Waterbury Democrat., 1902-01-21
THE POLICY GAME.
Gathering in the sheckles of Water
 bury's Citizens.

bury's Citizens.
 The policy game is once more in full blast in Waterbury and vicinity, and complaint has followed complaint that the game was not being run on the level and that small chance as player has to win, his chances are made still more desperate by the alter ing of numbers or rather by the changing of the places or stations or the numbers on the slips that are given out in this city. The game is being played by so many people that the writers do not even fear to transact their business i'll public. There are many writers in Waterbury and there are two distinct companies manipulat- ing the game. The biggest one of the two and the one that is said to be connected with the Al Adams syndi- cate in New York is said to be run by New Haven man. This com pany does business not only in Waterbury, but in Naugatuck, Water vile and other adjacent towns. The game is played not only by the men, but the women have become interestet, and even the young lads scrape up few pennies to throw into the treasury.
 The second company operating here is not as rich nor Is the business con- ducted on as mammoth q scale. In fact, it is said to be a little policy game on it's own account and has no connection with the big concerns. Each, however, has its coterie of agents. and each gathers in every day the loose change of thousands of peo- pie in this city and the surrounding %orr- ;e, a1x l,o4 A change is played. either, for there are rumors that some men have put i'll much of the profits of their business, and there are workmen who have been known to risk much of their wages to tempt the lucky numbers to come their way. The thousands of chances against one of their winning does not seem to deter them from putting day after day the money that could be used to better advantage in some other WAY. Of late, however, there have been com plaints and rumors that the game was not being played on the level, and tie New York slips were different from those issued in this city. The writer asked for proof of such work and he has before him now two slips, one from New York and one from this city. Those two slips are dated January 13 and are the afternoon numbers.
 There are many players who put their money into this game who bet on what they call station numbers. That is, they will bet that certain numbers will come first, second and third, or they will bet that 8 certain number will come first or second or third cs the case may be. The two slips of January 13 submitted to the writer are different in that the numbers on he first row do not follow each other. The second and third numbers have been changed in position. Supposing a man bet on a certain number coming out second or third and the numbers were changed Certainly there was a change. for the New York slip, which is supposed to be correct, is not the same as the Waterbury slip. This js only one instance of funny work.
 There have been many other com p1aints and some of them were to the effect that the players have been cheat ed out of what was coming to them by some hook or crook. There was an instance of this the other day whicn was told in the article published in Saturday nights Democrat. Public morals demand the extermina- IlOH or InlS game. some years ago the Democrat was instrumental in driving the game and it's managers out of this city, because the game had be- come so open that it became a public nuisance. It is the worst kind of gam bling anyway and the person who plays it has not one chance in ten thousand to win.
 1t has become too open now and as the public has some rights, those rights should be respected Some of the policy writers have waxed very wrotl because any paper in the city should criticize their work, but the game is being played altogether too openly all over the city, in factories, where there are special agents, in stores ant saloons, where the writers have regu lar hours for appearing, on the trolley cars, and, in fact, in every conceivable place where the game can be played It would seem as though there wai work ahead for the prosecutor and tn, police department.