The evening times., 1900-02-07
POLICY PLAYING ENDED
The Gambling Game Driven Ont Of
This CITY
Detective Tells of the Efforts OF
the Police TO Extcrmiuate N Vicious
by Agents From the Dens in Ex-
fstence Across the A0ueduct Bridge

The fact that policy playing is not near
ly so much in ~ogue as il has been in
former years is a matter OF muci gratil-
cation to the police, and in particular TO
Policy Detective Watson. who is especial
ly assigned to prevent violations Of the
law and to detect the few promoters who
have sufficient temerity to operate in the
face of the heavy penalty consequent
upon conviction.
Contrasted with the conditions prevail
ing but few years ago policy playing is
practically extinct. The Indications are
that the efforts OF the police will be re-
warded in the near future by an absolute
determination Of the lottery form OF
gambling.
Possibly the best Indication that policy
playing is on the wane everything Hber-
ally considered. is the fact that very few
viOlators of the law are appreheEded," ="
said Detective Watson at Headquarters
this morning.
That statement may appear peculiar
when first considered" he continued. but
it should not be misconstrued. A disin-
terested party would naturally sSy that
violations OF law might continue nOetect-
ed, and the fact that no arrests w..rs made
would not indicate that crime was extinct.
Yet in the case of policy playing, the fact
that but few arrests are made indicates 20
certainty that this pernicioua form Of
gambling has been practically abolished.
There are two chief reasons why rOi-
icy playing is not in vogue. The first is
and I say this without egotism-that tie
!
The second is that the courts stand by the
police. and when a viOlatOr is convicted
he suffers a heavy penalty. When a man
considers his chances of operating without
! detection are slim and that the penalty he
must pay when convicted IS heavy, his de-
sire 10 violate the I. " wanes. and he
would rather employ some other means Of
obtaining livelihood where the pro5abil-
I tiles OF punishment are reduced TO a
minimum.
When q person considers that no far
Their back than ten years ago policy was
openly played in this city. ana compare
that with the fact that not a single policy
shop exists in Washington an present be
can appreciate the efforts of the police 10
exterminate the game. Policy is played 10
a limited extent today but The shops are
not in this city. There are only a few
shops near by, and they are located across
the river. in Virginia.
Not many years ago there were a mum
I ber CT them in Jackson City. but even
those have been closed up, aud now the
few remaining places in the vicinity are
located at Rosslyn- How different that Is
| from the conditions in 1850 when Blood
field in South Washington was oyerrUn
with policy games and 'CurbstOne writer's
openly did business in Pennsylvania Ave-
nue. between Thirteenth and Fourteenth
Streets. right In the heart o. the city. aud
en- is greatest thorOughfare
In those days II person wanted to
play policy it was like going 10 market TO
approach a writer and play anything from
a cent up on 4-lI-44.' known as Niger
row or on blood row. chicken row
fighting row. old clothes row. OF. in fact.
any row that dream OF other superstitious
/ fancy might dictate. The playing. while
mostly INDUCED in BY the colored people.
/ was not limited 10 them and many white
] persons invested a dime or a quarter at the
/ suggestion OF some negro who was sure his
1 dream would come out The game paid
( then as il does now 100 to l.
That is TO say, a player selected anv
/ number Of figures up TO ten ont OF seventy
! one and should three Of the figures select
| ed come out in the drawing that constituted
a row and won. Should more figures be
4 drawn the winning was greater \ player
I could elect 10 play in the morning or even
ing drawing and get 100 TO / for the money
/ invested. but when he specified that he
/ PLAYED all day giving him a chance in
| both drawings, the ratio was only 50 TO 1.
AT the present time there are Nd. more
| local policy shops and certainly no curb
l stone writer's. The games have moved
/ and now in order to do business in Wash
/ ington is necessary to employ runners
1 They are our prey. A runner takes the
! plays OF people in this city and returns
] Nrr-frh d q thsr.a D. A.
| are announced by the drawings the run
/ ner returns TO them with the proceeds of
/ their Investments. It Is difficult TO get
I good runners and in fact any at all
| Those whom We suspect OF being run
/ ners' are searched as they go on and OF
/ the Aqueduct or Long bridges. Many in
/ nOCent persons are searched. but one can
| not take chances
/ "One would scarcely believe the methods
/ employed by runners to conceal the pol
] icy slips about their persons. An old trick
4 and one that worked for long time. was
/ to wrap the slips written on thin tissue
I paper about a finger and about that wrap
| a soiIed and blOod-stained rag. giving the
! finger the appearance of having been in
jured. The trick was finally detected. and
then others were resorted TO. Frequently
slips were taken from the nostrils Of run
ners. from under their armpits between
their feet and stockings, and from every
conceivable place where cunning would in
dicate a plase to hide them. Recently I
caught runner who had his slips wrap
ped about a small piece OF horse shoe and
that wound about with red yarn.
He realized that it was useless TO at
tempt to successfully conceal slips about
| his person. and knowing that evidence
found on him would result in conviction,
had his slips wrapped as stated. with the
intention of throwing them from the
! bridge into the water where they would
sink. Ragpickers used to be favOrite
| class OF runners. as they could ccrceal
| slips in their junk, but even thei- tricks
have been fathOmed. I can Ii I-hfully say
that policy playing is almost uead'
Commissioners Bound for Paris
| NEW YORK. Feb. THE St Paul
sailed for Southampton this morning with
the following members of the United States
Commission to the Paris Exposition on
| board: Major Frederick BraSkett, secreta-
ry; William W. Bracket. assistant secre-
! tary; Richard Hoyt chief clerk: p P
/ Bowen. captain of the guard.
! Roy B. Tabor. clerk; W. Staley and Minnie
! Bronson. of the Department of Education
John Getz. chief decorator; Victur- C. Her