The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-06-30
SLOT MACHINE
OWNERS OFFER
MANY SPECIALS
Desperate Efforts Made to See
cure Money Before Devices
Go to Scrap Heap
Boosters" Tempt Victims of
Habit Who Fight Against the
Temptation to Gamble

ing q letter to each precinct commsn-
DER calling his notice to the law and
directing its strict enforcement
IF any persons intend to evade or
violate the law they are foolish, be-
cause we will catch them sooner or
later. and at that time the patrolman
on the beat will appear before the
commission TO answer charges unless
he is able to explain satisfactorily to
this office why the existence of the
place was not reported"
Gamblers Seek Suckers"
Driven to desperate efforts to secure
All the money they can before they
throw their devices on the scrap heap
al - o'clock tonight, the owners OF
crooked" nickel in the slot machines
are resorting to every artifice known
to their particular gambling coterie to
fleece the unsuspecting sucker" of his
lRst dollar There is no limit TO the
extra specials" which are Haunted on
Eayly painted signs TO attract the at
tention Of the band OF hope" and many
OF the members of the unfortunate bril-
gade are contributing freely in a last
struggle TO reach the Never Never
Land"
The old system Of five checks for %
cents is obsolete. and in its place Of
fers are being made OF six. seven and
eight checks for a quarter of dollar.
IL was freely predicted along Market.
Fillmore and Kearny streets last night
that before the machines were put out
of commission offers OF nine and ten
checks would be made.
Money Instead of Trade
On the city's principal tlloroughfares
yesterday the machines were in de-
mand. and with the exception of the
legitimate dealers in cigars and Ii
quors no pretense was made Of paving
the few specials" that were won in
anything but money. Boosters" who
would not be allowed in a semirespect-
able gambling house were plentiful
and in many cases served their en-
ployers well by drawing on the vic
Tins of the habit who were fgbfinr
against temptation because OF a con-
bly, win.
In Fillmore street, where the slot
machine fever is particularly virulent
the ''sure thing" gamblers resorted TO
devices that would make faro bank
oealef or a croupier weep, and they
reaped big harvest. Plugged" and
loaded" machines and cards filed az
the top SO that they would slip easily
under the bar were used freely, to saw
nothing of those machines on which IF
was impossible TO secure the advertised
specials because the cards were not on
the reels.
Many Used Without License
II is estimated that at least 5ooo
machines will be rendered useless ar
y o'clock tonight. It is impossible. to
secure any accurate estimate becsuse
many of the devices have been oper-
ated without a license and without
paying a cent Of revenue to the civ
These machines cost on an average
OF $40 each, and contributed to the
fund from which the Mills novelty
company made a profit of $4,000 in
one year on its San Francisco sales
alone, according to the statements
made some time ago by Herbert Mills
manager Of the local branch of the
firm.
The board of supervisors passed the
Comte ordinance abolishing slot ma
chimes in San Francisco April IL. and
II becomes effective tonight. The final
passage Of the ordinance came only
after a desperate struggle on the part
Of the owners of legitimate and
crooked" machines to kill the ordi-
nance, or at least to modify it rad
icaIly.
Il ~