The sun., 1919-02-13
HAD TO DON EVENING
CLOTHES TO GAMBLE
Guests Forced to Change Or
binary Garb on Entering
West Side Resort.
OF LUXURY
But Dice Were Trained to
Answer Their Masters
Voice.

The West Side Court yesterday pro-
vided the lesson that the police OF THIS
city are determined that even men VINO
tried to be gentlemen--at least In the
outward trappings of evening dress
shall not be allowed to gamble and throw
away their money al dice that almost
seemed trained. so we'll did they answer
the will Of the thrower.
And vet the pretentious looking brown
stone house at 1877 West Seventy-seventh
street. where the police broke up
friendly little game among crowd OF
men In evening attire and well modu-
lated voices--no loud talking to disturb
the neighbors or anythlng-had tried 20
hard to fulfill its social aspirations. Why.
what with Its luxuriouslyfurnished rooms
containing pictures which the police
themselves, those fnicky critics OF art
admitted were elegant" and with It's
elaborate buffet. where man could de-
velop a defiant attitude toward July i
and all the other horrors of reconstruc-
ton with champagne. II furnished re-
treat where person of the most re-
fined tastes could go when his own home
atmosphere got bit too thick.
Evening Clothes Their Dispute.
Nevertheless this sumptuous setting
In real life OF movie directors hasheesh
dream was entered by detectives. when
they knew that only the sort OF crap
shooters that really matter were sup
posed to go there. Worst OF ALL Dotec-
tive Michael Kelley of Chief Inspector
Days ONCE and Detectives Harry
SAUCER and Frank Wheelwright OF In
spector McDonalds squad acquired in
formation about the place when they
themselves were disguised in gentlemen's
garb.
Wearing the attire OF afluence in
which shaking the shimmy is being done
around Broadway they had stood for
several days In fashionable resorts
within the shimmy danger zone. yawning
in a plutocratic way and lamenting that
the days were gone when a man could
start a little excitement by showing the
bank rolls they did. Some one must
have overheard their bitter regrets at
their inability to drop some of their roll.
for presently they were approached by
man who whispered that he knew a
place where their money wouldn't be
held against them.
He confided an address and a pass
word "Jack"-a handy word. indicating
as 1t did either applejack. Jackpot or
tackass. Lured by the possibilities OF
that countersign. the detectives on Tues
| ing and their enamelware shirts to the
home OF culture In Seventy-seventh street
When they rang the bell. talking softly
about what dull season it was, the
| door was opened a few inches. but was
| held by a chain-an innovation in ETH
quette to which the detectives were not
accustomed in the circles in which they
| moved
| Tn hnr h0at
| To the face in the opening the detec-
tives muttered the password and even
displayed their linen headlights as fur
Their credentials. But the face called
another face into conference and then
both countenances, looking askance a,
| the strange trio, regretted that Jack
Wouldn't receive callers that evening
| as he was out.
| The owners of the faces tried to sh.,
the door but Detective Sauger's foot was
| in the opening, and as II was encased
in a regulation policeman's shoe. the
door stayed open. Then the season he.
came anything but dull. One OF the faces
| blew a whistle and the detectives saw
a flying column OF swallowtails dash
toward the back door in anything bu,
a dainty fashion.
| The detectives themselves dropped al
! pretence to gentility and became Just
plain detectives They snapped the door
! chain and nabbed the two watch dogs
who gave the uninspiring names o.
Frank Jones and Grant Fisher though
their full dress had led the detectives
to expect something more fancy. While
| Jones took off his purple and fine liner
In order to put on his jail costume the
detectives mad, themselves acquainted
with luxury.
The apartments were QUILTED. the de.
tectives said later with bated breath
! with rugs and divans and. In one in.
stance. a roulette wheel Of most ar.
! tlstic design, but in the room OF Jones
they agreed. Grand Rapids Mich. wa.
represented at its highest furniture pin.
nacle. There they also found painting,
the value o. which they estimated al
from $1,000 to sl0.o00-and the detec,
| lives ought 10 know.
In this room also the detectives said
they came across two books which in,
dicated that the house had not beer
wholly given over TO luxurious ease. but
| had been conducted on a business hasi.
/ with the principles OF scientific manage
| ment as applied to gambling One gill
edged volume was a sort of social di
rectory for devotecs OF the goddess o.
chance.
Listed Victims Ability to Pay.
1t held the names OF doctors. judges
lawyers, business men and other per.
sons OF prominence OF both sexes who
live In parts of the country distant from
! West Seventy seventh street, but some
| Zines break their exile with a trim &c
view the bright lights And beside each
name was careful computation of thai
PERSONS financial standing. expressed II
dollars and cents.
Another quarto in this choice librar,
OF rare editions was in reality a vulga,
account book, devoted to proft and los
In correct but ungenteel style OF book
keeping that unfortunately SCENE,
necessary In these days of close compe
tition. In these parallel pages, which
were dated hack 10 last June, the prof,t,
won by the house had run as high a,
$4,000 for one session, but there wer,
said TO be traces of tears on the debi
side OF the ledger showing that on on,
night the paraphernalia had acted $,
devilish that the house lost as much a.
5000 Accountants were said to hav,
been set to work at once on the bool,
to see II they we're straight and to fiRur,
out the gross profits
Another odd collection the detective
discovered I'm the room comprised fort,
full dress suits, though they were $,
new there seemed no possibility that tn
management had set up as old clothe
dealers The puzzle they presented wa
solved when the detectives came acros
a sign in another room--one Of severa
sleeping chambers-which requeste
guests OF the establishment to appear II
full dress only. with the addition OF rub
her heels that lent an appropriate gum
shoe air of mystery TO the nj ,re ~,