The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-07-26
CITY COUNCIL MEETING.
WOMAN'S GANG SUSPENDED JTN-
TIL NEXT MONDAY AND WO-
MEN GIVEN CHANCE TO
LEAVE.
chewing Gum slot Machines Must go
Say City E'athcrs-EIcctric Pumps
to be in Operation by Last of Week
Work on Oakland Avenue Sewer
age System Nearly COmplcte-Oth-
cr Matters.

and requests, heard the report of
the City Manager and went over {
number of bills.
"A petition was received from resi-
dents of Council street requesting tha
the city extend it's water lines so that
they could use city water. Mr.. Worth
ington stated that as the city already
had the pipe on hand the extension
could be made to four residents at 3
cost of $25, and this work was order
ed done.
Mr.. Rowland stated that he deem.
ed 1t best to install the two pumps
which the city had purchased and
that third pump of the same size
could be secured as soon as the two
did not furnish a sufficient quantity
OF water. This he thought would be
most advisable in the matter. II was
decided to adopt this suggestion.
A delegation of the best colored
citizens Of the town appeared before
councll 10 request that council re-
move the street gang of colored wo-
men from the street as the sight of
the colored women working thus as
convicts was brutalizing and tended
to lessen the respect for womanhoOd
j. w. Moultrie and w. II. Andrews
were the spOkesmen for the delega-
ton, who presented q resolution pass
ed at mass meeting of the best color
ed citizens of the town. Council heard
their appeal and later discussed the
matter fully. 1t was decided not 70
abolish the street gang, but to sus-
pend punishment of those on the gang
and other women of the same type un-
TIL Monday, at which time If they were
found in the city white and colored
women of this class would be arrest
ed and put on the street gang.
"A number of persons were present
IN behalf of the operators of chew
ing gum slot machines. They stated
that the machines were not merely
gambling devices, but that for every
nickle dropped in the slot the player
knew that he would get a nickle's
worth of chewing gum. All of those
present admitted that it was the
chance of getting checks, amounting
to more than the" nickle, which made
the chewing gum machines so popu-
lar, as many ofthose who played the
machines did not care for the gum.
1t was decided by council that these
chewing gum machines were merely
devices for the purpose of ga milling,
and the police ere instructed to en-
force the ordinSSce against gambling
The City Mar#er reported that the
women in the Street gang had not
been worked hard and had been kept
in the shade as much as possible dur
ing the heat of the day. a few of
them had feigned sickness, but no
| other trouble had been had with
| them.
The chief Of police was instructed
| to be very careful in making arrests
of women charged with vagrancy, and
| he stated that such mistakes had
| been made, but that he had already
warned his men to be very careful
| and would do SO again. He had
warned the women now on the gang
a number of times prior to their ar
rest that they would have to be pun
ished in this way if they did not get
to work or leave town. He was in
structed to arrest any Of them who
were found in town after Monday
white or cOlOred.
| Mr.. Worthingtoh called attention
to the need Of repairs on the city hall
the fire escape needed to be scrapet
and repainted and a new floor wa.
needed in the Bultman store. He
stated that complaint had been made
of weeds on the Wilson lot wher,
Grahams stables were burned anC
of the dumping of dirt on the Rear
don lot on Hampton avenue. Thes,
matters were discussed but it wa!
decided to take no action unless the
places became nuisances.
He reported the sewer on Law
Range completed at a cost of $40 il
excess of his estimate, the extra COS
being due to the fact that the Har
vim street sewer line was deeper thar
shown on the profile BY which he haC
to go. He stated that work was be
ing done on the Oakland avenue sew
er line and that it would probably b,
completed by the first Of next week.
He called attention to the fact tha
no steps had been taken by pYopert.
owners To repair the cutters from
their buildings to the streets, as ha,
been directed by council and asked i
the city should do this work and hav