The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-08
GAMBLING RESUMED
AT POKER JOINTS
Game Was in Full Blast Last
Night.
PLACES NOT ON THE LIST
CRUSADE EXTENDS TO OBSCENE
PICTURES.
PLACES NOT ON THE LIST

Gambling has already been resumed
in Salt Lake. although Mayor Thomp-
sons closing order is not yet four days
old. A poker game was in full blast
last night in Bruce Johnson's place on
Commercial street. 1t was also re-
ported that a game was in progress
yesterday at the Comstock club, al
though Chief Hilton denied that there
was a game at either place. and spoke
of Johnson's place as ''rooming
house,
The city administration is coming in
for criticism because it has come to
light that poker games were in opera
ton in a number of places previous to
Tuesday night that are not included
in the list of the places closed, as given
out by the police department These
places had never paid fine into the
city treasury and were not upon the
police records. Among these games
were named Streets cigar store, the
Mecca saloon, the New State saloon,
and a place under the Anderson room
ing house where a crap game had been
in operation. Although the. police rec
ord shows that they never paid dness
they were closed up.
II was stated yesterday that when
the gaming houses were permitted to
collecting the fines would be instituted
Instead of the old way Of giving one
man a monopoly, the work of collect
ing the fines would rotate among the
different members of the force.
The gamblers were more hopeful yes
terday 1t is said that they had re-
ceived a hunch that they would soon
be permitted to reopen In their opin-
ion they would be running all right
again by next fall. and as the dull
Tc r11s.v- will 1rrF
lose much by closing for a few months.
1t is their conviction that the mayor
issued the closing order TO rid the city
of the gang of boosters and FOUNDERS.
The big gamblers are of the opinion
that gambling should be confined to
two or three well regulated places that
would pay a high license to the city
While many of the hangers-on are
leaving the city the gamblers said they
would leave their places as they were
and await the outcome
Gambling Monopoly.
A gamblers trust is another horror
that is staring the local sports in the
face as a result Of the raid One OF
the most knowing ones of the fra
ternity put it in this way last night:
We've had straight, honest, legiti-
mate gambling in this town; every
thing has been on the square, and d
man got a run for his money wherever
he went He had TO get fair shake;
If he didn't, he'd change his base, see2
But just let this scheme win to
make a one-man town of Salt Lake,
he continued; "Iet a monopoly get con-
troll Of this branch of business, like
Portland, for instance, and you mark
my word, Salt Lakg is as dead as a
salt mackerel from mat moment. Now
things have got TO be done on the level,
because there is competition. but make
q one-man town of it and every man
who wants to play a game will be
up against squeeze boxes. cold decks
and crooked wheels. There will be no
/ escape, because all the gambling will
| be run by one concern, and no honest
man will have a chance
Crusade Still Spreading.
! The crusade against vice took yet
| another shoot yesterday, when the pO-
! lice were ordered 70 close up all slot
| machines and all other devices in
/ which lewd and obscene pictures were
/ displayed. The ordinance on that point
/ is to be strictly enforced, Chief Hilton
/ said, not alone as to saloons, but wher-
| ever Objectionable pictures are to be
/ found. Many complaints on this score
/ have been turned in to the police de-
parLment, but up to this time there
| have been no prosecutions, although it
/ is known that boys have been for a
J long time past visiting the saloons for
/ the sole purpose of viewing the OBJ
| scene pictures in the slot machines.
! As soon as the abolition order was
| issued by Chief Hilton a police officer
| was sent around to all the saloons and
! other places where such pictures had
! been exposed and notified the propri-
/ etOrs that a strict compliance with the
| provisions of the ordinance was all that
! would save them from punishment.