The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-08-17
Dlou BY nLEq Merry.
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Deteq YES.
st. Louis Post. spatch: Detective
Lee Killian CAPT Ed Friday night the
most unique ~ scientific dice outf,
ever seen at bolice headquarters. An
electric battery and dice that are plug.
ged With steel are the essential parts
Of the outfit.
The game was run at Jacob Gut.
freund's saloon, at Twelfth street and
Washington avenue. and for lead.
pipe cinch" the police have never seer
anything to equal it. Electric dice have
been heard of in police circles before
this. but none were ever operated be.
fore.
Gutfreund and his bartender, Teddie
Beard. so the detectives allege, were en-
gagged in fleeing Joe Parker, when the
raid took place. The men were ar.
rested and the outfit confiscated. Parker
lives at 1921 South Fourteenth street.
He says he lost s23 on the dice game
before the raid was made. The detec-
tives suspected that the game was
crooked, but they did not expect to
find so elaborate an outfit as was re-
vealed by their investigation.
The counter in the saloon is much the
same In general appearance as that OF
all other saloons. The polished sur,
face gave no clew to what was imme-
dtately underneath. Craps was the
game being played and Parker lost s23
before he could understand why he
could not make his point, while the
bartender could. with such becoming
regularity.
The game started pretty much as all
crap games do. For while the game
took its natural course. The dice ap-
peared to be regular. Then the bar
tender would shake or TO- or s or o
points hard to make. The victim would
Increase his bet so sure was he that
they could not make the required point.
How easy 1t was to do this was shown
phernalia. Under the counter was
strong electric battery, 1t was screwed
up to the counter. Two large round
steel plates. with steel poles In the CEN
ter were fastened into the counter so
that only thin wood veneer covered
them. Insulated copper wires led from
the battery to these steel plates. Still
other wires led from push buttons be-
hind and under the counter. SO that
by merely pressing any Of these but
tons the circuit was opened and the
plates became charged with magnetism.
The top of the counter Is usually wet
and the thin venerring Of wood did rot
destroy its influence.
So long as absolutely fair dice were
used the electric current had no effect
on the game. The victim was always
supplied with fair dice. But It was no
with the establishment to switch the
dice. These dice that we're doctored are
artistic. On the surface they seem to
be absolutely fair. But when Chief of
Detectives Desmond sawed several Of
them II was found they had been filled
with steel and copper wires. The ac-
ton Of the electricity was such that
when the dice were rolled they would
Invariably stop in a certain position.
Thus. when the bartender threw 4, a
difficult point to make. he could be
reasonably sure Of making 1t again
whenever he saw At. by simply pressing
Z button and turning the current on.
Chief Desmond says it is the most
ingenious contrivance he ever saw and
he congratulated Detective iKllian on
MIS- clever work in unearthing the game.
Twenty sets Of fixed" dice were found