The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-23
ONLY FOUR INDICTMENTS.
sioNAHAN, FULTON, HODGES AND
HACKETT For GAMING.


Court for the Violation of the
Gaming Laws Three Are White
and One Is IA NegrO-Of the white
Mem one II Said to Hum a General
Gaming House, the Second n Keno
Room and the Third Policy
wheel Large Number of Wit
nesSes for whom subpeenas Were
Issued Did Not Appear-GeneraI
Presentments to BE Returned Fri
day.
The grand Jury of the Superior Court,
after much preliminary animation and ag-
itation. doled out yesterday its grist of
indictments against the keepers OF gaming
houses. Four indictments were returned.
The men indicted are William A. Mona
han, Frank Fulton. L. ]. Hodges and Hen
ry Hackett The last named is a negro,
who is charged with running the negro
gaming house just back of the De Soto,
on Drayton street; all the others are
white.
Among the white men there is an i'm
partial distribution of indictments for the
various forms of gaming, Fulton being
charged with maintaining a general gam
ing house. Monahan with conducting
keno layout and Hodges with the proprie-
torship of a policy lottery. Thus each
form of gambling in vogue in Savannah
is represented by one of the most repre-
sentative of its opponents.
The four score or more witnesses for
whom il was said subpoenas had been is
sued did not materialize. Either the sub
poenas were not served upon the witt
nesses, or else they braved the wrath of
the law and steadfastly stayed away.
Many of them, doubtless, adopted and
followed this latter course. At any rate
when the grand jury retired to its room
and began the consideration of the busi-
ness before it, less than twenty witnesses
were in attendance and prepared to testf-
fly.
This time the grand jury requested the
assistance of the solicitor general pro TEN,
Mr. r. L. Colding, which was of course.
promptly rendered. Mr.. Colding conducted
the examination of witnesses before the
grand jury, and succeeded in getting
enough evidence upon which TO found the
indictments that were subsequently re-
turned. Among the witnesses were two
we'll known men about-town, one of whom
stated that he had not been in a gaming
absolutely nothing about what was trans
piring in that line at the present time.
HaclSett got himself into trouble in a
peculiar fashion. Some time ago a negro
named Johnson was seriously cut in a
general row in the club that Hackett Is
said to conduct and has since that time
placed a large share of the blame for his
injuries at the door of the proprietor Of
the place. Hence. when the grand jury be-
gan its investigation of the gaming stu-
alton, Johnson appeared before 1t and
gave such evidence as resulted in the in
dictment of Hackett
The grand jury remained In session for
more than two hours. When the session
was ended and the members of the grand
jury returned to the court room, Mr..
Colding received the indictments and sta
ted that they would be received without
being read, as no arrests in any of the
cases had yet been made. He requested
that bench warrents for the arrest of the
defendants named in the indictment be
issued at once, request that was COM
pied with promptly by Judge Falligant
Foreman Stevens stated to the court
that the grand jury would like to hold
another meeting tomorrow. Judge Falli-
CANT pointed out at this point that 1t was
his intention to adjourn court Friday and
asked the foreman when the grand Jury
would be- prepared to return it's final and
general presentments and conclude the
business 1t was now considering. The
foreman answered that everything would
De ready for the court Friday afternoon.
Friday afternoon, then. will witness the
uischarge of the grand jury and the adj
Journment OF the court for the term On
Friday afternoon, or possibly during the
morning, though the latter is not likely
the grand jury will return its general pre-
sentiments, especially that relating to the
budget OF the county. The matter OF
rafV nI fN1aA
the county appropriation to tho Board Of
Education. 1t is practically understood
mat the grand jury will increase the
County Commissioners appropriation, so
as 10 give to public education in the
county the $91, 900 that has been asked by
the board
Mr.. Hartridge was not before the grand
jury yesterday afternoon. nor was Mr..
Sullivan. Neither was the negro waiter
In Mr.. Sullivan's restaurant by whom the
policy tickets that Mr.. Hartridge used
in political address had been pur-
chased. 1t was stated. when the officer
OF the grand jury attempted to serve a
summons upon the waiter that he had
not shown up for work during the day.
The final result of the grand Jury dis
oussion and agitation of the gambling
question is somewhat in the nature of a
disappointment. From the number of
witnesses for whom subpoenas had been
issued the action of the grand jurymen
in excluding the solicitor general pro TEN.
from their former deliberations and other
facts IL was rather expected that there
would he a large number of indictments.
That this was not so is something of a
surprise.
County Detective Wetherhorn stated
yesterday that Solicitor General Osborne
would not permit him 10 aesist the grand
jury in its Investigation of the gambling
question: and that this was the reason It
had proceeded on is own responsibility.
Mr.. Osborne's course In the matter was
probably dictated by che fact that con-
siderable criticism has been passed upon
the employment OF the county officer to
institute some prosecutions, without re-
curing him 10 institute them against
all OF the gamblers and to do il fire.
Guently.