The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1900-08-11
THE FOUR WERE INDICTED.
GRAND JURY PRESENTED ALLEGED
POLICY LOTTERY PROPRIETORs.

Hirscb, Henderson, Hodges and Full
ton, the Four White Men Caught
in the Meshes of Sheriff Sweeny's
Net, VIII Answer Indictment for
Violating Gaming Laws-The Ne
gro Assistants, Nnbbcd at the
Same Time, Punished An City Court.
Grand Jury to Try Its Hand at
Suppression and Solicitor General
VIII Assist-TrinI Is to BE on Mon
day.
The four alleged policy lottery proprie-
tors who were caught in the raid of Tues
day evening, were indicted by the grand
jury of the Superior Court yesterday af-
ternoon for violating the gaming laws of
the state. The men thus indicted are
julius D. Hirsch. l.. j. Hodges, Male Hen
derson and Frank Fulton.
Ten of the negroes who were caught in
the raid at the same time were the
four more prominent and influential mem
bers of the profession expressed to the
solicitor general yesterday morning viii
ingness to enter pleas of guilty and in
consequence were presented to Judge Nor
wood in the City Court for the offense of
maintaining a policy lottery or being in
strumental in its operation. Judge Nor
wood assessed a fine of $50 and costs, with
the alternative of six months on the chain
gang in each case, and all of the fines
were promptly paid.
The men thus punished are of the class
commonly known as writers" for the pol
Icy lotteries, of which class it has been
estimated there are 200 or more in Savan-
nah. The names of those who contributed
to the Golfers of the City Court officers
by the payment of the fines assessed
against them are A. Hoover, Benton
Green. F. Fahm, Robert Black, A. How
ord, w. Brothers, Ed Byrnes, Edward
Morgan, l.. G. Jenkins and Wesley Miller
Two or three others, who were arrested
at the same time. refused TO plead and
viii have to be dealt with, so the solicitor
general stated, by more indirect method
than that pursued in the punishment of
criminals in the City Court. It's results
will probably be not less severe and it Is
doubtful, assuming the negroes to be gull
ty of the crime with which they are charg-
ed, that the path they have chosen to
follow is that of wisdom
The meeting of the grand Jury in the
afternoon was called, it is understood. es-
pecially to consider che question of gam
bling and the violation of the laws that
are designed to prohibit it in this state
What went on behind the closed doors
of the grand jury room is a secret with
che members of the grand inquest but
that the gambling question was discussed
in many of its phases and bearings there
can be but little doubt The attention
that has been given this vexed problem
by the present grand jury has been as
earnest and as painstaking as that which
characterized the deliberations of the
grand juries by which it was preceded.
II may be that the present grand jury will
formulate some plan, that, carried into
execution, will do something toward the
abatement of lhe vice in Savannah and
Chatham county
The witnesses who appeared against the
gamblers indicted yesterday We're of very
different class from those who usually
make out the states case before grand
juries. In the past it has been usual to
pick up some employee of the man against
whom an indictment is 10 be found; yes
terday the sheriff and his officers fur
nished the needed evidence to support
the return of a true bill. Against Hen
derson Sheriff Sweeny is named as the
witness on the back of the indictment ;
against Hodges, Deputy Hartigan appear
ed; Deputies Lilienthal and Harvey testi-
fed against Hirsch, while Deputy O'Con-
nor told of the operation of the wheel
which Frank Fulton is charged with own
ing and conducting.
During the session of the grand jury
the solicitor general was called into fire.
quent consultation with its members, and
it is understood that he agreed 10 push
the cases against the men indicted by the
grand jury, and to bring them to trial
with the greatest possible degree of eeieF-
ity. The cases against Hirsch, Henderson,
Hodges and Fulton will be assigned for
trial on Monday. Whatever plan is for
mulated by the grand jury will receive
the support which can come from the
prosecuting officer of the state for this
judicial district.
The members of the grand jury. confess
ing that the problem is a difficult one,
and that they do not see their way clear
ly to its solution, yet express the inten-
ton of doing what they can to abate or
lessen the evil and a modest confidence
that they will be able to accomplish some
thing in this direction. even if they 10
not clean the Augeau stables by one Her
culean effort AS the problem has been
grappled with before, without having ap-
preached any closer solution than it was
when the former efforts were instituted
the plan and procedure of the grand jury
will be watched with interest.
ISLE OF HOPE MATINEE.