The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-01-21

WRITTEN FOR TIE SUNDAY HIIt.
II takes a man with good memory and
many years on his shoulders to remember
The time when II. I14is vas a "wiI.-1iea"
towE-wEeu gambling was one Of tae leslu-
mate sports. and when gambling houses
We're regularIy-gecusu.zeE business houses.
That Was in the days when Jas.ys M>Duu-
Cuch WIS chief Of Police. ana when
laurence HlrrIgan was Cf,-i of Detectives.
i was before James ,~asnIn... AaI become
d member Of the :J-rr. arl before William
Desmond had worn his STAR jyr the first
time 1t vas VIXEN tI@ western boundary
q the city was a. Grand Ey,as-. and ir
was just after ta- GRAND Duke Alexis O.
Russia, had Gene TO -. Louis ana gone To
Kansas fyr i buffalo han, oa "the plains Oe
the far West. that the raids were begun
which finally resulted IL the closing VI the
ss'ubiins houses.
one OF the men who took par; in these
raids IS Frank Watkins. Who had come 10
-. Louis from the eastern l3rt Of the
state two or three years before. Watkins
was al this limo beginning TO make .ne rep
utation which finally landed him AZ the
head Of the detective force Of $. Louis. lie
served in the department for seventeen
years, anu then resigned. He j. now in The
livery business a. PelLietJn ana Fairfax
avenues, but he has not forgotten the days
when he was a detective. And neither has
he forgotten 70 make this prayer. that when
he dies he may lie close 10 "La-Ty" liar
T!gan. his Old chief aud friend.
The time when =. Louis was q wide
open town is too far back for yDI young
fellows 10 remember" said Mr.. Watkins. u
Il Sunday Republic man Tho other evening.
But We used TO have some lively times in
those days in the early '1gs. when all
the great men were living. and the steam
boat business was IN lis glory. The biggest
part OF 81. Louis was stiil close 10 the leyee.
ana the Chestnut street station was tho
greatest police station in Tie city. There
were not - many policemen 81 town then.
but the town was not SO large. and Aot -
many men were needed to cover l..
There We're royal gamblers il those days.
and royal gambling houses. The stakes
wr,e high. and the play WAS heavy. Dr
course. there were gigantic poker games.
but they we've not fha big things. E~IO
and keno were the things; and ny, but the
games thai We're played! At Gle time, early
In 1872. when We began to raid 1he houses,
there were tWeuty-thTee faro games. and
thirteen keno games in the district, be-
tween Elm street and Washington avenue,
and Third street and Seventh street. And
Some OF the houses were p~alaccs-htted up
anonymously, and with ali tLe elegance
that one could possibly look for. There
We're Brussels carpets, md sAverware, and
fine old chairs. and rIgIy-caryed tables.
and all that thing; and then tue dinners
they used 10 serve. They were not the free
lunches that one finds these days they were
hanqGets. and eycgyguG who visited the
rooms was welcome 70 cat ana drink -
much and as often al he wished.
1t was about February, lsi2, that tie Or
der went forth that these places were ~ be
closed. Tom Smith and I were partners or
the detective force then. and Larry" Har-
rigaa was Cl.ef Of Detectives. There was
the man for you. II0 could look q man
clean through without blinking al eye-the
best man at Sweating Il prisoner that ever
eat in a chair. James McDUuUugA was
chief OF police.
The first thing done was 10 write letters
10 the men VINO ran the places. telling :ncal
that unless they closed up in five days. they
would be- raided. Wei, they took the notice
as a joke; they had been running 50 long
that they did not think anyone would try
10 close them Up. But. nevertheless. some q