The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-02-09
About Thirty Men, Caught at Poker
Tables, Rode or Walked to
Police Station.
POLICE BROKE DOWN DOORS
GREAT SCURRY TO ESCAPE PROF
TIED NONE OF PLAYERS.
All Were BaiIed Out by Fred Heller
and Will Appear i'm Court To-
Morrow Morning.

Christian Kruger. captain of the Indian
apolis police force, on night duty during
the month Of February, 1902, gained new
laurels last night.
For months people said it couldn't be
done.
Captain Kruger did it, not alone, but with
the assistance Of several sergeants.
He pulled" the Cleveland Club.
That was a few minutes before IL o'clock.
Within ten minutes the news had spread
from one end of the city to the other, be-
ing first known in saloons.
There was a rush of sports" TO the club,
but few of them got in. Many who went
to the place followed the patrol wagon
with its load of twenty or more to police
headquarters. Fred Heller, who became
bondsman for the thirty men arrested in
the clubrooms, was there waiting for them
when they arrived.
The raid upon the club was most inter-
esting. considering the fact that policemen
nave for several monIns tried to find some
way TO get into the clubrooms with a
chance OF finding enough evidence to con-
Wet any persons found there Of the gam
bling which hourished for months with
out Interruption. The Cleveland Club is one
OF the Democratic organizations of the city,
being Incorporated as a political club AS
e club it has been accorded some consid-
Grafton which would not have been eX-
tended to a private place.
Several weeks ago one Of the police cap
tains, clad in a heavy overcoat. climbed a
telephone pole and got on TO the roof or
the clubhouse, with the idea of finding a
way to get in. He did not find the pros
pect good, and that plan was abandoned.
were held and it was decided that there
was but one way to get in, and that was
to go up the front stairway. The club
rooms are on the second floor OF the build
ing at 1873 West Washington street. AT
the top OF the stairs is a double door. 1t IS
always locked. In order to get in one must
observe the sign Ring the Bell" which
is visible from the street. and then have
the right appearance, satisfying the man
who responds to the ringing of the bell.
Jerry Casey, who ran for the office of JUS
doorkeeper. He is said TO know all of the
persons who are right" He Is credited
also with enough intuition to judge right
ly those he does not know. Formerly, and
that is said TO be a long time ago, the re-
quirements for admission TO the club were
only that the person must be a Democrat.
For many months past the requirements
were without reference to politics. but
that a person must be right" and have
money.
THE ATTACK.
Until last night the police officially only
suspected there was gambling there. They
hesitated to take a chance Of going in and
not finding a game. They did not take
chances last night. No one of the officers
would explain how they knew" but they
did. Captain Kruger, accompanied by Ser
geants Hagerman, Schwab, Scheigert, War
rem, Slate and Boylan, went to the club.
Boylan and Slate were sent to the rear to
warn those VINO might wish to escape by
irrVDnfnr fpCDn tho xTfnInu-C fhnt ft Unc
dangerous business and they would be
caught anyway.
Kruger led and the sergeants followed in
q bunch. Up the stairs they went. They
did not stop for the double doors. How
they got in not one would tell. One of the
attaches of the club a few minutes later
was engaged in fixing a break or two. The
captain did not ring the bell" and SO
Jerry, the inner guard, did not know he
was coming. Jerry, however, heard a noise.
He opened a rear door and peeped out. AT
that moment the captain and the sergeants
were making a rush across the hall to-
wards the door Jerry had opened. He
hastily closed il and got the key in the
lock turned just as the officers reached it.
He gave no warning cry to the thirty men
in the inner rooms. John ReardOn, an
other hanger-on at the club, assisted Casey
in trying to keep the door shut, but they
were unable. 1t opened just as though
they were not there. The officers who put
their weight against it each weigh more
than 200 pounds, and there were five OF
them.
When the officers got into the inside
rooms they found men running here and
there. Some were getting out of the win
dow. Captain Kruger looked out. He saw
three men out on the roof. He told them
officers awaited them below, in case they
jumped. and then closed the door. After
withstanding the cold for a few minutes
they entered the place they had so hastily
abandoned. The men did not have time to
get together" They were lined up and
from the pockets of nearly every one the
policemen took poker checks. From the
thirty players they got 2S9 checks, red,
white and blue, which had not been cashed
in.
PATROL WAGONS BIG LOAD.
The first gamblers who rode to police
headquarters to be charged with visiting
a gambling house numbered more than
twenty. They were piled in thickly to pre-
vent them from getting cold. The others
went afoot, accompanied by patrolmen.
That. was because there was no room for
men in the wagon after 1t had been loaded
with four tables, three "kitties'' and a large
desk top, which was filled with cards and
checks. In fact, there was not room inside
the wagon for two tables, which were
placed bottom-side up on top of the COW
cred wagon.
Turnkey Long was very busy for about
an hour stating the men and making out
bonds for their appearance in Police Court
d y ~ GAOGh AAQAAA1. Anul AAlllAs IlGu IlGACI
became bondsman for all, and after it was
over many Of the victims of Captain Kru-
ger repaired TO Heier's place, on South
New Jersey street. no doubt to make
good" on the probable fines after trial.
Two of the "kitties" were locked. One OF
them, the police thought, was half full OF
chips. The other had but few in it. The
one which was unlocked contained seventy
white chips. representing. according to the
usual calculations, 81 as the profit from the
game at one table. There were five games
=. 1890 11rrfnu fhn v~1-F. o.. - 81
tables, at which Bill" Owsley presided.
had no rake-on box. The boxes, it was
said, were only for hirelings who could not
be trusted.
Casey and Reardon. who attempted &c
hold the door against the officers, were not
arrested, for the reason, Captain Kruger
said. that they were not at the time in the
rooms in which the games were going.
All of the men arrested gave fictitious
names at the police station.