The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-08-04
MANHUNT ONLAKE
Chicago Police on a Tug Chase
Gamblers.
Race Extends Into the Waters of
Three States.
LANDING IN INDIANA.
Pursued Had a Faster Boat and
Got Away.
Fourteen FlOated in on Launch
and Were Captured.

Chicago, Aug 4-Gamblers intent |
upon playing the races, and policemen |
determined to prevent all race track |
betting on the high seas, furnished on |
Lake Michigan unique and spectac- |
ular gambling raid.
The police and gamblers raced around |
the lake, first into Michigan waters, !
then close to the shores of Illinois, and
then into the jurisdiction of Indiana, |
the one seeking escape, and the police
determined to capture them at all haz-
ards.
The net results for the police were
the capture of fourteen weary marine
gamblers, who fioated ashore at South
Chicago in a launch
All of the others, after hot chase
by the police in a numbering fire tug,
escaped to Indiana Harbor, Ind, and
made their way ashore outside of the
jurisdiction of the Chicago police.
Chief of Police Collins announced two
days ago that he would no longer per-
NIT the operation of the floating pool
room, City of Traverse. He asserted
that he would arrest all the gamblers
when they attempted to board it, claim
ing that they were about to commit an
illegal act which brought them within
police jurisdiction.
The gamblers circumvented the
chief of police at the outset by causing
the steamer City of Traverse to be run
out into the lake, into the waters of
the state of Indiana, where she lay all
! through the morning. Large details
of police were placed on the shore,
guarding approaches to all of the
| docks from which the gamblers might
make their way. to the lake. 1t was
| the expectation of the authorities that
the betting fraternity would leave Chi
| cago on the City of Traverse, but, in
stead of this, a small excursion steam
er named The Eagle, had been char
| tered and the gamblers, walking past
| the police, embarked and started for
| the City of Traverse, which was roll
| ing around in mid-lake- The police
were powerIess to intercept any of the
| "excursionists,'' as they called them
selves, and, with deep chagrin, watch
ed them sail away to place their money
on the races
managers of the floating pool room
was that all passengers would be land
! ed at the foot of Ninety-second street,
| in South Chicago, where the Calumet
| Chief Collins, baked in his attempt to
prevent the sailing of the gamblers on
| the Eagle, transferred his forces to
! Ninety-second street and posted them
it would have been practically impos-
sible for any man from the City of
Traverse or the Eagle to set foot on
| shore and escape arrest
Late in the day the Eagle steamed
| into the harbor at South Chicago,
loaded with 200 men, who were
anxious to reach the shore AS soon
as the boat was we'll inside of the first
! bridge, it was swung behind it. With
escape to the lake cut off by the
| bridge, and no possible chance of a
safe landing on shore, the case of the
gamblers for a time looked desperate.
The Eagle circled around and
around in the harbor, footing its
whistle in frantic fashion for the
bridge tender to turn the bridge and
allow it to steam back into the lake.
The police stood on the shore and
| laughed, feeling confident that it was
only a question of time before the
passengers of the Eagle would begin
| their power.
A small insignificant mudscow hap
| pened along at this critical moment,
| however, and blew it's whistle a sig
| nal for the bridge to open. The bridge
! tender was compelled to swing the
bridge and the Eagle, planting its bow
| Squarely in the stern of the mud ScoW,
crowded it closely as it passed through
| the bridge and then made run for the
! open lake and freedom.
| AS soon as the police discovered the
| approach of a mud scow and realized
that the bridge must open, they made q
rush for the fire tug Yosemite, and by
| the time the Eagle was entering the
| waters of the lake the tug was tearing
| after it, loaded down with policemen.
The Eagle, however, steadily drew
| away from the tug, and after a run of
ten miles the police gave up the chase.
The Eagle landed at Indiana harbor,
it's passengers returning to Chicago by
| train.
Before the arrival of the Eagle at
South Chicago, small launch named
| The Panther, came in bearing a num-
i ber of gamblers from the City of Trav-
erse and several fishermen. All the
| passengers of The Panther were lined
4 r1so md 1a1I Ic,d to e-fo n
in a heavy rain while the police Weeded
| out the fishermen from the excursion
| lists" Fourteen men who could not
| prove that they had been fishing were
loaded into the patrol wagon and car
| ried to the police station.
The gamblers who returned to Chi
| cago declared that, even though the
| police arrested all the passengers of
the Eagle, they would have found it
impossible to prove case against them
as the wireless apparatus refused to
work throughout the day. and not a
message was received and not a bet
made.