The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-08-13
Raids on Gambling Places
Brings to Light Evils
Which Exist in City.
STREET SCENES DISGRACE
Fair Name,of the City, Yet City
Officials Merely Wink
at Wickedness.

The burning of several gambling
table and other gambling apparatus
was novel sight witnessed by ped
estrians who passed the corner of
Court and Mechanic street Monday
morning.
Upon information by R. j. Taylor.
Chief of Police Stealey and Officers
Gill, Howe. Joyce and Brooks made
a raid on the Swager and Manhat-
tan places Sunday morning about 2
o'clock.
|. Six men were found in the swager
den and arrested on the charge Of
gambling. Their names they gave
as Billy Mays, Newt Heenan, w. Fl.
Peppers. John johnson. James Mar
tin and ---. Hendershot. Nobody
was found in the Manhattan but the
proprietors. Koehler and Kearns. and
they were arrested on the same
charge. All put up abounts of $25
each for their appearance in police
court Monday morning at s O'clock.
but so far none of them have shown
up.
The officers also captured lot Of
the gambling furniture, which the
mayor ordered burned.
Chief Stealey then took the gamb-
ling apparatus to an open space on
the corner of Court and Mechanic
street and burned 1t. Y
Chief Describes Conditions.
A detailed conversation between
the chief of police and member Of
the city council some two weeks ago.
IL given here. would add considerable
sensation TO the article. Suffice It
to say that the councilman was COM
planning bitterly of the openness of
the city, especially as to the large
number OF cases of DRINKS on the
streets, when the chief in reply to
the remark that the town was too
open related a chain of existing evils
that was an amazing revelation to
the complaining councilman. In.
ordinations were made by the chief
Of police Involving an official higher
up.
Detective to be Seat for.
Agitation the last two weeks or
more on the part of some of the sup
porters of the present administration
at the polls last spring has been loud
and some are reported as having
made the repeated threat to send TO
Baltimore or some other eastern
city to secure the services of q de-
tective to ferret out the gambling
dens.
Raids Only on Complaint.
It is noted that no raids have been
made except on warrants and COM
plants of others. and, 1t seems to be
the policy of the present administra-
ton to permit everything to go, ex-
cept when forced to act.
Among the most disgraceful fea-
lures of the present administration,
showing Its lack of competency to
administer affairs in the manner
some hoped for, is the kind of wo-
men allowed to parade the streets
as well as the brazen conduct indulg-
ed in by men and women on street
corners and other public places
Even these female stragglers have
been known lately to ring door bells
at o'clock In the morning at pri-
vate residences and ask to be shell
ter the remainder of the night. NDe-
cent women have been subjected to
insult on the streets and in public
places.
Unchecked for Months.
This condition of affairs has gone
on unchecked for several months
Gaming houses have been operated
with the knowledge of the adminis-
tration. without the slightest effort of
interference. Women known to he
of bad character parade the streets
day and night and hang around the
street corners day in and day out
Yet that mooted reform hailed by
many last spring with wings spread
wide and flying hig has scared out OF
sight.
There Is no exaggeration of the con-
ditions. indeed. the half has not been
told, and Ciarksburg has the name
far and wide of being at present the
most wide-onnn city In tho state