The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-06-03
GAMBLING HOUSE
Melted MILLIONS
Richard CanfeId'S Income Was
S5OO,OOO a Year
RICH MEN HIS PATRONS
w. C. Whitney, Reginald Vanderbilt
and a U. S. senator-lnterest-
ing Revelations in Lawyers
Suit Against Him.
RICH MEN HIS PATRONS
BY sEWELL HAeeARD.

New York, June 1.-The public is in
debted to Lawyer John Delahunty for an
exposure of the methods and profits of
the most famous gambler in America,
! Richard A. Canield Perhaps it is nearer
the truth to say that Garfield was the
most prominent gambler in this country,
for his place at East Forty fourth street,
next door TO Delmonicos has been closed
since the spectacular raid by District At
torney Jerome on the night of December
2, 1902. At present he owns only one gam
bling house. his club at Saratoga.
Lawyer Delahunty piloted Garfield
through his legal entanglements, finally
getting him and his manager, David
Bucklin, off with fines of $1,000 each. When
1t came TO the payment of counsel fee
Delahunty and the gambler disagreed and
now he is suing his former client in the
supreme court The revelations referred
to were made by Delahunty while on the
witness stand
| Chiefly interesting among the many
amazing things revealed by Lawyer Della
hunty was the political pull Canfield
was able to command. This gambler who
boosted that he considered his business
as respectable as that of any banker or
broker in Wall street" employed a we'll
known lobbyist and political lawyers with
| pull he had state senators on retainer
and former candidate for governor, John
B. Stanehfield, on his legal staff; he sought
| to influence Justices of the supreme court
he attempted to bride newspapers; he in
structed his attorney to have witness
defy the court, suggested that a broker,
4 hi
mony If necessary, which in plain English
meant perjury, and when it came to a set
tlement with his attorneys threatened to
complain to the bar association of a fee
that he thought excessive.
Even Kept Up With jerome.
More astounding than all this he was
able to keep in touch with every move
made by District Attorney Jerome, OBJ
tanning copies of the testimony of wit
nesses examined In secret proceedings
Even on the night he was raded he got a
tip that he was to receive unwelcome Wis
itors and had time to stop his games and
summon his attorney to assist him in
receiving the raiding party.
His Wealthy Patrons.
Second in point of interest were the rev.
Citations concerning his income and his
! dealings with wealthy customers who
gave their notes when they had lost all
their cash dallying with Dame Fortune.
Mr.. Delahunty, when questioned about
his former clients income testified that
Garfield had told him that his business
netted him $500, coo year and that he was
worth $5.000000 In actual property.
One of the gamblers don't want to
pay customers was the late Senator
Wolcott of Colorado Another was a
youth under q whom Mr.. Jerome called
"a drunken kid" The youth is supposed
| to be Reginald Vanderbilt who kept out of
the way of subpoena servers when the
district attorney wanted him to testify in
John Doe proceedings against Garfield.
The senator, 1t appears, owed Garfield
| some 500 900, partly money lost at the rou-
lette table and partly money borrowed.
The youth owed 100000, all said to be
money lost gambling. Each had given
notes to secure the Indebtedness, notes
which Garfield and his manager, Dave
Buclllin, treasured as the apples of their
eyes. After the Jerome raid first the
youths friends and later the senator 5
| lawyer, came aroud to see what could be
done
The youths friends began with an offer
of $4,000 They finally paid up $4,000
cash. The senator offered $4,000 for his
note. Garfield sent him word that it was
all or nothing.
He is said to have accepted the inevita-
BILE.
In getting at the details of the negotia-
lions concerning the $500 OO0 notes Mr.
Delahuntys counsel asked him If he re-
ceved call from a representative of the
young man whose name was appended to
them
The 100000 Notes.
81 did get such a call from a prominent
lawyer who was well known to me-" an
swered Delahunty "He told me that a
young friend of his had made four notes,
aggregating 100000. This client. he said,
was very young and the debt had been
incurred at Canfeld's under unusual cir
cumstanees circumstances that should
prevent Garfield from pressing for full
payment. He said much more, and told
him that / would see Bucklin about it. as
Garfield was In Europe.
But I told him." and here Delahunty
smiled broadly in Canfield's direction,
that he had a mistaken notion about Can
field l told him that Mr.. Garfield was
under the impression that his business
was as respectable as THAI of any banker
in Wall street. and that he believed that
any obligations incurred to him should
be met as fully and promptly as a Wall
! street banker expected to meet his obliga-
| lions or have them met.
''IIe had spoken of $50, 600 and told him
I felt sure there could be no such settle
ment, But I said I'd try. And | saw
Bucklin. who cabled Garfield. The latter
declined the offer Then my lawyer friend
returned and raised his bid. He offered
| $50, Geo. 10000. all the way to 100000 and
1 then stopped. ! said I'd submit that offer,
| too.
"Bucklln cabled again and got reply
to accept 100000 II he thought best. I
had another long interview with my friend
after that and finally told him that If he
would give me $4,000 cash down I thought
l could get his clients notes back He
accepted that proposition.
ION the night of February 10, 1903 I
went to my lawyer friends house. facing
a little park in town. and met him and
his client there. We had dinner and then
I was given 1870 one thousand dollar bills
in return for the notes.
Whitney's Name Mentioned.
| These are not the only well-known
names trailed In the dust by the investi-
| cation. 1t has been brought to light
that William c. Whitney was frequent
| er of Canfeld's places here and at New
| port and Saratoga. Other names that fig
ure in the trial are those of E. Wasser-
man, Jesse Wasserman, Jacob A. Field,
II. Archibald Pell, VIM. A. III. Stafford.
| Mortimer Schiff, Alfred Bostwick and
| Jesse Lewisohn.
After Garfield had been indicted he
| went TO London because he thought 1t
| might be more agreeable for him there