The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-31
! LID IS ClAMPED
ON IN RICHMOND
ALL GAMING RESORTS CLOSED
TIGHT, CHIEF WERNER DE-
CLAREs.
HOW 1T WAS D 0 n E
SPECIAL DETECTIVE SUPPLIED
EVIDENCE. STORY GOES. MICH
TO SURPRISE OF PoLICE
COMMISSIONER.
HOW 1T WAS DO N {

Chie4 of Police Werner laughed
heartily Tuesday when he was told
that a party of Norfolk gamblers had
come to Richmond TO End money
without working for il. In the opln-
ion Of he chief. easy money Is not
over plentiful in this city at present,
. especially Tor gamblers.
About all these gaming places are
closed up" said Major Werner. There
may he lHt'e gaming ON the quiet
but there is not gambling club now
running in this city. II isSasy enough
to know these places. When YOU pass
a so-called club and find the windows
darhened all day AS we'll as at night.
YOU know that something wrong must
be going on.
clean cat all these clubs and there
has not been "a suspected place but
what has been fully Investigated.
Ever since chief Werner made his
famous raid on the gaming places In
Richmond there have been very few
resorts for mana bout-town to IN
dulgr his inclination for faro, draw
OF siud poker. But the story OF how
the chief brought about this state of
affairs has not hetn circulated wide
ly and has remained a matter Of con-
lecture.
Fulton License Episode.
Ii seems that one day the chief
was moved TO wrath He. of course.
will not admit II, but nevertheless II
~ a fact that one time he came across
e. petition for license Of "A club to
he conducted in Fulton. on it were
the names If fifteen p0ncemcn and
they were uot all patrolmen at thai
The chief So tho story goes. called
A.,a .Ns.- NgH s4.i
gave them 4 heart -to-heart talk. In
I'VE minutes every man had requested
to have his name taken off the list
chief Werner had made II very
piain to them that IL was not neigh
borly To inflict on good people a cIul
of which they might have reason e
complain about or to which the
might object Vet this was Otter
done. he said. Vet this was Otter
fition asking for club license for .
man of whom they knew nothing. anf
who did not propose TO establish th'
club In their neighborhood. The,
signed TO be chlging.
And If this was wrong on the par
nf the average citizen on the part O
"a policeman IL WAS "a most serious
offense.
II WAS small wonder that the off
cor members of the department VINE
figured in the Fulton club petition
speedily asked to have their names
taken off tho application, for it mean
that they would Lose their jobs hat
they allowed their names 10 stay on
Mayor Provides Funds.
ThGH Chief Werner, 10 tbs stor
continues. went 10 Mayor Mccarthy
lie asked for $500. for a special pnr
pose He did not tell what for, no
was the mayor too inauistiVc but IN
chief got the money.
Soon after there was a new face il
Richmond resorts where gaming wa
popular. The stranger was u goo'
fellow He mixed well with the so
called sports but when he began +
pass from one place to- another sus
pieions were aroused. A rumor wen
around that he was a detective from
Reagoke, Somebody from that cit
had been in Richmond and had see
his man in one of the gaming clubs
lie was even pointed out to polio
commissioner. who hot-footed to Chic
Werner with the news.
Say, chief there's O detective j
town going around to all the club
where they have a little game. IN
tuid and ne doesn't belong to us,
said the commissioner.
lis that SO ~ innocently inquire
the chief. We must look into this.
CHIEF Looks Into Matter.
Never for moment did he revea
thai the detective was Il special ma
he had engaged for just slGh, work
Nor did he spread the news that thu
detective had obtained evidence fifty
lNe places and that evidence wits nos
i'm his possession. But now that hi
man was suspected he went uulckl
10 work
The tifty-two gaming clubs wer
closed and the. incident of the detec
tive with 1t. The cost to the city o
cleaning up these fifty-two places wa
but $500 and, In the language Of III
police commissioner who had becom
excited over the advent of the de
tective. lit. was cheap at that"
This placing of the lid of gam biln
In Richmond and clamping IL dow
would probably have been forgotten
had IL not been for the raid Sunda'
on d so-called literary club In BroHi
street In underworld circles 1t wa
2 notice that gambling is not regarde,
With favor in Richmond and the lid 4
stiIl on and clamped down.