The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-08
THE POLICY SHOPS RAIDED.
SHERIFF swEENY AND DEPUTIES
CAUGHT SEVENTEEN OPERATORS.

Made in Congress Lane, Between
Bull and DraytOn Streets-The
Chatham. Original Genuine, Ken
lucky and KIondIke. the Lotteries
That Attracted the Attention of the
Officers of the Law-Hirsch, Hem
dersOn, Fulton and Hodges, With
Thirteen Negro Assistants, Sent to
Station House.
Several of the policy shops of Savannah
were raided by Sheriff Sweeny and his
deputies last night and seventeen Of those
fou nd experimenting the revolutions and
evol utions of this particular form of for
tuneIs wheel were arrested and lined up
and a mt In to the station house.
The aid was the direct result of a trip
through the section of Congress lane, be-
tween B,lh and Drayton streets, recently
made by a prominent member of the
grand Jun. The reports that are freely
circulated to the effect that this form of
gambling is INDUCED in openly and with
out any att smpt whatever at conceal
1nent indu ced this grand juryman 10 walk
through the lane, at the point indicated,
where ii is an other matter of common
knowledge that the principal offices of the
policy shops. where che drawings are
made. are located in greatest numbers.
AS he started in from end of the
lane he ced crowds of negroes,
also a few white persons. gathered
before several open doors, and as he
passed these doors he saw the revolutions
of the wheels and heard thecall of the num-
bers. as they weI drawn. His visit TO
the alleged scene of operations convinced
him THAI report fcr once had told the
truth and that everything that had been
said about the open and fragrant manner
in which the law was violated was en-
tirely true.
Some of the connecting links between
this visit and the raid of last night can,
in the nature of things. be matters of sur
mise only but the doctrin of probabilities
works beautifully in supplying them.
There can be but little I cal doubt as 10
how the thing happened There was
meeting of the grand jury yesterday after
noon and it was noticeable that there was
a considerable disparity between the time
spent in the grand jury room and the
number of indictments returned. There
was a feeling around the Court House At
bur as 10 just what it was nobody Ventur-
ed more than the vaguest prediction. An
hour afterwards the secret was public
property.
After the adjournment, Sheriff Sweeny
was called upon by members of the grand
jury and furnished with information he
was told would lead to the arrest. red
handed, of violators of the law prohibiting
gaming. He was informed that if he would
proceed with his force of deputies 10 Con-
gress lane, between Bull and Drayton
streets at 1870 o'clock in the evening, he
would find four or Ave policy lottery
wheels in revolution and the successful
holders of tickets receiving their prizes.
He was instructed by the grand inquest
to cause the arrest of every person found
assisting in any way in the operation of
these wheels and to have the parties thus
detected and captured sent to the station
house.
The sheriff carried out his instructions
TO the letter. Accompanied by his full
force of deputies he proceeded TO Congress
lane and at the stroke of the half hour
the raid was begun. The lane at this hour
was crowded with negroes, assembled TO
see if the lightning of chance had struck
anywhere in their nelghborhood the wheels
were turning at half dozen places, prizes
were being handed out to those who had
won them. and the gay laugh of the fav-
ortes of fortune mingled with the dolorous
groans of those who had staked
the price of several beer upon the turn
of the wheel and been themselvs turnd
down by ts1e tickle goddess.
This was the scene in the lane when
the sheriff and his officers made their tri-
umphal entry In a few minutes "the gay
laugh of the favorites of fortune" was
no longer heard and there was a singular
uniformity in the matter of noise. Some
of those who superintendent the revolu-
lions of the wheels took their arrest quiet
ly enough and none of them made any ef-
fecuual or even forceful resistance. In
the course of very few minutes the raid
had been completed. and seventeen, caught
in the very act. were lined up at the po-
lice telegraph box at the corner of Bull
and Broughton streets.
In this short space of time the Chatham,
the Original Genuine, the Kentucky and
the Klondike policy lotteries had been en-
tered and their alleged proprietors with
bakers dozen of negro assistants were
under arrest.
The white men arrested were ]. D.
Hirsch. Frank Fulton, w. Mai Hender-
son and l.. j. Hodges. The arrest of these
men on charge of violating the gaming
laws is not a new thing for any one of
them, though Hodges has not been at the
business so long, nor is he well known
as his companions in misfortune. The OH
er three have been arrested with almost
uninterrupted punctuality every year for
many years.
The negroes arrested for completely in
the operation of the lotteries were Wesley
Miller Ed Bynes, A. Howard Wash
Brouthers, A. Hoover, Benton Green Ed-
ward Morgan. William Black John Small
+. Fahm, Robert Brisbane, d. Nix and
l. G Jenkins. 1t is probable that not all
of those connected with the lotteries were
caught in the meshes of the net that
Sheriff Sweeny set for their capture, but
the number actually arrested speaks we'll
for the sheriff and his officers.
All of the men arrested white and coll
ored were carried to the police station
house the negroes in a patrol wagon and
the white men on foot and under the es-
cort of some of the deputies They re-
manned at the station house for about an
hour, when bonds for all of them were
arranged by their friends and they were
released until this morning when their
bonds require their appearance before Re-
corder Hartridge, in the Police Court
AS Mr.. Hartridge had no more bitter
enemies in his fight for the solicitor gem
eralship than the gamblers, IL viii be in
teresting 90 watch the trial of the cases
against those who will appear before him
The Recorder has no Furnishing power in
such cases. the offense With which they
are charged being violation of a state