The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-08-04
LEADING CITIZENS
SEE THE GAMBl ING
Apostle o. Mckay L. Griffin Heber Scowcroft and Rev Ell
derlin Show the Mayor Sights Ogden's Underworld
Meet With Strange Experence-Trp Through the Alley.

HdS Deen carefully ldyluS lIS pidHs
for the improvement of the morals of
Ogden City and her people. The
league has not been basty In its ac-
lions. 1t organized league of several
hundred members in Ogden City and
then had branch leagues organized in
the various parts of the county Now
II is claimed that the league has sufli-
Client votes TO elect or defeat any man
who is put up for public Office. The
league, several months ago. appointed
a special committee to investigate.
first, a committee on gambling. an
other on saloons. another on Electric
alley another on card playing In the
rear OF cigar and other stores The
league has taken hold OF this matter
in a methodical manner, and the
league is just ready for business.
Following this article will be found
a letter served on the mayor and
chief of police. When the committee
called on the mayor, he carefully read
the letter and said:
Now, gentlemen. ! take II that you
and the members of your league are
in earnest"
They answered, yes
THAT you are using all the power
OF your Betterment league 10 assist
the officers to enforce the law against
gambling
They said. Eyes "
"Yov are ready to make sacrifices
to accomplish the results you desire?"
They said, Yes
In that event, said the mayor, 1--WE
can suppress gambling. but only with
the understanding that the Better
ment league backs the officers and
helps to create public sentiment in
favor of the abolishmcnt Of gambling
and the securing OF Witnesses
The mayor told the committee that,
as he understood it, there were places
I'm which gambling was taking place.
and that he had instructed the officers
to get the evidence against any of
these gambling places as often as pos.
Sible without neglecting the protec-
tion OF the people and the city, but
that the trouble was n guard stood at
zach door and only those who were
Known TO be favorable to gambling
were admitted
The committee visited the mayor
and said that the gambling was wide
open and that anybody could go in:
that the special committee on gam
Bling, which was headed by Bishop
Frank Stratford, walked into every
gambling house in the city without
the least objection. and that the COM
mlttee had the evidence complete of
each and every gambling resort,
The mayor then said such evidence
was good, and that he would cause
all the gamblers 10 be arrested by
the police fore a nd that the matter
would be tried -. Its merits with an
effort TO convict the gamblers. But
he was OF the opinion that Immediate
ly after the prosecutions the guards
would be moved to the inner door
and everybody would have TO have a
password TO get in, and secret gam
bling would prevail. which, the mayor
said, is a hundred times worse than
open gambling under police surveil-
lance, and that only with the help OF
strong organized league. such as the
Betterment league. and the sentiment
of the public backing it. could these
secret gambling places he closed and
abolished
The committee met the mayor at
his office last evening at 10 o'clock
and invited him TO join them and see
that wide open gambling was in prog
reSs In Ogden. There was nothing
for the mayor to do but accompany
the committee. The committee CON
sisted of Apostle d. O Mckay, H. L.
Griffin of the GrifIlna Produce COM
paDy, Heber Scowcroft of the Scow-
croft & Sons company. and the Rev.
Noble Strong Elderkin of the Cougrc-
gational church. but just before the
last gambling house was visited. Frel
Chambers. coming up the street from
the depot, was practically forced to
so with the committee
The above committee and the
rf nH natt tn hg do.
open gambling The committee, be.
fore starting out. told the mayor thev
wanted square deal on this. and did
not want the mayor to go 10 any telc-
phone and tip off anything The Ias-
ter agreed 10 stay right with the com.
mittee and, il any tipping was done.
IL would be done by the committee
When the aggregation met at Be-
crafts corner the question was rs to
who could point out the gambling
houses. Rev ElderRn promptly vol
unteered 10 act as guide The com
mite first walked up the steps of
John L. Smith & Co.'S gambling
house. Ex-Constable Lambert sat at
lhe head of the stairs In a chair act
Ing as guard Just az the committee
started up the steps a big fat man
stopped up to talk with Lambert. and
NUuc tuuS SDSdSpu luB CUIfe COl0-
m!ttec slipped by him and into the
gambling house There must have
been three hundred people in this
gambling house and some twelve TO
fifteen gambling devices The inStru-
ments were all strangers TO the COM
mttee. excepting to the Reverend Ell
derkin. who was able to explain what
faro bank is, the crap game. stuS
poker twenty-one. etc. etc
The committee had no sooner
gained entrance than ex-Constable
Lambert stepped up and said to the
mayor. II guess | made a mistake let.
Nng you in The mayor said. Il don't
know about that" and the ex-
constable undertook TO invite tho
mayor down the steps, but the latter
desired To stop With the committee
md remained at this resort about
thirty minutes. B. A. Bowman. for
merly the manager, proprietor and
editor OF the State Journal who is
manager Of this big gambling house
Of j. F, Smith s. Company, offered TO
treat the entire aggregation to a lem.
onadc, but the committee preferred
"a get a lemonade at the Culley Drug
6 aore as bet had been made between
fer Scowcroft and the mayor as to
lumber of Foreigners and Ameri-
nlps, tlpatroniZing these gambling re-
49,. - The maVor claimed that oye,