The Washington herald., 1913-08-24
Police MAY raid
TWO OP'RINTERIES
Bureau of Engraving and the
G. P. O. May Be Next in
War on Handbooks.
EXPECTED AT ANY TIME
Officials Say They Do Not Think,
After Investigations, that
Betting Exists.

With the handbook men straining every
nerve to anticipate the mkt move of the
police in the war on race-track gambling
now being waged in Washington. it be-
came known last night that the Govern
ment Printing ONCE and the Bureau OF
Engraving and Printing are on the police
schedule for raids at any time.
1t is the belief of the police that the
entire government service has been an
open field for the graf" and that the
two printeries have contributed largely to
the profits of the men with the notebook
and the subtle smile. Handbooks are be-
ing run under the very noses OF superiors
in the two places, the police feel certain,
and the raid on the navy yard is believed
TO be but a fOrerunner of city-wide
crusade AGAINST this form OF gambling.
No further arrests had been made up to
a late hour last night, and the police
are marking time before striking again
at the system.
W. J. Dow, chief clerk to fhe Public
Printer, said last night that in view
Of a recent investigation of bookmak-
ing in rhe Government Printing Office
il is not probable that betting exists
in that department.
During the last administration Sam
uel J. Donnelly, then Public Printer,
and l made a thorough investigation
of rumors of inside betting. The prac-
tice was suppressed and the guilty en-
pIoyes punished. 1t is hardly probable
that betting has started so soon after
the last disclosure.
We would welcome information that
would uncover such conditions. If they
exisi. and if an investigation shows
that the Government Printing Office is
in sTa of mi
such as that at the Navy Yard, the
practice will be put down promptly.
Ralph Is On Watch.
Joseph +. Ralph. director of the Bu-
reau of Engraving and Printing, said:
There is Al rigid system Of espionage
MAINTAINED in this bureau for the specific
purpose of preventing gambling prac-
tices Even to watching the telephones.
the system Of espionage is maintained
Iigidly. The last case of gambling We
detected here the man was dismissed at
once. / believe that the girls once i;
a. while bet a box OF candy on base
Tall game or the relative scores, but that
hardly can be taken seriously
The extent of the operations Of one
of the men now awaiting trial on the
charge OF running a book is shown,'the
detectives assigned 10 the case say, by
the fact that during the past seven Or
eight years this man, who is ma
Cninist. has bought and paid for num-
Der Of houses and an automobile. His
salary. the police say. cannot possibly
be more than s. a day, and is probably
rs little as $50 a day.
Mai. sylvester Pleased.
The police naturally will not disclose |
their plans of a possible future rad at |
the Navy Yard. They admit that |
number + arrests will follow as a result |
Of the evidence secured after the arrest
Of the SIN employees who were taken a |
few DAYS ago
The evidence in these cases has been !
carefully scrutinized by Mai. Sylvester, |
and the way in which the difficult case
was handled by the two detectives, |
Howes and Wise, was highly commended |
by their superior.
1t developed last night that the wives |
and families of Navy Yard workers were |
primarily responsible for the raid. Com |
mandant H. p. Jones' in charge of the !
Navy Yard, had received a number of |
letters from the wives and mothers of
employees telling OF the earnings OF |
months squandered in some way, and |
this first led the commanding officer 10 |
suspect gambling in the yard
The police declare, however, that they |
have suspected that handbOoks have |
been IN operation IN the Navy Yard.
either run by employees or persons from
the outside who had access to the yard
for six or seven years The matter of |
securing proper evidence to make any
sort Of showing in court, though, has de-
TERED them from making arrests.
Handicap 10 Police.
one of the main handicaps under which
.he police are forced to work in securing
evidence before making raids on alleged
'bookies'' in the departments is the fact
that the police of the precinct in which
the department Is located are IamIlar
10 a great many of the clerks and other
employees. and it is impossible to catch
any one with the goods" on this ac-
count.
This was the principal reason for de-
failing Detective Mason l. Howes. of the
First precinct, to work with Detective
{. G Wise of the Fifth precinct in con-
nection with the recent raid e. the Navy
Yard Wise is known 10 a number of
men in the yard and could not have sue
ceeded alone in collecting the mass of!
evidence against the men. 1t is thought
an investigation of one or two depart
ments in which the police suspect hand
bookmakinE is being conducted by men