The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-11-28
Police Make a Sudden and Sur
prising Move.
Three Large Social Organiza-
tiOns Are Raided.
STEWARDS ARE HELD.
None of the Members Are
Arrested.
Places Visited Are Skat, AmIty
and Shawnee Clubs.


The opening move of game which
means trouble for some one was made
last night when three of the principal
clubs of the city We're raided by the
police at the fnstigation of Chief Nc
COllum. McCollum was not in the
raids, although he sWore to the COM
plants against the places He said
this morning that he was sleeping the
sleep of the just" just at that time.
Perhaps he hopes in this way to avoid
the trouble which Chiefs James Ram
sey and Hank Lindsay encountered
when they raided the clubs.
The first on the list was the Amity
club, formerly of lower Kansas ave
nue., but now located at the corner of
Seventh and Quincy streets, over
Chivers' cleaning establishment. Here
the officers "cornered" all the members
found in the place, conffscated the two
half kegs of beer and jug of domestic
wine, and arrested Ben F. HoltWick
the steward. They kept the members
huddled up in the rooms for an hour
and half after Holtwick was arrest
ed. All their names were taken, pre-
sumably as witnesses. officer James
was left in charge of the club all night
Inc fixtures were not removed and to-
day Robert Semple and other mem bers
OF the club secured restraining order
70 prevent the police from cleaning out
the place.
The next place to suffer was the
A0AA1~FA4SC NAuDs d IL WY organized
at Y East Sixth avenue. Here Sylvan
Klein was arrested as steward and the
Small amount Of liquor found in the
Kitchen confiscated. There was no joint
paraphernalia or fixtures in the place.
The third on the list was the German
American Skat club. on the second floor
at sos Kansas avenue. Here Charles
Renner was arrested as keeper, and adj
mftted that he was the steward of the
club. A key of beer and two jugs, one
70 inc
~ Labelled Dope" were brought down,
together with bar, ice chest and other
fixtures.
OF course Chief NdcCollum refuses to
state whether or not the war will be
carried any further in the direction of
the clubs. There are still several for
him to work on, such as the Democratic
Flambeau club, the ElkS, Turner's, To-
peka club, Arions and Mehawks, but it
is the general opinion that his nerve will
fail him before he cts to them. It will
be remembered that when H. c. Lind
say tried to quiet the roaring of the
populace" by pulling the Topeka club
he turned out loser by about $1,000, and
that James Ramsey, when chief, was
mulcted a similar sum in squaring
things after raiding the Amity four
years ago last May.
All the clubs which were raided last
night stand ready to admit that liquors
are kept, but for members only. The
atoms, and has membership of about
300 None but members is allowed in
the rooms under any pretext, unless
they come in, as they did last night,
under the cloak of the law. The Shaw
nee club is a very exclusive organiza-
ton where swell suppers are served
and the liquors are secondary consid-
Grafton. The Skat club has been run
ming about year, and is conducted as
first class restaurant for members
only. The rules are very strict, and
members are not allowed to bring
guests into the rooms. The warrants
were made out for these places in the
usual way, and called for all fixtures,
tables, chairs, and list of about
liquors, thus: About gallons of
whisky, about 5 gallons of wine, about
8 gallons of GIN" ETC., etc.
When asked this morning about what
he thought of his chances of convictine
the keepers of the places, Chief McCol-
lum answered ambiguously by reading
section 24G3 of the statutes of 1901, the
expansive section which includes every
thing but the frills and fine points or
which all jointists escape When asked
If he did not think it would be rather
hard to convict 800 men of maintaining
one nuisance. he read some more anc
declared that they were all Subject Il
prosecution but did not say that he
would prosecute them all.
The books Of the organizations have
not been publicly displayed by the DO
lice, but it is said on good authority
that the Skat club, of which Oscal
Bischom is president, includes amons
tts members prominent persons anC
county officers.