The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-10-10
GAMING OENSI
The Manner in Which London
Police Descend Upon
Them in Raid.
SKILL, CUNNING AND DARING

The police have recently carried OUT
some sensational raids on big gaming
clubs, and it may be interesting to
learn how these raids are effected.
| This is how it is done in London: As
soon as the detectives suspicious have
been confirmed they apply to the COM
| missioner of police for a warrant to
enter. The warrant authorizes certain
officers mentioned by name to enter
| the club in the name of the king. Or
binary policemen are not permitted to
carry out raid, but the detectives
can call upon them for assistance at
| the critical moment.
Absolute secrecy is enforced right
up to the moment of entry. There is
no excitement at the station on that
| day, and the men on duty have no sus-
picion of what Is in the wind. Plans
of the house are drawn and carefully
studied by the raiding officers. for the
| doorkeeper of the club Is prepared at
| the slightest alarm to send 4 warning
to his customers, and every vestige Of
gambling apparatus will mysteriously
disappear and the raid fail. A careful
~ planned ruse, therefore, has to be
evolved which will disarm suspicion.
During the day body of reserve"
policemen win receive a communica-
ton from the station that they will be
required to parade at certain hour,
and they meet with no idea Of what is
expected Of them. They are drawn up
| in line and after names have been
| called over they are dismissed from
the station one by one. with the in
| junction to be in the immediate neigh
borhood of q certain street in a couple
Of hours and not to get near the spot
before the prearranged moment.
The first officer to appear on the
scene Is the one in charge Of the raid.
He is always disguised and usually
looks like q well dressed man about
town. He passes the club carelessly,
but 1t Is sufficient for him to learn
from a confederate inside that gaming
has commenced. A policeman then
| saunters to the corner of the street
and stays there as though he were on
point" duty. Then, not till then. Is
the information of the precise club to
be raided secretly conveyed to the at
lacking force in their hiding places.
while the club, unconscious Of its i'm
pending fate. pursues It's gambling.
The first dimculty to surmount Is to
get past the burly doorkeeper. If this
is not successfully done the raid will
end in failure. Presently the sound Of
a drunken song is heard in the dis
lance, and two apparently rough look
ing men come staggering along. As
they near the entrance to the club they
begin disputing and soon come to
blows. The doorkeeper peeps through
| the wicket and orders the men away.
One of the men rushes at the wicket
and challenges the doorkeeper to "come
outside like man" and at the same
time shouts out something about the
character of the house. The combat
ants continue fighting, and the officer
at the corner comes along and orders
them away. The men return, however.
to 'have 1t out with the doorkeeper."
| The noise increases, attracting home
ward bound gentlemen in evening
dress, who gather round and urge the
men on.
The doorkeeper by this time becomes
alarmed. for the rowdy crowd will
| brighten away his clients. Perhaps
Just at this moment member of the
club arrives and seeks admission. The
door Is opened with the utmost caution
| to admit him. Before he has time to
| fasten it the two officers hastily secure
| the member and rush upstairs. The
| two combatants were disguised police
| men and the onlookers detectives.
| AS soon as an entrance into the club
| has been effected the constable at the
| corner sounds his whistle, and before
| the sound has died away the whole
neighborhood Is alive with police. If
the house boasts of trapdoor on the
roof, the hash of lanterns will be seen
up there, the men having been con-
cealed among the chimney pots since
| it was dark. The front door is secured,
and the police form a guard around
the house, so that escape is impossible.
| Meantime the scene upstairs is one
of the widest excitement. The gam
blers. intent on business. had not no.
ticed the scuffle In the passage, and
the first intimation they get of the
state of affairs is when the door is
thrown open and the officer in charge
calls on them to regard themselves as
his prisoners. Then they realize their
position. The tables are overturned,
and card counters and money roll all
over the door as the members endeavor
to escape. They make for the street
door, but. baked in this direction. hur-
/ ry to all parts of the house to hide.
| The crestfallen members of the club
are conveyed to the station, each In
the custody of two officers. Then the
house is searched for the gaming ap.
paratus. Every inch Of the place Is
examined. for gamblers have remark.
able contrivances whereby they can
hide their apparatus in the event OF
being raided. Tops of tables are knock
ed of. flooring taken up aud walls
| searched for secret cupboards. Yards
of chalked string are regarded as
/ prizes. and with these and more appar.
ent proofs the case is ready for the
magistrate. The evidence is laid be.
/ fore him. and the proprietor and mem
hers are charged and the sentence
| passed or a heavy fine imposed on the
prisoners. rs.-R,ts
Christians Getting Together.
To me one of the chief valuea al