The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-23
LAWS HEAVY HAND
FELL ON RENTING AGENT WHO
LEASED PROPERTY TO GAMBLERS.
WAS FINED $3.50 AND COSTS.
JURY RECOMMENDED HIM TO MER-
CY OF THE COURT.

Case - witness said He Lost HIS
Job I'm Gambling House Through
Politics - Solicitor Adopted Means
in Getting Defendants Statement
Before the Court - Argument of
Counsel Was Listened to by Large
Crowd.
The heavy hand of the law fell upon
the renting agent for the property
No. II Broughton street, east, in
the Superior Court yesterday when
Judge Barrow imposed a fine of $3.50
and costs, with the alternative of
serving twelve months on the chain
gang, on Mr.. Horace Rivers, who was
found guilty by the trial jury of rent
ing the property with the expectancy
of it, being used for gambling pur-
poses.
Few, indeed, there are who
| do not know of the old
stand where, for years craps,
poker, roulette and keno have afforded
pastime, remuneration and other
| things, to those who needed the beck
oning finger of Dame Fortune. But,
say the wise ones, the sentence of the
court, growing out of the shooting af-
the death knell to the game in that
particular locality.
1t was the general impression of
those in the court room when judg-
ment had been passed, that the sem
tence of the court would be heavy
blow to the gambling practice, and
| that property owners hereafter would
| be more leary about that particular
class of tenants. Many agreed with
the solicitor that the proper way to
suppress the vice was TO deal a blow
to the persons who rented the prop
erty for the purpose, while it was a
| practically unanimous opinion that
such action was one way, if not the
only one.
Jury Recommended Mercy.
There was quite a crowd in the court
room when the jury, after being out
| little more than half an hour returned
with it's verdict. The verdict, finding
the defendant guilty, and recommend
ing him to the mercy of the court, was
read by the clerk. The question which
was then in every mind was to what
| extent the court would respect the rec
ommendation. The question was an
swered at once by Judge Barrow, who
commanded the defendant to stand up.
Stand up, Mr.. Rivers the court
said. THE sentence of the court, in
view of the recommendation of the
jury is that you pay fine of $3.50 and
costs, or serve twelve months on the
chaingang." Mr.. T. M. Cunningham,
Jr., who represented the defendant,
said after the trial that he would prob
ably move for a new trial for his client.
The case was hard fought, and there
were many objections made to the in
PRODUCTION of certain testimony and
evidence.
There were two others indicted joint
ly, the solicitor electing, in view of
evidence adduced at the trial of the
gambling cases, to sever, and try the
| Rivers indictment first. 1t is probable
that the other indictments will be mol
pressed, the evidence showing that the
defendant who was tried had entire
charge of the renting of the property,
and that the owner had repeatedly en-
joined him not to rent it for gambling
| purposes.
Sprung a Sensation.
| A small sensation was sprung when
| F. B. Butler. who was placed on the
| stand to testify, to the fact that he
| had informed the defendant last May
| that the property in question was be-
ing used as a gambling house, said that
he informed on the proprietors because
! he had lost his job through them on
| account of politics The information
How did you come to have that con-
versation with Mr.. Rivers?' asked
| counsel for defense.
II lost my job through them
you were fired by some one who
was running the gambling house?"
Eyes, sir"
"And then you FASTENED and told Mr..
| Rivers?"
Yes, sir
you didn't call his attention to the
fact until that time?"
mo, sir. I told him after 1 lost my
| job through politics. 1 told him there
was gambling going on on that prop
erty, and 1 told him that gambling
should not be controlled by politics"
What kind of politics when was
it?"
THE last election-a year ago-in
May" answered the witness.
Adopted Adroit Measures.
One of the features of the trial was
the manner in which the solicitor gen.
eral introduced in evidence ali of
the testimony desired of the defend
ant, without placing him on the stand
the solicitor not having the right to
interrogate the defendant. This was
done by the Introduction of the notes
of the court stenographer, Mr. John Fl
Thomas. The notes contained the evil
| dence of the defendant in the gambling
cases which had been tried earlier in
the day. 1t was clear that in antici-
| patton of the trial of the case the
solicitor general had, in examining
| the witness, asked all questions rela-
tive to the renting of the property
which he would have asked him, had
he the right, on his own trial.
This statement contained admissions
on the part of the defendant that he
knew certain parties had been indict-
ed for renting the property for gam
| bling purposes, saying that he had
gone security on a bond given in one
| of these cases. He said that when
Monahan rented the property from him
he said he was going to operate a
cigar factory in the building.
Ancnt the Cigar Factory
This statement caused a ripple of
laughter among the spectators, one of
the wits saying that Monahan knew
about as much about making cigars as
| he did about the construction of a
| double turreted monitor. 1t came in,
! too, for a share of criticism from the
solicitor general, who in his argument
said that a man who would give Gre
| dence to it would only be writing him