The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-12-27


after an absence of some years. One
popular game has been running Tor
some time in Turkish bath estaohsn'
ment, not more than mile from the
Mckay hotel.
The dean of Duluth's gamblers has
been practicing his profession there
more or less of late. An effort was
made TO establish night classes IN gam.
mo in the old Brunswick hotel, but
the law rudely interrupted. The hot
hath house proved to be safer place.
A Rip-saw inspector recently saw
:sfishn trimmed-scales, tail, fins and
innards-in that sweat parlor. Fearing
that the victim might go outside and
soueal. the professor handed hm $50
and told him to keep on playing.
There is a great revival in poker,
craps, punch boards and other gambling
Games in this model city by the un'
salted sea. The city is filled with
slackers whom chief Murphy has not
vet compelled to take up some steady
and useful occupation. Then there are
the steady workers who seek excite
ment and diversion and who get trim
med entirely too often for their own
good and those dependent on them.
Poker and craps, as played here and
there throughout the town, are good 1or
a chapter of their own. This story
will deal particularly with the renals-
sance of the festive punchboard.
Punchboards are illegal gambling de-
vices. under both the state law and the
city ordinance. The punishment meted
out by the state to a keeper OF gam
bling games and devices is fine not
exceeding 5000 or imprisonment not to
exceed six months, or both. Under the
city ordinance, the penalty is fine
not to exceed 500 or Imprisonment
not to exceed 80 days, or both.
A gamester, caught and convicted,
may be assessed not less than So and
mot to exceed $40, under the state law.
When Prince was mayor, his hands
went up in holy horror at the idea OF
punchboards. They were unlawful and,
although there were a few in opera
vsion, he evidently did not know it.
Even McKercher, when chief, roared
against the iniquity Of punchboards.
He loudly refused to tolerate them but,
very softly, a favored few were per-
mitted to run, one condition being that
they patronize Minneapolis and Chi
eago punchboard manufacturers.
Gambling, in all it's forms, not only
is Illegal, but is not considered an es-
sential industry by the. authorities,
therefore there is no closed season
when it comes to hunting and catch
ing the parasites on society. But back
to the punchboards, gentle reader.
In the go-as-you-please days Of Nc
Kercher, the Mckay hotel curio store
had a big punch board with yellow
gold coins as prizes. One sad morn
ing, an unregenerate crook grabbed q
$40 gold piece from the panel where
it was displayed and ran away with it.
The proprietor of the punch board could
not complain to the police without ad-
mitting that he was breaking the law
by keeping banned gambling device,
therefore he had to swallow his loss.
The head-sawyer remembered that incl
dent, therefore he said to the inspec-
tor:
"Take look for punchboards in the
newsstand and curio store in the Nc
Kay hotel.''
The inspector visited the place, en-
gaging in conversation with the clerk
and making himself as agreeable as
possible.
s'I feel lucky. I'd like to punch and
win box of candy" finally remarked
the bogus sport.
fWe have no punchboards. They
are not allowed" replied the clerk.
Conditions have changed in the Nc.
Kay hotel place since the days of Nc
Kercher.
But punchboards are allowed in the
Holland hotel cigar stand, even if they
are barred from the shop in the hotel
Mckay.
Bracing up to the Holland hotel ci-
gar counter, the inspector beheld a
punchboard with at least 1000 holes.
To punch a tiny slip of paper out of
one of those holes cost the inspector
10 cents, the same as all other gamblers.
For prizes, the Holland hotel punch.
board had about ten little dolls hung
up They were garbed in little bathing
suits, therefore displayed a maximum
of naked don anatomy to the sports
who buy cigars and frivol away their
precious dimes on punching numbers