The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1918-03-05
n. Y. WOMEN VICTIMS
OF SOCIETY GAMBLING
SUICIDES, DIVORCE AND BRoK-
EN- FAMILIES TRACED DIRECT
LY TO THIS AWFUL VICE.
SQUANDER In ONE DAY ENOUGH
TO MAINTAIN FAMILY A YEAR

Clubs Where Only Women Are Adj
mitted and Stakes Are Amazingly
High. Mayor Hylan to Have Gem
eral Cleaning Up
Women, feeced out of thousands
of dollars, make pitiable spectacle
for the edifcation of the greatest
city in the United States. 1t tells
story of an era of unprecedented
prosperity, in which money has flow
ed into our Golfers from war orders
and has enriched people who are I'M
used to money. 1t points to state
of moral depravity on whose brink
fashionable, smart society has been
skirting these many years.
AS the story comes to light it was
told by man high in Tamamny cir
cles, who was Mortified to find that
his own sister had been feeced out
of $1,4OO.
Though no saint himself. this man
made a demand which was not to be
disregarded, that Tammany range it.
self along with the Y. M. C. "A. and
other benefcent organizations to
stamp out the vice of gambling. This,
they say, is the origin of the newest
vice crusade in New York City, of
whose progress you may hear more.
1t was district leader of Tam
many who told the story. He is by no
means easily shocked, being fairly
rough and ready customer and ac-
customed to take all sorts of folk as
he finds them; but this story rocked
him. He had old-fashioned ideas
about women, and when he convinced
! himself that his sisters story was
manytrue he went to the head of the
Tammany organization.
Thereupon, the story continues,
Chas. F. Murphy, leader of Tammany
thought the matter over, had a talk
with Mayor Hylan and then passed
the word to Judge Swami and to
Commissioner Enright.
A Family's Portion Squandered in
a Single Day.
That gambling among women has
increased immensely, and that it is
nothing uncommon for well-to-do wo-
men or women favored by big al
lowances from their husbands to lose
enough in one afternoon of poker,
bridge or roulette to keep a family
for year is said by the district at
torney as one of the impelling mo-
tives of the crusade he is leading.
ut is bad enough for foolish men
to be robbed by these parasites upon
society,"" says Judge Swami, "but it
is worse for women to expose them
selves to such conditions. It hardens
their character, makes them callous,
deprives them of the refinement and
Gentleness which we want to find in
womankind. Moreover, gambling
among women is responsible for
many divorces, cruelty to children
and general unhappiness.
When women get to gambling it
appears that they are crazier about
it than men. They become inveterate
gamesters and will play day after
day and night after night rhe willy
professionals who maintain the ex-
elusive clubs in the big hotels and
apartment houses understand this
weakness of the sex and they play
upon it.
There are several clubs where on
ly women are admitted; where the
stakes played for are amazingly high,
and there the worst sides of gambling
are presented. These clubs l am GO
ing after. Mr.. Smith, my assistant,
and | have names of the proprietors
and the patrons. | fancy there will
be ,chagrin and humiliation when
some of these proud but silly ladies
are handed grand jury subpoena
and ordered to step up before Judge
Wadhams in open court.
"They will feel pretty sick when
the newspapers print their names out
of court reports as the names of
common gamblers. There are names
in the list that one would never ex-
pect to find there-names of wives
of some of the finest citizens"
Suicide Due to Gambling.
There is information in the district
attorneys Office that two suicides last
fall were directly due to losses. In
each case the woman who killed her
self lost heavily in one of the clubs
referred to by District Aattorney
Swami, gave her note for a large
amount, and then, after being hound
ed by lawyer for the gambler, kill
ed herself because she did not dare
confess her fault to her husband.
The cases were almost identical. 1t
is this sort of tragedy, Judge Swami
says, that he means to end bv stop-
ping the gambling evil.
Judge Swami has the addresses Of
a number of luxuriously appointed
gambling places maintained for wo-