The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-30
POLICY RUNNING
IN CITY'S HOUSE
FIVE CAUGHT IN A RAID.
ENTIRE FORCE OF PLAIN CLOTHES
MEN WRECKED BUILDING.

Upon by Detectives, Prisoners
Taken and Then Place Was De-
1nOIisbed-Building at Anderson
Lane and Whitaker Street Was
Bought by City in 1898, but Got
Lost i'm shuttle.
Housed in a one-story frame build
ing at Anderson lane and Whitaker
street. owned by the city of Savan-
nah, surrounded by all of the neces-
sary paraphernalia, and doing BUSH
ness without even an effort at secrecy,
dusky representatives of six policy lot
teries were stampeded by a detach-
ment of plain clothes men late yester-
day afternoon.
After five negroes had been placed
under arrest and sent to the police
station in the patrol wagon, the de-
tectives demolished the structure and
contents, and the house will never
again be used. The officers did their
work thoroughly, in the presence of
several hundred interested spectators.
There was hardly enough left for a
scavenger wagon when the plain
clothes men completed their labors.
In a number of ways the raid was
the most spectacular yet made by the
police. officers swooped down upon
the same building several weeks ago.
but at that time it was not known
that the city owned the property, or
at least so far as is known no one
connected with the city knew anything
about the eity's ownership.
Officers Were Amazed.
For day or two frequent reports
were made at police headquarters that
policy tickets were being written in
the same place on Whitaker street
that had been raided not a great while
ago. Before planning the raid the Of
flcers determined to ascertain who
owned the property, with a view, pos
sibly, of handling the owner of the
house as well as the writers. But the
officers ran into a great big snag.
The man who was supposed to own
the house didn't own it at all. The
place had been purchased by the city
as far back as 1885, and at intervals
policy tickets had been sold in the
house. The plain clothes men were
temporarily up against it," 1t was
ascertained that the city had not rent
ed the shack to any one, and really
no one could be found who remembered
that it had even been purchased, un-
til the report of Mayor Meldrim for
1898 was hauled out.
City Purchased Property.
1t was then very clear that the city
had purchased a strip of land in An
derson lane, between Bull and Bar
nard streets and had made use of
a good part of it. But the little piece
of ground with the house on it had
escaped the attention of the city Off
GERS. there having been a change in
administrations. When this discovery
was made the offense being commit
ted became doubly serious and the raid
was arranged. officers Murphy, Wall,
Stark, Bostick and Nose Davis made
the trip and caused the stampede.
When the plain clothes men got with
in few feet of the house "a negro in
the doorway made a break for liberty.
Officer Davis gave chase and pedes-
trians were entertained with an ex-
cellent article of hurdle racing. There
We're half dozen exits to the place,
but the officers believed that they had
them all guarded. In this they We're
mistaken and several of those in the
mouse managed to get away
Was Writing a Ticket.
These men made use of a door lead
ing from the shack into the place OF
f'Dr." NJ. j. Graham, a negro. They
had been paying DR." Graham rent
for the place and the door was rather
inviting. In the room Edward H.
Bynes, Tom Harris, Charlie Davis and
II dor oil
Oetective Frank Wall charges that
Bynes was writing a ticket when he
made him prisoner.
Harris, who was arrested in one of
the recent raids, was asleep at the
switch, and was in custody when he
awoke. He was resting his head on a
policy sheet when the officers entered.
but the noise did not arouse him. 1t
was evident that he had been drinking,
and he was drowsy when he reached
the police station. He denied that he
was dreaming number for a pros
Oective customer.
Negro "DOctOr" in Custody.
Or" Graham was taken in charge
also and given a ride in the patrol
wagon. He protested, but it didn't
go with the plain clothes men. Ora
ham declared that he manufactured
and prescribed medicine, and that he
was not being treated properly. He
admitted collecting rent for the city's
house, but declared that he was only
acting as an agent for his brother,
now in New York.
One of the writer's said that DR."
Graham had been collecting IS a
month from each wheel represented in
the house, and Graham was charged
with renting property for gaming pur-
poses. He furnished bail for his ap-
pearance in Police Court. Then he
called at the Morning News office and
asked that his name be withheld from
the public, In order that his business
might not suffer. Besides $22.10 DR."
Graham had a number of policy draw
tngs in his possession when made a
prisoner.
A bicycle. a hat, roll of policy
ticket paper and two boards were
taken in charge by the officers, and
sent to the police station. The officers
would be glad TO return the bicycle
TO its owner and to present the hat to
the negro who escaped from under IL.
In the event that claimant for either
puts In an appearance, however, he
will be arrested.
After the prisoners had been carted
away the detectives got busy.
WrecISing the House.
What are we going TO do with the
stuff In here" asked Detective Stark.
There was a crash and Detective
Stark got his tip. Detective Wall had
seized a piano stool and smashed one
Of the windows. lamp fell 10 the
floor next and was broken into a hun
dred pieces.