Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-24
STFNOCRAPHIC REPORT OF YESTERDAYS
SESSION OF POLICE BOARD.

Gated as far as the surroundings OF III
place would indicate. In lact, .hete va,
a for rent sign on the door, aithousi
lace curtains still hung at their aecus
toned places at the front windows.
WYATT ON STAND.
on1cer WYATT was then sworn and inter
| ro.-ated by Dr. Hawthorne as follows:
O Mr.. WYATT. what time was II during
the wear that you arrested these persons
or caused these persons to be arrested fo'
gambling who plead guilty!
A About the 18th Of August
Mr. Wyatt: ! might ask you, Doctor
| have YOU had any conversation with me
about this case at all before came here,
DR.. Hawthorne: None at ALL l never
smoke TO YOU about the subject.
Mr. Wyatt: If l get into couple more
gambling cases. I will not have any repu'
tation at all.
| DR.. Hawthorne: ] never sent for you
never communicated with YOU In any way
! lust had you summoned because l kne"
YOU were connected with this case ana
| could tell us something about it.
1 O. Now, you say you made these ar
| rests about the 18th of August!
| A. Yes. sir.
| @. How many witnesses did you sum-
mon?
A. / think. all told. including sew
eral policemen and the wagonmen.
/ 49,
| O. Were MANY of those witnesses tnat
| you summoned persons who have partcl-
| pated in the gambling at those houses?
| A. Yes, sir.
@. Mr. Wyatt when did you first learn
that those gambling houses existed in the
! city?
/ A. The first night that I went on the
| police force-on the 18th of December.
| 1895
! O. They have been here ever since. run
| ming their business?
A. IN to about the middle of March.
| c. When did you make the arrests-in
! August?
| A. Yes. sir.
Q. Weren't they in existence then?
A No. sir: they had been out of exist
ence since about the middle of March.
@. They ran. then, to your certain
knowledge from '9S to the middle Of
March last-fron December. '9S to the
middle OF March of this year?
A. These same houses that I arrested
the proprietors of were running when l
went on the police force. 1 didn't see the
games in actual operation, but the repu-
tation of the houses
ONLY BY REPUTATION.
- ", Welsh: @. Were you ever in
any of those houses from the time you
49,. ~rlt on the police force UP to
March?
A. No. sir.
@. You only knew by hearsay?
a. Only by reputation.
Dr. Hawthorne. Wasn't the location of
these houses familiar to the police force.
about as much so as Ford's Hotel, or the
Lexington Hotel?
Mr.. Wyatt: They were very familiar
to me-
Mr. Bos!ler: DR.. Hawthorne. beg your
pardon: what do You want to prove by
Mr.. Wyatt?
Dr. Hawthorne: I want to prove that
these gambling houses have been in exist
ence for years and years.
Mr.. Bosher: The board has alrea dy
conceG"d that. that gambling has existed
here for eight years. and the board also
told you that we broke it up in the mid
die of March. Now. you are bringing out
the same evidence. And see no sense or
rea son in OBTAINING this board here hour
after hour in putting witnesses on the
stand TO prove q thing alrea ly conceded:
and I object Mr. Chairman, to any more
testimony on this line.
Dr. Hawthorne: What I want to show
is that il has existed here to the knowl-
edge OF this Police Department. and had
not been broken up as the law required
them to do.
THE BOARD DID IT.
MT. 1oOSner. Inc P0liCe department has
broken up the gamblers.
DR.. Hawthorne: In the last few months
Mr.. Bosher: Major Howard made a
statement to DR.. Hawthorne that these
men worked under the poker law: that he
could not get a them; mat when he was
able to get at them through the Common
wealth S attorney, he Immediately took
steps to break them up. I do not see any
sense or reason in bringing this thing in
and | object to any more testimony of
this kind.
Mr.. Jacobs: The board wants to know
if there are conditionsAnow existing of
which they are not advised, that they
may proceed with all their might and
main to correct them. AS 20 what hap
pened years back. it will do no good to
mention that now. That there was gam
bling in existence no one deniNs; every
body comedies that The courts have de-
cided that there was gambling What is
the use of discussing i, further We con-
cede that point. If there is any gambling
soinS on now, we would like to know it.
and would like to suppress it, and I
pledge my honor as a member OF this
board to do everything in my power to
attain that end.
AS TO INSTRUCTIONS.
DR.. Hawthorne: Mr. WYATT. did Won
get any special instructions from the
CHE oI ponce 10 interfere with the-,,
gambling houses?
A Yes. sir; after the board met here
and l explained the situation. the chief of
police took the matter in hand. and he
was Very vigilant.
Dr. Hawthorne: You called the atten-
ton of the board to these gambling
houses?
Mr., Wyatt: I made statement in
front OF the board
Major Howard: That was after ,ba
gambling had been broken IN
Mr. Wyatt: Major Howard had sent
forth an order prior to that-about the
oath of March
Dr- Hawthorne: Wasn't all this trouble
me result OF agitation that had been in
the board about the existence of gam
bling before this time?
Mr.. Wyatt: Yes. sir.
Mr. Welsh: Major Howard made the
statement that he gave the orders on
'he lth or 18th of March. Mr.. WYATT
tod You not five minutes ago that he had
theSe warrants sworn out on the 11th Of
august. The way Mr.. Wyatt came about
ne loid newspa per man something in
reference TO Angle, and the newspaper
man published it, and the board brought
MI. angie before them, and Mr. WYATT |
as witness. and Mr.. Wyatt made tho
statement before the board that these
houses existed. and the Chief sent for
Mr Wyatt, and the Chief swore ont tho
warrants and gave them to Mr. WYATT
ana MI wyatt brought the gamblers in. |