The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-08-08
FRANCE EXPELS
SHREWD YANKEES

PARIS, Special. - Finding them
guilty OF having dishonest intentions
against a great national industry. the
Ministry of the Interior has issued a
decree eXpelling from France two men
who say they are Walter Thornton
Lewis. OF Shelbyville. ILL.,. and Fred
erick NJ. Sibley, of Peoria, III. The
ties declare, on a scheme that might
have spelled ruin for the banks" of
half the watering place casinos in
France.
Harboring dishonest intentions is
not a criminal ofTense under the
French code. but Lewis and Sibley
went about their work with such dew
ilish ingenuity that something had to
be done. Expulsion was hit upon, and
the decree in this particular instance
is not only TO be enforced promptly,
but measures are to be taken TO in
sure the maintenance of its enforce
ment A fiutter of rejoicing is sweep
ing from Nice and Dinard through
Biarritz. St. Malo, Havre, Trouville and
Deauville in consequence.
Wheels Needed Fixing.
Lewis. who called London his pres
ent residence when he was arraigned.
and Sibley are accused of having in
duced employees Of a firm that makes
most of the roulette apparatus for the
resorts outside Monte Carlo to give
them possession of the wheels for a
time before their delivery. This. the
Ministry declares, was for the pur-
pose of fixing" the wheels.
In proof of this accusation the po-
lice testified that they found in Sib-
ley'S apartments a wheel so "modi-
fled" that the ball always fell on GER
tain numbers in a certain order. With
this discovery the police lost no time
in carrying their case on to the min
istry. The ministry lost no more time
in taking action on the testimony
offered.
The Americans proposed, according
to the official reproduction Of their
plans. to fix" enough wheels to en-
able them to make a round of all the
principal casinos without attracting a
dangerous degree of attention of any
one of them. Knowing beforehand
how a wheel at Dinard, for example,
would behave, they meant to play it
heavily until the bank was broken.
Then, If a second session did not seem
advisable at that casino, they meant
to go on to Trouville. for example,
and continue that program as long as
circumstances should permit.
How successful the plan could have
been has not been figured out by the
authorities. They have not speculated
upon the possibilities that aswheel sent
to Biarritz might excite suspicion and
be examined before the Americans
could get to 1t and claim the reward
of their foresight. They have not
even considered the possibility that
the Americans meant to tamper with
one or two wheels only and reap what
harvest they could from them.
A Summer Campaign.
The declaration Of the police TO-DAY
was that Lewis and Sibley intended
to tamper with wheels intended for
number of watering
places. There seemed to be little
doubt in their minds that the men
were about to start out on a campaign
that would extend through at least
the major part OF the summer.
For this reason much was made of
the apprehension of the Americans.
and the summary action OF the minis
try. Bland satisfaction is betrayed
over the skill with which the scheme
was made a case Of diamond cut dia-
mond raised to the second power, so
to speak.
No allegation was made by the po-
lice regarding the past records of
Lewis and Sibley. Neither man made
any appeal to the American authori-
ties and ii does not appear that either
OF them was known among the Amer
leans here. The French authorities
are laying stress upon the fact that
they will not become known among
either the French or the Americans at
the watering places.