The sun., 1908-06-03
RorGH HOUSE EONNAURETANIA
GtNG or GAMBLERS IN 4 FIGHT
-, THE SMOkE room.
ar,,ons wouldn't Pay 10 US and Cailedthe
Yankees CroOks--Thcre Was set-to,
Three on side. WITH Threats Of Assassi-
patlon-Three Prisoners Discharged.

Y
Three on q side. with Threats of Assassi-
,atlon-Three Prisoners Discharged.
Several professional gamblers, all Ameri-
oans one of whom admitted that he had
Ma nicturc in the Mulberry street gallery,
treated rlictions in the smoke room OF the
rrnard steamship Mauretania on the
evening of Sunday. when the liner created
= ,orord for single days run. The gam
hlers punched two young Englishmen and
.ot a few bruises themselves. A few OF
tho possengers were inclined to make the
,nw an international episode and there
rere ,eports that the heads OF the Cunard
lime on the other side and the British Gov
erment had been appealed to TO make the
Cunard skippers punish rowdyism aboard
ship severely.
None Of the young Englishmen who suf-
ferei financial loss and exhibited Npurplish
eves and vacant spaces between teeth was
wling to appear against three OF the
Americans when they were arraigned at
Jefferson Market police court yesterday
morning. rhe three gave their names
uls, rs they had appeared on the cabin
passenger list. to wit: ii. l.. Bralatour.
William Fl. Day and Alexander Dwyer.
them hey were discharged.
One oi the English passengers, F. c. l..
pirS,s Of Cambridge, who thought he had
been abused and who had thrown brandy
and soda, glass and all, into the face of
uvyer, complained TO Vernon II. Brown,
rpent oi the Cunard Line here, and Mr..
brown remarked that Mr.. Pirhis appeared
IN be somewhat of culprit himself; also.
hat III passengers will play cards with
,trangers they ought to have nurses The
Officers md stewards who saw the trouble
say hat Pirkis, who is a forid six footer,
started the rough house himself. Versions
diner. out the story oil the trouble seems to
he somewhat like this: Dwyer. Bralatour
and Day were OF a party of men who ap-
parently make living partly at sea by in
ducing greenhorns to gamble. They stayed
No late in the smoke room and half dozen
Young tnlishmen more or less addicted to
tranLy and soda gave the Yankee sharpers
A chance to practice. The men who went
into several games with the sharpers were
Pirkis, tric Thornton, an exporter Of Ant
werp, on the way 10 Mexico; h, L. Macleay,
A. B. Randolph ana few others.
lhe lsua. noticcs warning passengers
that gamblers might be aboard were posted.
but as usual nobody who wanted to gamble
paid any attention to them. After stiff
game on saturday night Thornton and
Randolph had given U US for their
Indebtedness. which did not exceed $500
Tnoratpn sIid he knew little about cards
ana Jwyer threw dice with him.
The talk Of the smoke room and hints from
The stewards finally convinced the English
men that they had been swindled and they
refused to honor their | US. On Sum
day night in the smoke room Dwyer de-
handed a settlement from Thornton. who
sl gaVlnp.
ne game was crooked. don't intend
% lay you at all.
rwyer shook his fist at Thornton and
Oaid, I'm give you the best hiding Of your
lie If you don't pay.
iirnis championed Thornton, and Mao
leay said he also Vas with them. After an
excnanye Of profanity Pirkis picked up
his rlndy and soda glass and smashed
Dwyer in the face.
Stewards interfered. and Dwyer invited
Pirkis out on deck to settle the matter with
fists. Pirkis took Macleay and Thornton
, along. Dwyer objected to them unless he
also had his seconds, and he called Day
and bralatour. The Englishmen, saying
that they feared brass knuckles and pis-
tolls, decided to postpone settlement with
fists, and went back into the smoke room.
The real fracas then began. The three
sharpers jumped on Pirkis. and Thornton
and Macleay piled in to help Pirkis. Feet
were used more than fists. Some Of the spec
tdtOTs III ttl0 btuOhc tOOIl Sdy tudI IL lOOheu
like an exhibition of la savate. After the
kicking there was a. mixup in which blows
we're exchanged at close quarters, most OF
the men clinching. Everybody in the fray
got marks on his face and hands before the
officers and stewards dragged the COM
batants apart. Several teeth were knocked
out and there was no eye that looked nor
NAL. Day threw a spttoon at one of the
Englshmen but missed him.
One OF the victims appealed to Capt.
Pritohard to arrest the gamblers. The
elptain wanted to know how it was known
mat they were gamblers. Naturally the
complaining passenger did not want to
say that he was also a gambler. Mr.. Mac
leay wrote message that he wanted to
send to Vernon h. Brown notifying
Police Headquarters. the Pinkerton Agency
and MIR, Brown to arrest the gamblers
when they should land at the Cunhrd pier.
The captain said that he would see that
they were arrested, but that he hoped some
one would appear against them. They
were arrested, but none OF the indignant
players worll go TO court.
One of the reasons given for the non
appearance Of the Englishmen was their
fear OF getting into trouble with the Amer
lean gambling fraternity. After the fracas
pwyer had appealed to Thornton to cit
down and take a drink and be friends.
Thornton declined and Dwyer had shaken
his fist in his face and said, If you ever
get on this boat you will never get to
Mexico. See?"
After this incident, at the request Of
Thornton, Capt. Prltchard posted the
master -at-arms and two stewards outside
the rooms Of Thornton, P,'kis and Macleay
to see that they were not thrown overheard
by the gamblers.
Twenty passengers who were much an
noyed by the troubles in the smoke room
signed "a petition on Sunday asking Capt.
trtchard to please give them peace. The
captain said he would do 80. He said he
could not put anybody in irons because
there were no irons on the ship.
A pretty woman accompanied the gam
b!ers She had no baggage and left the
pier as soon as she landed