The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-02-22
ONE WAS INDICTED
GRAND JURY RETURNED TRUE BILL
AGAINST JULIUS ROsESNTHAL.
HE GAMBLED ON THE GREEN.
ALLEGED PROPRIETOR OF
BRoUGHTON STREET KENO JOINT.

Gathered in Two Witnesses and
Gained From Them an Interesting
Discussion of the Gambling Evil
In savannah, but Nightly Little
Upon Which to Bnse Indictme nts.
How the People Flock to Play the
Festive Game of KenO-One other
Indictment Returned Nothing
Done About Sunday Closing Viola
tons.
The grand jury of the Superior Court
yesterday afternoon returned true bill
of indictment against julius Rosenthal
alleged proprietor Of the well known keno
joint, and general gambling house on
East Broughton street.
The Investigation developed some anus
ing incidents, that seemed absolutely to
stun some of the most potent. grave
and reverend seignors." While these
things are in a general way we'll known
to every man about town, the grand Jur-
ors found it rather startling to have them
spoken of in the easy, conversational tone
that prevails in the grand jury room and
With great secrecy and most portentous
gravity had the grand jury conducted It's
preliminary investigations and made its
preliminary arrangements. 1t has been
stated, with what show of truth it has
been difficult to discover that a former
county officer has been in the employ of
the grand jurors and that he collected
the evidence upon which the plan for the
suppression of gambling in Savannah was
to be based.
At any rate, the grand jury had two
witnesses summoned yesterday morning
They were men who are but little seen
around gambling rooms. Unfortunately,
however, one of them strayed into the
keno room last Saturday night and the
spotter for the grand jury must have
seen him enter. Yesterday morning he
received the grand jury's subpoena, rect
Ing him to appear and tell what he knew.
When he was questioned by the grand
jury he answered their questions readily
enough. but they did not gain from him
any very extensive amount of informa-
ton. He had not gone into the keno room
to play and had not played. matter
of private business, legitimate and prop
there, and he had taken no part in the
proceedings, and but little notice of what
was transporting about him. After saying
that he did see Rosenthal who was in
his shirt sleeves and appeared to be in
charge, and that in a cursory way he
recognized men he had seen before. who
were assisting In the conduct of the
game, but whose full names he did not
know, the witness stalled.
tn, 10
room?" asked one of the grand jurors.
About two hundred and fifty" said the
witness. The grand jurors, who were
all new at the business. groaned IN
spirit at this indication of wholesale hu-
man depravity.
Were there any other games, besides
keno going on?" the witness was asked
"Oh, yes, the usual assortment"
who were conducting and playing
them?" the witness was asked.
We'll" was his answer "as 1t was
quite impossible for me to get within
twelve feet of these tables or to sec
anything but the backs of the players,
can truthfu.ly say l don't know
The grand jurors asked a number of
other questions, relating to the general
one of violations of laws against gaming.
One of them wanted to know what sort
of men they were who frequented these
PAGES.
oh every sort. l have seen business
men and mechanics, lawyers and doc ors,
city officials and city employees, police
men in uniform and out of uniform, men
from every class of the citys popula-
ton"
TWO hundred and fifty of Them" one
of the grand jurors weakly murmured.
ON this and other evidence the indct-
ment against Rosenthal was returned "a
true bill" to the court. One other indict-
ment was returned, the name of the de-
PENDANT in which is suppressed by the
Morning News. because to disclose it
would interfere with the administration
Of justice. Not. however, in the sense IN
when they asked the court to keep all
mention of the indictments out of the
papers. They meant, probably that the
defendants would escape, of which there
is no probability.
Mr.. r. L. Colding acted as solicitor gen.
eral pro tempore. owing to the indispo-
siuon of Solicitor General Osborne. When
the grand jurors, their session ended, filed
into the court room, Mr.. Co,ding an
nounced that they had returned two in
dicements. but that they requested that
the names of the defendants be not read
The Law and Order League, which met
yesterday. decided that II would withhold
its evidence for time and make no effort
to carry ii before the grand jury at pres
ent. So that nothing was done in the
matter of inaugerating prosecutions for
alleged violations of the Sunday closing
laws.