Evening star., 1901-07-12
VICE ENCOMPASSED
Shameful Surroundings Of the Ma
tons Capital City.
LAW AND ORDER LAUGHED At
Results of an Investigation by a
Star Reporter.
FACTS LAINLY STATED
LAW AND ORDER LAUGHED At
FACTS PLAINLY ST TED

To the east to the west, to the south,
the city is surrounded with a Gordon of
law breakers, who laugh at law and order
and whistle authority down the winds.
Just beyond the city borders conditions
list which recall those of a western mining
camp. 1t is not the first time that The
Star has called attention to these things.
They have been written about time and
again, but the evil maintains, and there
does not seem any authority either In
Maryland or Virginia to suppress it.
For years Jackson City has been pest
hole. The bright promises of a fiourishing
city across the Potomac have been dissi-
pated by the realization of a colony of
law breakers whose avariciousness knows
no law and stops at nothing for the pos
session of the mighty dollar. Policy shops,
gambling saloons, speak-eaSleS and thleVeS
resorts flourish there without moleStat1on.
little further on pool room, when ao.
vertiSeS its business to the cltlzenS ol
Washington and draws it's patronage from
the department clerks, fourlshes without
any semblance of legal right.
Chesapeake Junction and Conduit
Road.
On the east just across the border line
of the District, at Chesapeake junction,
another lawless element has set up COL
ony, and gamblers and confidence men and
Illegal liquor sellers dle WANING ide CT S'AS
expense of the Washington public
On the west gambling houses are flourish
ing on the shores of the Potomac from just
above the AQueduct bridge to the Lltue
Falls, while the Conduit road is mace moe
Gus by saloons and gambling houses "hlch
fleck both sides from the District line to
the Great Falls. And all this without a
semblance of legal right. For in Mont
gomery county there is a prohibition Ia"
which absolutely forbids the sale OF liquor.
Of
Sabbath, unless they realize that the seE-
enth day is the best for their business. 90
when you please-Saturday, Sunday or
Monday-the wild orgie is Kept Up and
strange to say, the constabuiarly officers
are cognizant of every detail NO attempt
is made to stop them until an expose is
made in the daily press, when for a bTiei
space of time Sunday drinking is shut OF
and gambling interdicted.
Wide Open on Sundays.
For the past three Sundays representa-
tive of The Star has been alternately visit
ing these places. Nothing was found that
has not already been recounted in the col
umns of The Star, but everything that eN-
listed a year ago maintains today, and this
in the face of the promise of the author
ities of Montgomery county that they should
no longer continue.
At Jackson City they are as bold ard i'm
pudent as though they enjoyed the protec-
ton of the authorities They are equally so
at Chesapeake Junction, Rosslyn, Glen Echo
and Cabin John Bridge.
At Glen Echo there are four slot ma
chimes running all the time. Three of them
are located at the end of the main passage
way; and when the reporter visited the
place the other day four children, the eldest
certainly not over eleven years OF age and
the youngest about eight, We're buSiiy en-
gagged spending their money and learning to
gamble. One little girl, after she had lost
her ) cents. went to a man in tn" crowd
and begged another nickel. He promptly
refused, and she called to her young COM
panion to on, She knew where she
could get . cents.
Then there is a cane game, where
many throws with wooden rings at
canes or knives, some of which have
dollar bills attached to them. To
ring one with a dollar bill futtering
from it's blade means that the owner is
entitled to the money and the knife. Ad-
joining this is lottery running in full
blast, where for a dime you draw
velope from a box, and the letter which
you find upon the card inclosed entities
the holder to the article similarly ini-
tailed in the booth. Underneath the audi
torium there is a drinking place, and when
the reporter went there Sunday before last
he noticed three boys and two girls drink
ing liquor A theater is in full blast, and
there are divers amusements, such as gyp-
sy camps and palmists to catch the PEN
MES.
AZ SAOhh pEAuscs
At Cabin John bridge even worse con-
dition of affairs exists The saloon bar
room is flanked with these gambling ma
Chimes and the buzzing of the wheel of
fortune mingles with the clinking Of the
glasses Down in the cellar there are more
slot machines, and these are even better
patropiZed than those upstairs, although
| they are all crowded with eager investors.
And then there is that private room
proposition which lures and ruins so many
young men and women. For 81 bonus a
man or boy can obtain the key to one of
| these, and here he may drink and carouSe
unseen.
Throughout the grounds there is every
device for obtaining money. There are
many wholesome and innocent amuse-
ments, but they are Sandwched in among
| the fakes.
| Several weeks ago they exhibited Wild
man who received 81 day for being wild
and who has since become tame and hangs
| about the terminus of the electric road
playing craps. His education into the
ways of men has been rapid. He became
recalcitrant some time ago, and another
| wild man was found to take his place.
Sunday Liquor Sales.
The Star reporter called one Of the wait
| ers aside and interviewed him in the pres
ence of a third party. He showed will
| lingness to tell what he knew about the
| place, and this is what he said, replying
| to The Star mans inquiries:
| Il have been here now every Sunday for
| the season and have seen pretty much
everything that has been going on. There
Is not very much drunkenness, although
| there is an immense amount of liquor sold
| Last Sunday week, for instance, / heard
the bar tender say at II o'clock that he
| had sold 500 cases Of beer. That Is Just
| exactly 20.54 bottles. which, at Is cents
bottle, brings in revenue Of $3Os1.6O. 1
| cannot tell you how much plain whisky
mixed drinks. lemonade and soft drinks
were Sold but 1 honestly believe that at
| least $4,000 Is taken in every good Sunday
| by the bar alone. No indeed, there is no
| interference by the authorities"
! THAT IS because the proprietors employ
| the sons and daughters of the officials. "
| chimed in one Of the drivers of the nu-
| merous carriages which operate.in the vi
| cinity. He went on and enumerated those
| who were directly related to the county Of
ficials and employed at good wages in the
1 place.
Il have been a waiter a, good many
| years. continued the man, but I never
| served drinks to such young people as do
| sometimes up here. No, indeed, we were
| never told not to sell to minors; in fact we
never got any instructions, except to do