The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-29
PEEP OVER DOOR
AT MORMON POKER
Police Interrupt Game in Time TO
Save Tourists Coin.
VICTIM HAD SEVERAL POTS
FIVE MEN HELD ON CHARGE OF
FLEEclNG STRANGERS.

Mark Reed, scheduled to play tn,
suckers role in e Mormon poker
game running behind bolted doors ia
Ihe Eagle TOOming house at 50 West
second South street was So winner il
checks yesterday afternoon when De
tecJlves George Chase and Joseph Burt
broke IN the door. In the game besides
Reed were Joe Martin, j. d. Gladney
ana Thomas Moran, and all four were
taken to the police station and tho
charge of gambling preferred against
them. Gladney is known in police cir
cles as a short card man." and has
been arrested in Salt Lake several
Times on the charge of grating" Tie
was here about three years ago with
Charles Chapman, and the gang which
nrst originated the famous Mormon
poker" game for fleeing tourists. The
other men are not known here. Reed is a
tourist who stopped off for a couple of
days 10 see Salt Lake City on his way
TO the coast
Other Tourists Fleeced.
Complaints were made a couple of
days ago by two or three tourists who
We're picked up on the street by out
side men and induced to take hand
In a game of Mormon poker The
gang was sharp enough 10 change its
strangers, and the police were unable
10 locate them until yesterday after
noon. Those who made the complaints
reported 10 the police that there was
no difference between Mormon poker
and plain draw poker" except that
one man always held three ten spots,
aud four when necessary to win the
pot This was not noticed at first but
after they had been separated from
their roll the "sure-thing' end of the
gsme was apparent
when Detectives Chase and Burt en-
tered the room the game had not been
running long. Reed. the sucker had
been handed four hands i'm succession
which easily captured the pot" money.
He had about $50 worth of chips on
the table, $50 of which he declared was
velvet"
Watch Game over Transom.
The police discovered the game by
the defying laugh of Reed about easy
money" and the rattle of his chips
The detectives watched the game over
the tranSOm, and when they thought
II had run long enough forced am en-
trance into the room. They gathered
up the cards and chips, nut they were
unable To make Reed believe he was
The sucker He wanted 10 cash i'm, 80
but Gladney, who ne claims was run
ming the game. refused TO give him
his money.
This made Reed angry. and he after
ward told how he had been approached
on the street by a couple of affable
strangers and finally landed in the
game. He said he walked around the
stgeets with them for half an hour, and
that he was then invited TO their room
at the Eagle rOoming house. Shortly
afterWard the other man called at the
room and they started a poker game
among themselves. He was invited To
take a hand. and was carrying things
off with "a high hand when the police
rudely interrupted the game.
Two Suspects Caught.
Later u the afternoon William Kelly
aud T.. J Van Fleet We're picked up on
the street by Detectives Raleigh and
Shannon and Police officer Bert Sea
ger. To is believed that they are the
outside" men who are steering the
victims into the game. The four men
who were m the game Will be arraigued
today before Judge c. 3. Diehl on the
charge of gambling, and Kelly and Van
Fleet Will be held on the charge of
vagTancy. Il is probable that Reeds
testimony viii be used i'm the trial TO
convict them, and then he will be re-
leased.