The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-22
Keeper of Gambling House
 Appeals Case. HIS BOND FIXED AT $3-0 Four Employes of, Merchants
 Hotel Bound Over. Me. Who visited the Place Fined s2S Blackstone RemaFkabls Testimo- ny as to Rooms on Third $, Floor-Great Cr0wds in Court.
 
HIS BOND FIXED AT $3co

Recorder 4. H. Arlington yeeteroay afternoon fixed the punishment of Rob- ert H. Alexander, proprietor of the Merchants Hotel at six months hard labor for permitting a gambling es- tablishment to be conducted on the third floor of his hotel.
 Alexander, through his counsel, gave notice of an appeal to the City Court of Montgomery and Recorder Airing ton fixed the bond at $500 which was promptly signed by w. A. LaPrade. and Alexander was released from custo- dy.
 J. A. Fully, Joe Perry Ike Abraham and Tom Mattel, attaches of the gam ing room, which was raided by the police Sunday night, waived examina- tion when the charges of keeping gam ing tables were called against them and theye were bound over to the grand jury. Their bonds were fixed al $500 each and they, too, were made by Mir. LaPrade.
 The cases against J. H. Engler, s. B Strauss, G. c. DeBardeleben and Fletcher Crenshaw, visitors to the gaming rooms, who were arrested there by the police, were tried and each oi them was fined $25 and costs. Englel paid his fine but Strauss. DeBardele-' ben and Crenshay made bonds pending appeals to the City Court.
 The trial of the cases resulting from the raid on the Merchants Hotel at tracted the largest crowd of white per sons to the Recorders Court that hal been seen there In many years. Every available foot of space was taken ant the crowd was massed back agains the wall and out into the corridor.
 City Attorney Ray Rushton appeared to represent the interest of the city and the same lawyer represented Alex ander his employees and the four vis' itors who were arrested in his place. Twenty~eight Witnesses. When the names of twentyeight wit nesses was remarkable. Men who the names of many persons who hat visited the gambling rooms had beer secured by the police. This larg, number of witnesses including Polio, Captain w. H. Taylor who organized and led the raid, and the ten patrolmer who accompanied him, were placed un der the rule and they filled the wit ness room adjacent to the court. The testimony of some of the wit nesses wa sremarkable. Men who l admitted having visited the gambling house failed completely to remembe what they saw there and in more thai one instance City Attorney Rushtor overwhelmed these witnesse witt confusion.
 City Attorney Rushton announced that he would first call the case. against Engler, Crenshaw, Strauss ane DeBardeleben. who were charged witt having been found in gambling hous, under Section 1172 of the City Code.
 Both sides announced ready and Pc. lice Captain Taylor was the first wit. ness for the city. He detailed the raid on the place and identified the four defendants. He told of finding the men huddled In Room IS of tht third floor of the hotel after he ant his men had forced the doors leading to the place. The finding of Strauss in bed with his clothes on and the boz of money in bed with him as well as the finding of dice on the floor were also brought out.
 Man and Wife Not There.
 The lawyer for Alexander cross-ex. amining Captain Taylor and other pat rolmen tried to draw statements that man and his wife, were disturbed while sleeping in a room adjoining the one in which the gamblers were found but each of the witnesses denied that entrance had been made to this room or that a man and his wife were seer on the third floor of the hotel build. ing.
 We did not go into rooms where there were ladies or gentlemen" an. swered Captain Taylor to q question put by the attorney and the spectators laughed at this estimation by the DO. lice captain of the men he had arrest. ed.
 Captain Taylor testified that he found no cards or regular gaming ta- bles in the rooms snd that the men