Evening star., 1903-07-15
SHERIFF MAKES RAID
Stormy Scene at Wildwood
Yesterday Afternoon.
ONE DOZEN PRISONERS
NIGHT RIDE OVER ROUGH ROADS
TO BOWIE.
Magistrate Holds Court at One O'Clock
ONE DOZEN PRISONERS
Magistrate Holds Court at One O'Clock
A. M.-Proprietors Of Resort
Not Captured.

Not Captured.
| The proprietors Of the pool room at
| Wildwood were put out Of business again
| YESTERDAY by the action OF Sheriff Har
| disty and six special deputies, who maoe
| a raid. Although one Of the proprletors
| of the place and a score of assistants were
| on hand when the officers reached the
| pool room not one of them was arrested.
| Twelve Of the alleged patrons OF the game
were placed in custody and hauled away
| in four horse 'buses-the sheriff stated to
be held as witnesses. They were kept on
the road until nearly midnight, when they
were placed aboard train at LandoVer
and taken to Bowie to appear before a
magistrate. Anticipating that they would
be held in real estate bond, which they
would be unable to give last night. the
sheriff arranged for a special train TO
take them to Upper Marlboro. 1t turned
out however, that the use of the speclal
train was not necessary as the magistrate
before whom the men were taken could
find no reason for holding them.
A stormy scene was enacted when the
sheriff and his deputies reached the gam
bling resort. More than one hundred men
we're in the room watching the boards
and listening to the results as they were
announced by the operator. 1t was nearly
5 o'clock when the party arrived, and the
sudden closing of the big doors caused
a ripple of excitement.
Its only the sheriff. was the announce
ment made to the sports. keep perfect
Is quiet and the trouble Will be over In
short time
From the outside the sheriff and his dep
uties showed against the doors. but not
with sufficient force to effect an opening.
This move caused a little excitement. and
the men behind the counter and the play
ers took to the woods. Some left by jump
Ing from the windows, while others walked
out the back doors.
Don't run or we'll shoot" was what
greeted many of those who escaped from
the building, but the threats had no effect
upon them. and most of them went away
on the cars.
Defles the Sheriff.
Robert S. Turner. one of the managers
met the sheriff and his deputies at the front
door and was promptly placed under arrest.
He demanded the production of a warrant
and boldly announced to Sheriff Hard.sty
that he w\lld not remain in custody The
revolver in the Sherff's hand, he declared
could not frighten him. 1t evidently did
not, for the sheriff permitted him to get
away and excused 1t by saying he could get
Turner at any time, as he lives In Mary
land. Turner boarded a car and returned
to the city. All this time the special depu-
ties were gathering in the players, having
failed to arrest and hold single individual
who was In any way connected with the
game
Two or three Of those who were under ar
rest as witnesses questioned the authority
of the sheriff to arrest them when he had
held no one for having violated the law.
Here is my authority" said the excited
sheriff holding up his commission And
he added, Il an acting under instructions
of the court in this matter.
The dozen who were f1Qally found
TO be in custody were marched down the
hill to the big vehicles and seated in them
They were bitter against the sherlr Tor
having arrested them. while allowing the
people, who were conducting the game. to
depart One Of the party expressed him
self as believing that there was no desire
men who were running the room. In re-
sponse to this the sheriff repeated the
statement that he could get Turner in Bal
timore city.
Take Charge Of Pharaphenalia.
While the men were in the vehicles
waiting to start for some place-they had
no idea where, and the officers would not
enlighten them-Sherin Hardisty's sons and
others were securing the paraphernalia in
the betting room. They cut down the cloths
from the boards and took possession OF
hundreds of membership cards. as well as
cards used to show the patrons OF the
game the bets they make. When this evil
dence had been secured the big vehicles
moved slowly over the road In the direction
of Hyattsville. 1t said then that
hearing would be given the men at Hyatts-
Vile, and they were greatly relieved. for
they knew they would be able to get mes
sages to their families from there; but
upon reaching that town they found they
were not to make a stop long enough for.
the purpose. There were magistrates in
Hyattsville and Bladensburg, but they were
passed by, and the teams were driven over
tba nd dusty roads a further dis
tance of four miles to Landover station
on the Pennsylvania railroad. where a
wait of about two hours was necessary In
order to catch an eaStDound train TO take
the prisoners to Bowie In ordS to get to
Bowie 1t was necessary to have an express
train stopped. Arriving at Bowie. the tired
and hungry dozen marched TO Wells
Hotel and awaited the arrival of Magis-
trate Bolts. 1t was about oclock in the
morning VIXEN the magistrates court con-
yened for the hearing OF the case Attor-
ney Charles B. Calvert had been retained
during the short stop at Hyattsville and
he accompanied the party to the magis-
trates court and appeared for them
Court in Session at O'Clock.
The assembling of the dozen prisoners
and seven officers of the law In the magis-
| trate's court at l o'clock in the morning,
| presented a novel sight. The men under
| arrest represented some little wealth. They
| were chiefly merchants and not all of them
| had gone to the pool room to bet on the
| races It was stated. One of them was on
| the sick list. He went to Takoma yester-
! day, he claimed. to enjoy the spring water
! and had sauntered over to the resort to see
what going on. In the party was one
man from South Carolina, and while he de-
| nouncsd the sheriff and his deputies for
| having arrested him, ne said he was at a
| loss to understand why the players. and
not the promoters. Of the game had been
| arrested
such thing as this in South Carolina" :"
| he said, would cause riot and bloodshed.
| The good people of the state would not
| stand it"
Another prisoner, who took a.more philo-
| sophical view of the situation, calmly told
| him he was not IN South Carolina and ad-
| vsed him that he would have to submit to
the way of conducting affairs in Maryland.
AII,I,t