Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1913-03-07
RATTLE BOARDS
 MUST GO TODAY Judge Grace Issues Orders That Owners Will Be Fin
 ed if They Operate.
ISS U ES w A K MIN G
Sheriff Edgar Brewster Notifie Cigar Men That PuncI. Boards
 Must Disappear.

Acting under directions from Cir cult Judge A. B. Grace. Sheriff Ed gar Brewster yesteday notified all owners of cigar stands, confectioner- ies, etc., at which punch boards and raffle cards are being operated, that all such articles games of chance, etc., must be removed from their counters by this morning, and all per sons caught operating such cards or devices will be arrested and lay themselves liable to fine of not less than $200.
 To each owner of the local stands at which these cards and boards are being operated, Sheriff Brewster made himself perfectly clear stating that the law would be rigidly enforce ed in this instance and that he him. self intended to see that it should be such. Sheriff Brewster is a man of his word and his orders yesterday mean that the lid will be on and will be slammed down tight from now on in Pine Bluff. Several of the owners seemed to be rather peeved" at the sheriff's orders, while others were apparently very willing to con- form with them, saying that they operated the rallies merely for the purpose of stimulating business and that if they did not conduct the boards and rallies, their customers would go to some other store at which this practice was in progress. All however stated that they would immediately follow the sheriff's in- structions and that boxcards and raf- fles would not be in operation this morning.
 The action taken by Sheriff Brew ster followed the report of the Grand Jury which was made yesterday. The report was made to Judge Grace and the clause in which the statement concerning the raffle boards is as follows:
 "We desire to call Your Honor's and other officials attention to the fact that raffle card boards are being openly used in the city of Pine Bluff and many men and boys are openly gambling or taking chances on same and we recommend that proper notice be given all persons operating the same to abate the nuisance, after WAlCn WC lOl uc0C CAdC CAC Ia W do1lH0J the same be enforced.''
 Judge Grace then issued an order to Sheriff Brewster and that official immediately began to inform the local cigar men and all those who operated rallies that this practice must be abated.
 For long time, rallies and punch boards have been in operation open ly nthis city and no effort has been made to check this practice, but it is thought that the operators began to grow "too strong" and they began to raffle off everything to match-case to shotgun.
 In speaking of the matter yester- day afternoon Sheriff Brewster said:
 T intend to rigidly enforce the law concerning the railing boards, as this practice is nothing less than gambling. I have notified all the owners of these articles that they must disappear by tomorrow morning and have received assurance that my orders will be carried out. don't anticipate any trouble along this line and I sincerely hope that I shall not be compelled to resort to any drastic methods to bring this thing to a close, but if these methods are necessary I shall certainly put them into effect. I do not think that any