Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-17
CLEANING OUT COUNTY
ATTORNEY MACKEY AFTER THE
POLICY SHOPS.
Crusade Against Gambling on Both
Sides Of the Aqueduct Bridge
Aid From Local Police.


Crandal Mackey, commonwealth attorney
for Alexandria county, Va, has authorized
William II. Palmer to raid at the first and
most opportune time the alleged policy
shop conducted by one John Turvey at the
south end of the Aqueduct bridge, arrest
the proprietor upon a charge of setting up
gambling device and all players that are
found about the premises upon charges
OF Vagrancy and to take possession of all
property and paraphernalia that might serve
as evidence at the trial. In addition to this,
ne has also sworn out warrants for the
arrest of John Nokes, Walter Turvey and
Joseph Johnson, charging them with being
Migrants. Mr.. Mackey appeared before
Judge C. E. Nicol a few days ago and
made motion to the court for the Issuance
Of & capias in connection with the war
rants, which was granted, the court re-
ferring the cases to DR.. J. r. Hagan, JUS
tlce Of the peace for Alexandria county,
for trial, by virtue of the statute authoriz-
ing justices of the peace to try cases for
misdemeanor
In various sections of Washington, it is
claimed, are agencies, maintained, as a
rule, in cheap barber shops and eating
places, for the policy houses, where the
easy, and deposit his play of '4-1t-44, .
''6-16<66." Men known as runners are en-
ployed to visit these places and collect the
small slips of paper, on which are written
the numbers constituting the combination
play, and later deliver what is known as
the drawings, small slips of paper, on which
are printed with rubber stamp six or eight
combination numbers. The employment of
these runners serves to reduce the num-
Der of patrons who would otherwise con-
gregate and assemble around the main
Office, which is alleged to be at RoSSlyn,
thus making the shop" less conspicuous.
Mr.. Mackey Determined.
II propose to see to it, said Mr.. Mackey,
that this business becomes a thing of the
past in Alexandria county, and l shall re-
sort to every legal means to accomplish
that end. When runners are brought be-
fore the Virginia court on the charge of
vagrancy they will find that they have not
the District law to account to, wherein
they may pay nominal fine or give a
small bond to secure their liberty. The
vagrancy law of Virginia provides for a
minimum fine and Imprisonment, but does
not fix a maximum penalty, SO you see
the judge in the case has a very wide
discretionary power as to punishment in
case of conviction. l fully realize that it
will be difficult matter for the Sheriff
to apprehend these runners in Virginia, as
they are said to reside in the District and
have only to come to the end of the bridge
with their business in order to deliver 1t,
where, knowing that the warrants are
one else connected with the institution to
whom they may turn over their days bust
ness, thus remaining, with but little incon-
venience, outside the Jurisdiction of the
However" Continued Mr.. Mackey, IT will
remain content, so far as these individuals
are concerned, df they will remain out of
the county, for our Jail capacity is well
would mean more expense to the county.
When we have succeeded in putting the
shop out OF the way these men will be
out of a job and, l hope, no longer an
ton
Local Police to Help.
II am informed" said Lieut.. Henry
Schneider of the Georgetown police pre-
cinct, "that the policy business is again
lourishing across the river, and will be
glad to do all in my power to hold it in
check. If there is any way in which 1 can
aid Mr.. Mackey in his crusade against the
lawlesS element across the river l will
gladly cooperate with him as far as my
authority in this jurisdiction will permit
I appreciate the fact that a lawless element
as close to Washington as Rosslyn cannot
help but seriously affect the public well
fare OF the District and especially George
town. The officers detailed at the Aaue-
duct bridge have done much to modify
conditions in the vicinity of the bridge.
We are somewhat handicapped since the
adoption of the District code by the change
il the wording and Interpretation of the
law, together with the cunning evasiveness
of the offender. who is we'll informed on
rhis subject. Under the old law 1t was
cnly necessary to find the policy plays
on the person of the player in order to
secure conviction in police court, but un-
del the new code the offense of promoting
policy Is one for the grand jury and
criminal court, and, according to an estab-
lished rule of the courts, 1t is necessary
now to produce evidence to the effect that
the offender not only plays the game for
himself, but aids and abets others in doing
so or makes 1t speciality to collect plays
from others, or, in other words, promotes
policy in another way than by simply
playing the game for his own and indvid-
ual self. II these persons should congre-
gate, assemble or loiter around the bridge
or any other public place or in other ways
make their presence Objectionable 1t would
then be in our power to arrest them as
Migrants, but this they do not do. They
come from every direction and are con-
stantly ON the move while under the OBJ
servation of the policeman. AS long as he
observes nothing which is in violation OF
law he can do nothing.