The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-26
Professional Gamblers and
Other Chronic Law Viola
tors Are Resting"
''WILL REMAIN so
WHILE | AM CHIEF
Migrants and Loiters in Pool Rooms
Are Being Run 0ut-Birming-
ham Is No Longer
"Wide Open
by RICHARD f. LussIER

Acting Police Chief Martin Eagon
made another tour of inspection of al
legged raw spots" throughout Blr-
mingham Saturday night and early yes
terday morning and there We're a few
arrests.
This fastest trip of Chief Eagan has
emphasized the fact that in Birming-
ham at the present time the lid" is
clamped down hard and fast. Accord
ing to the chief there is at present no
gambling with the exception of few
isolated games in hotels between tray
cling men, All professional gambling
houses, he states, have closed their
doors and their rooms and parapher-
MALTA is covered with dust and cob
webs.
The same condition of affairs, ac-
cording to Chief Eagan, now exists
with reference to the disorderly houses
of Birmingham. These places have been
raided so often during the past two
weeks and their occupants arrested on
various charges that the evil has been
broken up and the dive keepers are
leaving the city. CHIEF Eagan states
that NTH lawbreallers he has no policy
except to get them within the tolls of
the law by whatever means within his
power, and there will be no let up.
Another feature of the campaign of
Chief Eagan was the cleaning up of
the pool rooms during the past week
Every afternoon last week the plain
clothes men made trips to the pool
rooms in the downtown district and its
youthful occupants were closely ques-
toned Every young man who could
not show that he was employed was
arrested as a vagrant and though many
of these cases were dismissed at the
trial before Recorder Douglass, the eX-
perience with the strong arm methods
of Chief Eagan has caused these young
men TO seek work and shun pool
rooms. The notorious street corner
mashers" were broken up last week
by the order of Chief Eagan to arrest
all loiterers
The negro vagrants and loiterers also
felt the heavy hand of chief Eagan as
there were about 200 negroes arrested
in the pool rooms an dnegro dives of
Eighteenth street between First and
Fourth avenues during the past six
days
well. we have the upper hand now"
tersely commented Chief Eagan yester-
day afternoon, and as long as | am
head of the police department the
gambling houses, the disorderly
houses viii stay closed. win also
state that the vagrants and loiterers
will be kept down to a minimum.
1T took two weeks to clean mp Bir-
mineham ana now every known place
of i'll repute within the city limits is
closed and their owners or managers in
Jail or under bond on several charges
or have left town, as all have been
arrested several times within the past
two weeks. The gamblers owing to the
numerous visits of Officers Christian,
McGill, DAILY and Harvill, have shut up
shop to await better times. SO many
vagrants have been arrested lately that
Judge Abernethy is finding 1t difficult
to try all the cases l can truthfully
say that Birmingham is not a wide
open" city any more ana that within
another week will be the most law
abiding community I'm Alabama.
1T is true that my policy of law en-
forcement at all hazards is not very
popular but 1t Is the law and il the
mapority of the people do not like a
law they can change II. The laws as
they are written will be enforced to
police. Birmingham has been neither
a depraved nor a bad city in the past,
despite criticism, and Is not going to
be in the future. The majority of good
people in this city is too great"
Chief Eagan in his reform campaign
has had the following experienced as
sistants: Officers DAILY, Maser, Har-
will, Garner, Jake" McGil, James
Donelson and Thomas Christian. These
detectives led by Chief Eagan in per-
son have done yeoman service.
The programme for this week of the
"strong arm squad" followes Officers
Daily and Harville on disorderly houses
and vagrants; Officers Moser and Gar
ner, blind tigers, infractlons of the
Sunday selling law, and minors in
pool rooms; Officers Christian and Nc
Gill, gambling, blind tigers and dis
orderly houses.
Chief Eagan is on the Job"
Adm GnNCDEGA TTnN