The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-05-21
Simultaneous Raids Made in
twenty-five Places iD
New York City
PRESIDENT CLOWRY WILL
NOT LEASE v, !. WIRES
Says His Company VIII Positively Not
Furnish Racing News at Any
Place In the United.
States.

New York, May Instantaneous raids
on twenty-five alleged pool rooms ana
pool room exchanges were made here to-
day by the police acting under orders
from Police Commissioner McAdee.
from Police Commissioner McAdoo
at many OF the places to batter down
specially constructed iron and steel doors
and to gain entrance through barred WIN
dows. Less than an hour was spent at
the work. and police officials are highiy
pleased with the results. Seventy prison.
ers were taken and many telephones ana
telegraph instruments were conhscateo'
besides a number of books and racing
harris that were found in the rooms.
one of the places raded was in the
Edison building in Broad street, in
rail- vine-covered house. on the the ROOF
nf which thirty -four telephones and thir-
teen men were found
Chief Headquarters Raided.
The police assert that this is the ehiet
headauarters of the pool room syndicate
In the distribution of each days racing in
formation, and the raid was regarded as
The most important of the Gay, as the
tntire wall street pool room business VIII
he seriously affected If not ruined by II.
The syndicate building in Park row
was also raided. twenty prisoners. thir-
tv-three telephones and three telegraph
Instruments being taken.
"The Aliens Place in Sixth avenue
where 81 previous raids have been MADE
was also visited by the police as was
Honest John Kelley's house in Forty
first street.
tzel1v who was arrested, described him.
self as mechanic and said there had
been no gambling at his place for some
time. lie was soon released. his bond
being fixed at $1,000.
Police Commissioner McAdoo after the
raids said:
"I will not discuss or divulge the de-
tails of my operations or my intentions
in the future against the pool rooms,
except to say that am doing everything
In my power to break up the system in
New York. No matter what the pool
room men may say, the public can rest
assured that the blow delivered at the
system today is a very serious one
President cIowry Determined.
New York, May 20.-President Clowry
OF the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany, said today that the abolition OF
the companys racing department an
nouneed by him on Thursday, is to be
permanent. He also said that the COM
pany will not lease wires to pool rooms.
The eompany's branch offices at the race
tracks will be maintained for the trans
mission of such messages as may be OF
fe,ed In the ordinary course of business.
Colonel Clowry said:
I'VE have stopped our racing news
service absolutely all over the United
States, and we are doing no business in
that line. We cannot refuse messages
that are filed with us if- the regular
course of business, because they contain
racing news. We have 20 accept them
and transmit them as common carriers.
We are sending such messages as these
when we receive them, but that is posi-
lively all we are handling. The reports
and insinuations that we are distributing
racing news, are false, ami / want that
fact emphasized. Our racing department
has ceased to exist"
VIII Not Lease Wires.
''Will the Western Union lease its wires
to poorooms was asked.
Certainly it will not 1t leases many
wires. but when an application to lease
a wire is made to us, we will inquire into
the use to which 1t is to be put, and
If that use is Illegal we will refuse to
lease It. We will keep strictly within
our legal rights, but under no circum-
stances will we surrender them. POOL
rooms are illegal, hence we do no business
with them"