The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-11
AN OPEN SALOON
One Is in Operation at 7IO Kan
sas Avenue.
Mike Thompson Leading a
Charmed Life.
ROYAL NOT MOLESTED.
Police Clean Out Drink Resorts
All Around 1t.
This Place Conducted as an Up
tO-Date Saloon.
Even Free Lunches Are Served
in the BarrOOm.

why does the Royal joint or saloon
at no Kansas avenue run wide open,
while the rest of the resorts have been
crushed into unrecognizable holes in
the wall, where the careworn jointiSt
carries one bottle of liquor under his
coat and serves it over a board laid
across two boxes? Who gave the Roy
al permission to serve "Tom-and-
jerry cocktails, high-balls and real
beer from a six-by-eight ice chest un-
der the nose of the police and all this
in face of the fact the next door neigh
Dor, the National joint, has been
raided on an average of twice a week
sice A. E. McCollum was appointed
chief of police, and everything in the
rear room hauled away every time?
Why does the Royal gambling joint run
every night while thick layers of dust
cover the paraphernalia in all the other
miniature Monte Carlos?
For while, the police were so busy
that no one noticed the oversight. No
one realized. until they got time to
been raided since Carl Golf raided it
in person, before the fatal illness of
his little sonl But such is the fact.
A few days before Golf was quaran-
tined with the sick child. he became
angry at the failure of his men to find
anything at the Royal" 1t had been
raided repeatedly, and nothing found by
the officers to warrant an arrest. Mayor
Bergundthal came to the chief and in
timated that some one" was tipping
the place before the raids, so that the
stuff might be hidden in time to
avoid arrests. In day or two after
this interview Golf made out a. warrant
for the first floor of the Royal car
ried it secretly to the office of Judge
Hamilton and got his signature on it.
Then he telephoned Bergundthal that
he wanted to see him at noon. He met
the mayor at the, corner of Seventh
street and Kansas avenue, and told him
to come along and watch a bona fide
raid The mayor demurred, but Goff
insisted, and they ran into the Royal
together. Until thew entered the front
door Of the billiard hall, only two people
knew that the warrant existed. They were
Carl Golf and Clad Hamilton. That
time the Royal was caught red hand
ed, and the chief hauled away 21 bot
ties and jugs of liquor. Mike Thomp-
son was arrested as keeper of the place.
1t was the last time the Royal was
disturbed. McCollum's officers have
been into the place on several occasions,
but the back room was religiously clear
of any intoxicants, and the ice chest
contained not much but ice. With the
same conditions in other joints raided
under the new chief. the fixtures were
the last week everything was cleaned
out when there was not even a bar ten
der in sight to arrest.
The Royal joint is running wide open.
1t is furnished better, and has a better
layout of glasses, fixtures and joint
accessories than any place in town.
The door stands wide open. No lookout
holds up the visitor and demands his
pedigree. When he StrOllS inside he
may brace up to the bar, Gf there is
a space not already taken), and call
for anything from a hot whisky to
Tom-and-Jerry and be as sure of get
ting it as he would in a Kansas City
saloon. There are pictures on the walls,
an obscene picture machine near the
door through the partition leading to
the billiard room, several dozen glasses
of all necessary size on the we'll kept
back bar, and in the corner next the
partition an ice chest of heroic size
from which the bartender draws the
order of beer with a duplex pump.
The bowl of TOm-and-Jerry stands on
the back bar near hot water recep-
tacle for the manufacture of hot whis-
kies. There is also a free lunch, crack
els and cheese, in reach of the custo-
mer There is no joint in town which
can accommodate the man with mix
ed drink taste like the Royal"
There are a few more questions to be
asked. Councilman Joe Griley spent yes
terday afternoon in examining the books
kept by the police department He Will
make an effort to find an answer to some
of the puzzles he has encountered in his
investigation. He would like some infor-
nation concerning certain names Whlch
have been erased from the police docket.
He would also learn, if possible. the rea-
son no disposition had been recorded of
certain arrests and fines
Perhaps the police committee can ex-
plain all these things" said Mr.. Griley,
after he had worked several hours in an
attempt to unravel certain things pertain
ing to police business, ''and' hope they
can All 1 want to do is to find out for
sure that things are being run as they
should be- I do not charge the police de-
partment with grating, but the way the
books are kept gives them plenty of lat
itude in that direction.