Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-20
The Handbook Must Go.

| today pledged himself to support the po-
! lice department in putting the handbook
/ makers out of business. Il shall continue
| to vigorously prosecute any handbook
| cases in which arrests are made" said he
| In a formal statement to The Star. With
| the assurance from Judge Kimball that
convictions will be followed by jail sem
fences and the promise Of activity on the
| part of the police there seems o be no
| reason for continued violations of the pool
selling law in the District.
After a COME; c.ncce with Assistant United
States Attorney Given at the CRY nan this
morning District Attorney Baker gave
| The Star the following statement:
During the two years that l have occu-
| pied this office there have been number
| of arrests 70 handbook making. Three or
| the accused were tried by juries IN the
| Police Court by my assistant, Mr.. Ralph
| Given, were convicted and We're sentenced
| to pay fine and to be imprisoned Tor
three months, the extreme penalty OF the
law. In all of these cases strenuous efforts
| were made to secure pardons, but adverse
reports were made both by the judges and
myself, except as to one of the defendants,
who was pardoned as to the fine owing to
| i'll health after serving his sentence OF
| imprisonment
| Arrests in 1907.
During the present year there have been
about thirteen arrests OF these thirteen,
| six who have been arrested In the last
| few weeks have, availng themselves OF
their rights demanded trial by jury, and
| they will be tried at the earliest possible
moment
THE Police Court sits every day in the
year except Sunday. 1t is customary for
| the Judges of that court to take vacation
| of six weeks. During their absence the
| court is presided over by one of the justices
| of the peace, who must perform his regular
! duties in addition. For a long time 1t has
| been customary, therefore, for the vacation
Judge to not try jury cases, 1t being all
that he can do to dispose of the ordinary
current business, and when it is possible to
have jury trials in the summer time II is
the usual custom to try the cases in which
the defendants are held in jail to await
trial 1t has been impossible, therefore, to
try the pending cases. but they will be
disposed of as it can be done.
In the other cases, the defendants de-
posted collaterals ranging from $50 to
$500, and these sums were forfeited when
they failed to appear for trial. In all or
these cases Mr.. Given consulted with me
as to the advisabilty OF issuing bench
warrants, but in my opinion, for reasons
which seemed to me to be sufficient, 1t was
deemed unwise to further prosecute these
cases.
Acceptance of Collateral.
From time inmemorial 1t has not been
the custom. except in very aggravated
cases, to issue a bench warrant where col
lateral has been forfeited in the Police
Courts, the forfeiture being deemed an ad-
mission of guilt and the confiscation of the
collateral being deemed adequate pun
ishment in the great majority of cases.
I'm some of the cases In which | per-
mitted forfeitures testimony was promised
that would aid in stamping out the
evil. and this testimony was given. As IN
others, they were cases of first offenders,
young men of previous good reputation.
who agreed to go out of the business and
desired that they be given chance 10 re-
form.
Il shall continue to vigorously prosecute
any handbook cases In which arrests are
made
Bookmakers Under Cover.
The Stars activity in urging the suppress
sion of the handbook business which has
been fiourishing in Washington in a bold
and open manner until the last two or three
DAYS has scattered the bookmakers like a
bursting bomb, and these willy layers of
bets have deserted their haunts around the
center of Che city and have taken to cover
A local business man who has been in the
habit of betting with handbooks almost