Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-09-10
miscellaneous Reading.
CLUSINl Or SAmnliNG DEN
Governor of Louisiana Makes Raid on
Famous Place at New Orleans.

Europe has it's Monte Carlo on one
OF the most beautiful spots overlook
ing the blue Mediterranean. There the
rrince of Monaco rules. He CANDLES
not but he sells the privilege to M.
| Blanc.
america has it's Monte Carlo, or
] rather, it had until the other day. 1t
Was a shabby and tawdy imitation of
It's magnificent European namesake
Dut it had its prince in l.. H. Marrero,
sheriff u jackson parish, La, and
It's M. blanc is Dick Hyland, who
boosted control of more gambling
rooms than any other man and whose
boast probably was justified for his
establishment covered nearly two city
blocks and nothing from faro to craps
baccarat to bezique, keno, chuck-a-
luck, klondike, roulette and stud polk
er was lacking. There no law u the
will Of the gambler prevailed. Vice
of every kind was recognized, protect
, ed and nourished.
But there is gloom in Elysium. Not
a wheel whirs or q card is turned or
a dice is ratified. And Louisiana has a
| gambling sensation of high degree.
To get a comprehensive idea OF
this whole affair a bit Of ancient hist
| DRY must be related. New Orleans has
| prided itself on being LIE Petit Paris.
Its view was liberal, tolerant and
broad. 1t ~countenanced for some years
the lottery. 1t permitted open gamb-
ling. 1t was gay or It tried to be so. 1t
has a permanent population of $780,
900 and a large floating population in
the winter.
Unfortunately for themselves gamb-
lers presume on license. Unfortunate
ly, too, there are public officials who
| fatten on vice. The gamblers at one
time almost ruled New Orleans. They
went to extremes to show how open
was the town. They overran the city
and they swindled and robbed their
| patrons because there were so many
games that they could not be main
tanned if conducted honestly. They
had prize fighting and horse racing
| until there was a surfeit Of it. The
decent citizens sought relief by pro-
test and then by revolving against
outrageously bad administrations. In
one OF these revolts they elected JOS.
Shakespeare mayor. Uncle joe" as
he was known, was an iron merchant,
a plain, hard-headed citizen. When
he assumed office a delegation Of lead
ing gamblers called IN him. In the
party were Bud Renaud, Charley"
Bush, Big Willis and Jack" Curry.
Uncle joe" said the spokesman of
the delegation, I'VE know the gamb-
ling situation in New Orleans is dis
| graceful. We know we are social out
| casts and all that and that we deserve
little sympathy. What we a to lay
| before you is this: People will gam
| BILE. They have gambled in New Or
leans since the days Of BienVille.
| They'll gamble long after all Of us
here are dead and forgotten. Possibly
you don't know it but we have not
| been the real bosses of the gambling
houses we are reputed to own. We
have paid such a price to the political
| gang for permission to do business
and have had to employ so many
thieving politicians around our places
that we have had little for ourselves
| We would like to make a proposition
to you. If you will designate the num-
Der of gambling houses there should be
in New Orleans We will pledge to keep
to hat limit anG pay to you the
amount formerly paid to the grafters.
We will promise that there will not
be a crooked game in the city; that
there will be no Gaping n that,
so far as possible, the houses will be
conducted cleanly and decently. If
there is any violation Of our pledge we
ask you to punish US any way you de-
| sire"
and what about this money!"
Shakespeare asked.
Spend it on charity, Uncle joe"
was the reply. THAT is where such
money should CO."
I'll think the matter over" said
the mayor.
A few days later he notified the dele
CATION he would accept the PROPOSE
ton.
So long as Joseph Shakespeare was
mayor New Orleans had a limited num-
Der Of gambling houses and there lev
er was a crooked game. Shakespeare
was mayor four years or more. Today
New Orleans has a memorial to his
administration and his pact with the
gamblers. 1t is the Shakespeare Aims
House. 1t covers three blocks. Every
dollar for it came from the tribute
the gamblers paid.
After Shakespeare retired from Of
flee the ring got back, and graft,
crookedness and crime had full sway
once more. The decent people of New
Orleans stood it a long time and then
they expelled the gamblers.
When the order Of exile came, Dick
Hyland was one Of those affected. He
vas Of a fair New Orleans family, but
was under a cloud, having killed a
man and married a gamblers daugh-
ter. Hyland has considerable ability.
He looked the situation over and de-
cided it was not necessary to go very
far from the Crescent city. New Or
leans is in Orleans parish. Adjoining
it on the west is Jefferson parish. A
drainage canal is the dividing line be-
tween New Orleans proper and. JEFF
ferson parish. In the marsh lands
fronting on Lake Pontchartrain and
in Jefferson parish, but only six or
seven miles from the center of New
Orleans there were a lot of resorts Of
questionable character. Hyland went
to the political boss of Jefferson par
ish and made a deal with him for the
gambling rights there. Since then hat
bit of marsh land has blossomed with
gambling houses and social o~utcasts
at an nStODiShinp rate in