New-York tribune., 1918-02-22
Kitty at artriidge Club
Ate Up $500 Every Hour
Rake OF From Four Card Sessions Monthly Melted S $780,
With Cost of Dinners the Only Expense
Swami Expects Arrests

lnquisjtive old "John Doc" continued
yesterday TO pry into the affairs of the
exclusive 'Partridsc Club" which for
several years has been playing chcmin-
defer and draw poker once week in
the knickcrbockcr, Holland House,
Ritz Carlton and Imperial hotels. Some
OF the more important bits Of evidence
if not the most sensational
brought out by Assistant District At
torncy Smith for the consideration Of
Judge Wadhams as committing mags-
tratc in the gambling inquiry were:
The estimated rakc-o Off from chcmin-
defer for one session of six hours
playing was $1,000. making $4,000 for
the average monthly income.
The estimated rakeotr from draw
poker for one nights play was s21o,
an average Of $3.50 for the month.
The total monthly income from
chcmin- defer and draw poker was
$l2,960, and that the only expenses
were the weekly dinners of So head
and the monthly dinners at $50 head
for about thirty or forty members.
BauchIc Held the kitty"
The evidence further showed that
George Y. Bauchle, a lawyer at 81
Chambers Street, as president of the
Partridgcs. took charge OF the kitty
and gave no accounting Of the surplus,
if any, to the members. 1t WAS also
,l,l
acted as counsel for players who
threatened suit against other players
for alleged rcpudiatcd gambling debts.
One of these actions, which Mr..
Smith spread into the record, was a
claim for $4,000 against DR.. Jesse
! rochlich. of Broadway and Fifty-siXth
Street, brought by Michael NJ. Butler,
q real estate operator and assignee OF
Arnold Rothstein, one of the Partridge
Club members. who was identified by
several members on the stand as a
professional gambler
Through Thomas J. Canty. partner
Of Mr.. Bauchlc, MIR. Smith showed that
the claim was check given by DR..
Eroehich to Rothstein on December ii,
1916, wher the club was meeting a.
Froehlich stopped payment on the
check, and in December, 1917, Roth
stein assigned title to Mr.. Butler.
Mr.. Smith questioned Canty sharply
about the case of George w. Lowdcn,
who played at the club in 1913, and
who. in December. 1915. was sent tc
Sing Sing by Judge Mott, in General
Sessions, for forgery committed while
seline spurious stocks.
'Ien't it u fact demanded the pros
ecutcr, that Lowdcn lost a great deal
OF money in the Partridge Club just
before he participated in that fake
Mr. Canty said be had no knowledge
whatever Of Lowden's losses. Mr..
Smith afterward declared that Lowden
lost 100000 at cards and then at
tempted to sell $500 900 worth of spu-
rious stocks to recoup his losses.
Judge Wadhams frequently took a
hand in questioning witnesses yester-
day. He brought out the testimony
that Bauchle always took the kitty and
paid OFF the winners and that he made
40 accounting TO the members.
The court also displayed great in
tcrest in the long box which contains
the six decks Of cards and from which
the dealer in the game OF chemin- de-
for the players. Mr.. Smith was told
that the box was in the keeping of
James o. Stack. manager of the I'M
perial and ne sent detectives to the
hotel last night 70 carry it down to the
District Attorneys office.
Judge Wadhams also tried to get
from the witnesses. Cyril de Cordova' a
broker, OF 25 Broad Street, and Charles
A; krickl. d broker, of 43 Exchange
Place, who shuff1ed the cards and how
they did it. Both brokers said that the
cards. as fast as they We're played. we're
tossed into a silver bowl, and then.
when the box was empty, they were
thrown onto the table, and all hands
shufi'cd them openly in mass on the
table, from which they were gathered
up IN iAstalmcnts end PUT back IN the
boN.
De Cordova Lost Often
De Cosdoysl acknowledged that he had
lost from $1,000 to 81 900 on occasions.