The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-15
THEY'RE SHUT UP.
Gambling Men Pack Their Tents
and Leave.
Sure Thing Games at Fair
Grounds No More.
AT SAMSON'S DOOR.
Fair Officials Blame Secretary
for Conditions.
B. L. Lee, Superintendent, Tells
of Stopping Illegal Places.

The exposures published in the State
Journal have had the effect that it was
hoped that they would have and last
night the vile theater and gambling
games that have been running at the
fair grounds We're closed. It is rather
late in the day for the association to
take this course but it is better late
than never. About all the liquor to be
found on the ground at the present time
is that sold by the boot leggers and the
men who are running joints in the horse
stalls.
The hop tea joints are closed and the
gambling games that were run wide
open in such a disgraceful manner all
day Wednesday are not to be seen and
last night the most vulgar and indecent
show on the grounds did not open its
doors and will probably remain closed
for the balance of the fair. This is the
same aggregation that operated on
Quincy street during street fair given
two or three years ago and run out of
the city after its first nights stand. It
IS the same show allowed to run at the
fair last year over protests.
Mr.. Lees Statement.
In speaking of the conditions that
have existed at the grounds since the
opening day of the fair, r. I. Lee, gen
eral superintendent of the fair said: II
have done everything in my power to
run my department of the fair in ac-
cordance with the laws of the state and
while l am willing to admit that there
are a good many things that have
transpired that I do not consider right
have done my best to keep liquor sellers
and grafters and gamblers off of the
grounds. There has been liquor sold on
the grounds Illegally l am sure and 1
am told that there have been sure thing
games run here this week. 1 am not a
detective not even a policeman and L
am willing to admit that these things
might run and l not see them. l have
man in charge of the police on the
grounds in whom / have the highest
confidence. 1 wanted Mr.. Wilkerson for
my chief of police because l had en-
ployed him in that capacity once before
and he had promised to act but at the
last minute he came to me and told me
that private business had called him out
of the city and that while he would act
if / insisted that it would cause him
great Inconvenience. l could not well
ask him to stay and he recommended
Henry Steele who I knew had been
chief of police and l appointed him. and
/ want to say that Mr.. Steele is in no
way responsible for the conditions
which have existed. / have full power
to discharge him in case cause may
arise and 1 think that he has made a
. consistent effort to enforce the laws at
all times.
Blame on Samson.
IF the executive management from
lHe SecrelafyS once mad been OF a diff
ferent nature We would have never had
this trouble. Secretary Chas. Samson
sold these privileges without Investigate
ing the purpose for which they were to
be used and as a result the fakirs, sure
thing games and jointists secured some
of the best locations on the grounds. If
the secretary had refused to sell priv
ileges to the men who were known as
jointists and gamblers a great deal of
this trouble would have been aVerted
The men who bought the hop tea and
other privileges claim that it was under
stood when they bought the privileges
that they were to run open if the citi-
zens would stand for it and that there
would be no interference by the associ-
alton. Mr.. Samson says that this is not
true but that the privileges were sold
with the understanding that none of the
laws of the state We're to be violated.
I went before the executive board
on Tuesday and told the board that
unless the order permitting the sale of
hop tea on the grounds was revoked
that / would resign, as I was satisfied
that the stuff being sold was beer I'M
der hop tea label. The board unani-
mously agreed to revoke this permit
and by o'clock had the stands all
out of the grounds and there has been
nothing of the kind sold since then
excepting by Harve Wheeler, whose
tent and bar 1 tore down. I took
some of the bottles taken from his
place and had them analysed by Prof.
j. T. Lovewell, who reports that 1 was