The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-30
Warrants Out for Eagle,
Knott and Hayes.
THE HEARING TODAY
Men Arrested Are All of the Class
Who Are Supposed to Have Money
But Whose Manner of
employment is
Mysterious.

Following the publication on Tues
day morning of an editorial in the
News and Observer calling upon the
city authorities to enforce the provis-
ions of the new vagrancy law against
certain we'll known and idle characters
resident in Raleigh, warrants were
sworn out by Chief of Police Mullins
yesterday against Roger Knott, Jim
Eagle and John Hayes, charging them
with being Migrants within the mean
ing of the act.
The fact that the warrants had been
issued "leaked," however, and it was
thought for a time that all three OF
the men named had left the city.
Eagle was said to have left on an
early train for Charlotte. which he Is
said to claim as his home, and Hayes
was stated to have gone to work for
Mr.. t. V. Denton on his farm near the
city, his employment having com
menced in that capacity on Tuesday
night, although he has been doing odd
Jobs about Mr.. Denton's place during
the last several months.
Although none of the men had been
arrested, the fact that the warrants
were out for Hayes and Eagle was
though the policemen who had the
warrants stated that he had told no
one of the fact and the police gener-
ally claimed to be in ignorance of the
fact that they had been issued.
Later i'm the afternoon, however,
both Knott and Eagle appeared on the
streets and the warrants were served
on them, they being cited to appear
at the mayors office at ten o'clock this
f,,o
no bond was required.
A number of witnesses have been
cited to appear on the part of the
State among them being Mr. Ed. ".
Denton and Mr. r. e. Lewis, who run
the pool rooms on Fayetteville street,
il being understood that they are sum-
moned as witnesses against the de-
PENDANT Eagle.
At this writing the defendant Hayes
has not appeared on the streets. and
il is not known whether he has left
the city or not.
The character of the men who are
under warrant is of kind to thorough
ly test the provisions of the vagrancy
act None of them are paupers.
The defendants Eagle and Knott are
each said 10 be in possession of sew
eral thousand dollars Both. have long
had the reputation of being profess
sional gamblers, an offense under the
act. Eagle is also pool player of
special talent and his days in Raleigh,
where he had been for some months.
have been apparently passed in smok-
ing and lettering around the pool par
lOrs, where he has been in the habit
of drawing crowds of spectators who
watch his play on the tables. He is
a young man, small statured, very well
dressed and possessed of an eloquent
diamond scarf pin and rings of price.
He has never been known to work
publicly at any calling, although he is
said to be well-provided with funds.
Last year he was the proprietor of
the card room at the Atlantic Hotel,
having leased the privilege.
Roger Knott is a man of possibly
over fifty-five years of age, was a Con-
federate soldier and has lived in Raj
eigh for years. He, too has always
had the reputation of being profess
sional gambler, having once run a
room here and having several times
conducted the card room at Morehead
City. AS far as is known here, Mr..
Knott has never worked at any trade,
business or profession
Mr.. HAYES is said to do a good deal
of work at odd times following fairs
i'm different parts of the country with
certain games and penny making
schemes from which he nets revenue
sufficient to keep the wolf from the
door during those months when 1T IS
too cold for the canvass to fiutter III
the breeze.
Both Eagle and Hayes have been
i'm the habit OF staying for a major
portion of the day at either Lewis pool
rooms, Denton's restaurant, or John-
sons drug store corner They were
conspicuously absent yesterday, and
although Policeman Creighton hung on
the brass bar in front of Denton
place for a total of several hours dur
ing the day with the warrants SnuglV
buJtoned up under his double breasted
Unsupported coat he never caught
a glimpse of his quarry. Both Mr..
Eagle and Mr.. Hayes had evidently
been put next by friends through
the leak above mentioned and like
wise guys" they were industriously
engaged in some quarter foreign to
their habit in making themselves
scarce until they had made up their
minds.
Although the slip has been remedied
in Il measure b. the service of the
warrants on the defendants Eagle and
Knott, the fact that the information
as to their issuance leaked" so
promptly from the police is a matter
which should be investigated at once
by the city authorities. That the war
rants were served is undoubtedly due
to the fact that the defendants decid-
ed to face the issue. There is little
if any doubt, but that they knew the
fact in plenty of time to have avoided
service if they had chosen to do so.
Vagrancy under the new law is a
misdemeanor punishable by fine Of not
less than fifty dollars for first of
Tense and fine and Imprisonment for
3: second arrest and conviction.