Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-11-28
MORE LIGHT on LEAvENwORTH's
TOUGH RESORT.
PITFALLS FOR OLD SOLDIERS
REAP A HARVEST FROM
PENSIONERS.
Most Conservative Estimate Places
"klOndike" Annual Harvest Mt
S36,OOO, All of Which Comes
From Civil War Vet-
erans-No License.

LEAVENWORTH, KAS., Nov. 27.-(Spe-
ciaL) An old soldier entered one of the
hlondike" joints one day last week and
called Tor glass of beer, at the same time
laying SO gold piece on the bar He
drank the beer slowly and started TO pick
up his change. Only 50 cents was before
him. He at once began to expostulate with
the bartender. but to no avail. ~
Why, what the matter with you?''
said the bartender, reaching into the cash
drawer and bringing out a silver dollar.
here's the very dollar you gave me-
1t was no use to argue. The old SOL
dier was so dazed with the bad liquor
he had been drinking that no one would
have believed his story anyway.
When this was called to the attention
of Superintendent Rowland, of the home,
he said:
Yes, I've heard of that happening more
than once. In fact the victims often come
here or go to the police in the city and
make complaints. but 1 imagine there are
ten who do not to one who does make
the robbery known. Only small per
cent, in fact, ever comes to light, because
when the boys sober up they don't care
to have the public know they've been
robbed, in such a place especially"
One of the. veterans made the statement
that he believed 50 per cent of the pension
money found its way into the Golfers OF
Rowland said, however, that he Thought
this was an Oyer-eStimate. He believed
that not more than 10 per cent of the PEN
sion money was spent there. Even this
would amount to $4,000 year for the graf
ters as the yearly pension roll at the home
amounts to S3s0.c0O. This sum is variable,
just as the number of inmates is variable,
some dying, others leaving on INDEFINITE
k
ing their places. But the amount ranges
between $4,000 and $4,000 a quarter.
The proprietors of the Klondike resorts
pay no license, either city, county or state,
because of the prohibitory law. They pay
a monthly fine of SIS and are held up right
and left by officers and the public. Al
though their shantieS are cheap and every
thing connected with the dives of the
cheapest sort, it costs the proprietOrs a
large sum to run.
Notwithstanding this. the proprietors
have good thing. The place was named
"klondike" because of the rich harvests
reaped by them-harvests that come solely
home, no one else being near to patronize
them. One of the proprietors said to an
acquaintance Sunday that if the trials now
in progress in Leavenworth should not
force them to quit, ne was planning to put
up a hall to be used for cock fights, boxing
matches, dog fights. serpentine dances and
women, who have been driven from Kansas
City and Leavenworth, find the old soldiers
an easy prey. Several times couchee-
couchee dances and other exhibitions and
orgies have taken place in the Klondike.
and the yells of the drunken revelers could
be heard in the city, two miles away
Every sort of scheme is worked to sepa-
rate the old soldier from his money The
gray-haired. tottering hero of Gettysburg
or Appomatox is decoyed into shanties
labeled Magnetic Healing and comes out
an hour later pilfered of every penny
1t is doubtless as Superintendent Row
land says, that the old soldiers cannot be
prevented from drinking. but the drinking
robbery and debauchery are not allowed
and where poisonous slop is not dealt out
for liquor.