The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-26
GAMBLER TALKS IF THE CONTROVERSY Says Police Administration Has
 Been Most Effective EXPLAINS SEVERAL THINGS Says Police Have Arrested More in Last Six Months Than Ever Be-
 fore-Does Not Like the
 Present Conditions.
EXPLAINS SEVERAL THINGS

In the recent charges by Alderman Ward and denials by Chief of Police Wier that the gambling houses were practi- cally under police protection and that the gamblers were having an easy time under the present administration, there is third party who has never been heard from. and who probably knows more of the real conditions and facts than either of the others or the public.
 This party is the gambler himself. Ask him about the conditions under the pres ent administration and he will tell a story which will at once be truthful and will throw a new light on the entire mat ter. The gambler alone is supposed to know exactly how things are going In his world, and his Say will be of inter- est to many.
 Gambler Talks.
 One of the most prominent Knights of the round table" was talking confi- dentially to friend of his last night about the situation and the outlook, and he revealed some things which are of gen. eral concern. In the first place he made a statement which few would believe He mingham. In that time the gamblers have been the most disastrous to the gamblers of any similar time in the history of Bir- minghm. In that time the gamblers have paid the city of Birmingham more money than they ever paid 1t in one year before.
 Another rather interesting statement of his was that more gamblers have been ar rested and convicted in this six months than ever before in six months. He em- phasized the fact that they were con- victed, and added that they could not help themselves or they would never have plead guilty. This man stated that the gamblers had been entirely unable to keep the police from raidng them, and that a, of the raids had been "paralysers' to them. He said that he had been arrested twice in these raids and that he had pleaded guilty because he knew that the police had inc evidence to convict him and that he woufd get off lighter by pleading guilty
 Number of Gamblers.
 In speaking of the number of gamblers in the city now and the number of houses this gambler admitted that there were more here now than in a long time. but he explains it. In Nashville Atlanta, Ma con and many other places where gam blers had previously lived in easy fashion, new laws have been passed and they were run out. Like every other class of peo- pie they naturally came to Birmingham. the Mecca. Hundreds of them had poured in and almost as many had split over the sides and departed to other places, wan dering aimlessly. A few have stuck. They will all leave here in a week or less
 It is also true, he said, that there are few more gambling places, but he said that in no place in town was there a really big game going on, and that these little places had been opened by men who formerly dealt in the big games in the city, and that two in every three had been promptly closed. He named them.
 Local gamblers, according to this au- thority, have imported number of out siders, and they regret it now. They wish they had never done so. These importa- tions have cost thousands of dollars. They have been expensive.
 Gaming Houses Lost.
 Another thing. There is scarcely a gam bling house in Birmingham, and especially the crap games, which is not hundreds of dollars losers in the past two or three months. Every one who has played, &C., cording to this man, has won money and the house has lost. If one shift of, dealers wins the other looses more
 And in conclusion the gambler said that recently he was sitting around a table with some of the biggest and most infiu- ential sports in Birmingham. and they were discussing chiefs of police, past and present, and that it was the unanimous expression that the present administration was greatly dreaded. These men all agreed that the present officers catch and con- vict the men.