during veter-
ans week and described their methods Of
operation, and in some instances the 10
cation of the games. at some length. May
Oh Myers stated at the lime that he had
gwen orders fIr the suppression of these
games, and that the orders We're doubtless
being carried out. Shortly after the re-
unicn he issued a pcsi i've order to the
superintendent of police on this subject.
There was temporary suspens. on of ac-
tvities on the part of the fakirs, but this
was of brief duration, and for the last
week or ten days, the games have been IN
fun blast. There was even a report amcng
the local SPORTS that a man by the name
of Allen had been given the privilege, by
some unknown authority, 60 control ali
The games in the neighborhood of the mar
ket and that no fakir could operate ex-
cept with his permission. This was par
uculary obnoxious to the local SPORTS.
some of whom are not aVer.e TO turning
an honest penny during the Joyous Christ
mas season, and 1t was a subject Of COM
mon remark that the fake games by which
the countrymen were being SIX nned daily
were all conducted by strangers.
The Morning News gave an account
yesterday morning of a South Carolina
countryman vino was done out of $3.50 in
skin game on Broughton street, and fol-
lowed this up with a general statement
in hi oh ba
were being conducted and the serene OBJ
l1viousness of the detectives to the exist
ence of anything of the kind. Yesterday
all the games were closed down. The prize
candy packages were no longer on sale at
Barnard and Broughton streets, and the
fellow with the ball and pin had disap-
| peared. This may or may not have been
| due In some part to the publication in the
| Morning News According to Mayor My
| ers' own statement his orders to the
detectives for the suppression of the
| games had been without effect
Mayor Myers made public during the
| day the orders which he had issued to the
| superintendent of police, directing his at
| tention pointedly to the evils complained
! of. Nov. 20 he sent Supt. Screven the fol-
| lowing order:
Il am reliably informed that the two
principal offices for the conducting of lot
| terry business are open on Congress street
lane, between Bull and Drayton streets; /;
also, that there are three principal offices
on Congress street lane, between Barnard
and Jefferson streets, You will Please
notify your detective department that un-
less these places are closed 1 will hold
| them responsible and if they have NOT
done their duty will summarily dismiss
them from the force"
Numerous reports having reached the
Mayor of the swindles perpetrated by the
so-called skin games, he addressed the fol-
lowing order to Supt. Screven on Wednes-
day.
Savannah. Ga, Dec. 2O-Capt. Thomas
Screven, Superintendent Police Force:
Dear Sir-Informations comes to me from
| various sources that there are many
skin aud other swindling games in oper-
alton on the streets and in stores in this
city. l am surprised that the detective
department is not able to ferret out and
break up such games. Unless all such
games cease promptly I will be forced to
dismiss a portion of the detective force
and appoint others TO their places. Very
respectfully. Herman Myers. Mayor"
On the afternoon of the day on which
this order was issued. j. G. Mason of Sco-
tia, was robbed of between 500 and $3.50,
in a room on Broughton near Barnard
streets, where keno game was formerly
conducted. During the same week. IL
not on the same day, another countryman
was done out of $30 and another at the
market was zone out OF ABOUT Sb0, DelnS
the proceeds of the sale of the beef which
he had brought to the market, and also
Of the sale of his mule, which he had sold
for the purpose of getting money with
which to retrieve his first losses.
The Mayors recent order must have un-
doubtedly been received by the Superin-
tendent of Police by Wednesday night. 1t
may be that the detectives acted on the
very liberal principle of giving the faklrs
twenty-four hours notice in order that
they might not suffer any inconvenie
in their business. Why the operators OF
the games should have been given any
further notice than ride in the hurry
up wagon, no one has yet attempted to ex-
plain. Mayor Myers has the credit of hav-
ing given the order before attention was
called 10 the state of affairs by the Morn
ing News, but the remarkable fact re-
mains that the order was not enforced
When seen by Morning News reporter
yesterday Mayor Myers said that he was
| 10th surprised and cbagrined al the man