The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-14
RAID THROUGH OAK AND IRON
EVEN INJC NOTION DIDN'T SAVE
ALLEGED POOLROOM.
Acting Captain BOurke Batters Into Place
Behind cigar store Whers he Once
Got Banquet Costly Fittings
and Crowd Of 1OO Men Found

u Behind cigar store where ne Once
Get Banquet Blun- Costly Fittings
and Crowd Of 3OO Men Found.
A place protected by a Supreme Court
Injunction and any amount OF oak and
iron barriers was raided yesterday as a
poolroom by Acting Captain Bourke Of the
Mercer street station. twas situated at the
rear OF cigar store ia the business building
at "a West Third street
The evidence on which the raid was made
was furnished by a man who said that he
was William Brady, a stenographer, Of the
Hotel st. Paul He went to Bourke few
DAYS ago and said that be had lost a lot Of
money In the place Bourke, with authority
from Commissioner McAdoo, on account Of
the injunction, took Brady before Mags-
trate Cornell in Jefferson Market police
court yesterday and obtained several John
Doe" warrants
Brady told Bourke the place was fortress.
Bourke accordingly armed himself with
axes, sledgehammers oroWbars and
jimmies. The raid was Get for o'clock.
Twenty men we're picked for It, Detective
Undsrhill took six through a building on
Greene street and by climbing down the
fire escape got to the rear Of the alleged
pooroom Bourke and the other men
attacked the front.
Bourke first showed his warrants, but
was refused admittance. Then his men
attacked the cellar lights with sledges
When a pane was knocked out Bourke,
who was the smallest cop in the bunch,
squeezed through and dropped into the
cellar. He found a partition confronting
him in the centre Of which was a heavy
iron grating. At the left end Of the parti-
ton was a door Of heavy timbers sheathed
inside and out, a. were all the other doOrs
in the place, with sheet iron.
This door could be fastened by means OF
a heavy oak bar, but some careless person
had neglected TO fasten it, and BOurke
passed in. ran up a short flight Of steps
and found himself in a large room behind
the cigar store.
The room was crowded with men and
brilliant with electric lights. The atmos-
phere, despite the fact that half dozen
electric fans and huge blower were goin g
full blast, was almost sitting, Bourke,
imnoticed in the crush, worked his way to
the rear where, he says, man was takin
down a racing card. Bourke placed the
man under arrest. Several men made a
move toward him. but he flashed his re-
volver and threatened 10 shoot any one
who attacked him.
Meanwhile, Underhill and his men at the
rear were having troubles Of their own.
They found that the rear Of the alleged
poolroom was In a small extension having
a glass sIylight. Under the glass was a
row Of heavy iron bars, which took them
\ fifteen minutes TO break through. About
six feet underneath was another row Of
bans, but it offered less resistance. Having
broken through the second grating, Under
| hill and his men found Themselves in a
narrow compart ment partidoned Oh from
the main room in which they conjectured
the sheet writer and cashier operated. A
trapdoor led to the cellar, and when Under
hill descended there he found two men
stunlng money into their pockets. There
was a small stove near by. in which a fire
was burning, kindled. the police surmised,
with racing charts.
Leaving one OF his men to guard the
prisoners Underhil led the others TO the
front Of the cellar. ana in doing 30 passed
through three heavy partitions, each
sheathed with iron plates. All the doors,
| OF course, we're fastened on his side, 40 he
reached the main room easily. There his
men opener the front doors, at which
Bourke's twelve oops had been battering
In vain.
The lower half Of the walls Of the big
room was covered with green burlap and
above that with hsshy paper Of ned, black
and gold Numerous prints and litho-
graphs neatly framed hung on three Of the
walls. The charter Of the Verdi Club was
also displayed. High on the rear wall were
what appeared 10 be four great posters,
] a.
each OF these was a brass plate framed and
engraved.
The frames Of these works Of art were
hinged. When they were lifted there we're
disclosed the slots through which the bettors
handed their money into the little extension
room. The larger frames above, which
held the posters, were used, the police
said, TO display the entry cards. Each
card had a string attached to il, Bourke
said, and when an alarm was sound cd the
men behind the partition pulled the string
and withdrew the card, leaving only the
\ poster in sight.
When the police got inside. Brady was
called In 10 pick out the men for whom the
warrants called He pointed out two besides
those taken In the cellar, but two other
men for whom warrants we're issued
could not be found The man behind the
cigar counter when Bourke entered was also
charged with being a dooTkeeper in the
place.
Some months ago Roundsman Mulligan
and a squad Of men entered the place and
found what was called a banquet in prog
ress. Subsequently a man named Cullum,
who said he was the proprietor Of the cigar
store, obtained an injunction restraining
Bourke from interfering with his business.
PACKERS WIVES CAN'T JOIN EN-.
| Chicago Prosecutor 20 Make Trouble for
] Men Who Have Hurried Abroad