Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-06-09
PROBE TO EXTEND
TO POLICY SHOPS
Gambling and Vice Conditions,
With Police Acquiescence,
to Be Investigated.
LENAHANS SKULL FRACTURED
Owner Of Mutilated Records Is
Now at st. Elizabeth's
Hospital.

Thomas j. Lenahan, indicted by the
| grand jury of the Hastings Court on
the charge of having nearly 1000
quarts of liquor stored in his home.
and whose alleged record book OF GUS
toners was so mutiated while in the
| Richmond. is "A patient at st. Elizabeth S
| Court as TO become almost raluelcss
TO the special grand jury now conduct
ing a sweeping investigation into vice
conditions reported to be existing in
| Richmond, patient II st. Elizabeth $
! Hospital, suffering from fractured
! skull, IL became known yesterday. At
tendants declared he was resting COM
| fortahly last night.
Reports from the hospital stated that
Lenahan had been hurt when he fell
down staircase at the home OF a
| friend on the night of June ). The
| acciden, is said to have been reported
| TO the police promptly by the hos
pital. Inquiry at hcadquSrters. how
ever, failed to show thhat any report
! had been made. lie vas taken to the
hospital about midnight on "Wednesday.
! The muti!ation or Lcnahan's record
book viii not affect the investigation
IL developed yesterday, when the copy
of the book made by Attorney Edgar
T.. Dunford. OF the Prohibition Depart
ment was made available fo- the grand
Jury.
PUBLIC INTEREST Is
BECOMING MORE INTENSE
With concentrated interest, the Rich
mond public is intensely watching and
awaiting action of the special grand
1 jury Of the Hastings Court. Upon the
| further developments, the results OF
the investigation by the grand jury
composed of seven practical. success
fui and prominent business men Of
I this city-hinges the moral well-bcing
of the city. The grand jury has al
ready indicated it's intention of broad
ening its scope of action and refus-
/ ing to DC limited by a mere probe Of
truth of charges of an organized boot
! leg gang in this city. aided and abet-
ted directly or indirectly by members
OF the Police Department.
The members of the jury have clear
ed the decks for action, and it Is gen
orally believed by those who are in a
position TO know that before they CON
clude their investigation. Richmond
/ VIII be given clean slate. Although
the investigation was instituted TO fnd
d
OF an organized bootleg gang operat-
ing at will in the city and encourag ged
by constituted. autht rity. the probe has
spread into a general inquiry of moral
conditions in Richmond. and will in
ciude gambling houses. policy shope and
! vice conditions, as we'll as the iInpor-
| tation and sale of whisky
CUSTER LAW MAY HAVE
| FAR-REACHING EFFECT
Amy personal desire or community
! pride OF the members of the jury to
| probe conditions to the bottom has
! been acccntuated by two specific
charges by Judge ID. c. Richardson. OF
! the Hustlngs Court. Judge Richard
SON. in his first charge. instructed the
! grand jury TO 60 10 the bottom of
charges which have spread into general
bciief Tor the good OF the city and
the Police Department, which has he
come well-nigh demoralized by the ex-
tent or these rumors and charges In
a supplementary address he charged
the members of tho gravity OF their
| work and advised them that in cases
| where they found that offcnses had not
been of sufficient gravity 10 warran.
the return of indictments, the custer
law applies to every officer in the state.
great or small. whose removal Is no,
specifically provided for in tho Con-
stitution.
II has been reported that in n raid
on an alleged gambling-house at Is
North Seventeenth Street. known as
\. Lee Lords confectionery and soft
drink establishment. one well-known
| n ba
In the place. However. no record of
.h'S mas ever Deen made on the police
oio'ter' and it has been generally said
that he was allowed to get out without
| peinE arrested or mentioned in this
connection. Lord was arrested on Tho
charge of keeping and maintaining a
disorderly house for the purpose Of
gaming. The raid was made under tbe
direction Of Policeman I.umpkin, OF the
FIRST District, who has been detailed
on pIainclothes duty. w l.. williams,
j. Q. Mason and John Walsh were ar
| rested at the same time on the charge
| of gambling.
POLICY SHOPS AND GAMBLING
| UNDER INVESTIGATION
This matter has already been brought
to the attention of the grand jury and
that some action will be taken in re-
gard 10 1t goes without saying. 1t
has been learned on good authority
that IL the grand jury discovers that
bootlegging has been fostered and pro-
tected In this city. that at the bottom
the men who have obtained this pro-
lection will be found TO be the same
ones who arc said to have obtained
protection for the operation of policy
games and other gambling devices.
especially those of type designed to
defraud ignorant negroes of their
weekly wages.
All this information has been
brought to the attention OF the grand
jury. and an investigation of this as
we'll as an examination of conditions
around Jail, Alley, which has been the
scene OF numerous fights by soldiers
from Camp Lee. Is promised. In addi-
ton, the old segregated vice district
I Continual on Ninth Page.) 80