Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-15
BlLLBURG'S BAR
SCENE OF A RAID
Police Visit Saloon and Arrest
Proprietor and Six In
mates of Place.
GAMBLERS PLEAD GUILTY
Are Fined SO and Costs Each
Owner Is Let Out on Bond of
$500 for Future Hearing.

Swooping down on Anthony w. Bill
burg's saloon, gambling joint and
chop suey restaurant shortly after
midnight Saturday, police officers led
by Commissioner Archie Hart and
Chief Of Police James Brinn arrested
the proprietor OF the joint and six
fellows who were playing cards and
shooting craps at gambling tables,
conhscated all gaming devices and or
dered the place closed. Having Sc
cured information that Billburg was
running a gambling joint in utter de-
fiance of all edicts of the city ordi-
nances, the raid was planned and car
ried out with success. The men in
the gaming rooms when they heard
the police authorities knocking for
admittance, tried to escape, but were
too slow and had 10 submit to arrest.
ENTER PLEAS OF GUILTY.
Demanding an immediate hearing,
the men who were arrested we're ar
raigned before Justice c. ]. Schroeder.
All entered pleas of guilty to charges
Of gambling which were preferred. .
Judgment was rendered this morning
and tines OF SO and costs were as
sessed in each instance. The men
gave the names of w. Wagner, Henry
Brown, Frank Rife, G. J. Often, F. l..
Burton and Harry Robbins. Billburg,
charged with owning and operating
gambling devices, craved a continu
sDce and it was granted till Jan. %
at o'clock in the morning. He was
released on bond OF $500 furnished
by himself
GAMING WAS BRISK.
The scene which met the gaze Of
the police az they entered the gam
bling rooms over the saloon at 22l
Twentieth street gave every evidence
that gaming had been brisk, but still
not as heavy as has been the case
on former occasions. Poker chips anC
cards were piled on several tables
while at another craps outfits were
in use. All OF these things, togetbe,
with a faro outfit, were confiscatet
and hauled to the police station yarC
I'm two trips OF the police patrol
There they were demolished. Th'
police who assisted COMMISSIONS
Hart and Chief Brinn in the raid wer,
Detective Herman Sehnert and or
GERS Mccarthy, Fitzsimmons, Ginnane
Gruby and Furlong.
FOLLOWS INJUNCTION.
The raid followed close upon tn
heels of the injunction proceeding
filed in the circuit court by the cit
attorney Saturday morning. The pc
tiuon alleges that Billburg, thong
not licensed to run the saloon, ha
been selling liquor in it and his CAT
In the adjoining building in open q,
fiance OF the municipal authorities.
LICENSE Is REVOKED.
The saloon run under the Iicens
granted TO II. G. Merritt last Noven
Der has been closed by order Of Mayo
II. NJ. Schriver and the police hav
taken the license down from the wal
The entire building, including the ba
and chop suey rooms, has bee
closed tight all day. and from stat
ments made by the mayor will not b
opened for saloon purposes. He say
that he gave the taker of the licens
instructions az the time, they hay
been violated. and he has taken actio
as he promised.
REFUSES TO ACT.
Judge w n. Gest In the circu
court this afternoon refused TO tai
CognizSnce OF the petition dled by Gil
Attorney James F. Witter against .
w. BillburE. asking that the court r
strain Biuburg from selling intoy
cants. The judge gave as his reaso
the fact that the city IS the prop,
governing body for saloons. not Il
circuit court. he said that when 6
other claims on the courts time Al
set aside he will examine the afliday
which accompanies the injunction.