The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-07-23
.LOOKOUTS WERE
OFF THEIR JOB
The Question is. Did they Happen or
or Were they Ordered
Of?

gamblers Wednesday night, Marshal
Thomas did something that hasn't
been done in a number of years-he
successfully raided a gambling joint
that has been so well fortified that
every one had begun to think it was
immune. It is on the third floor of
building which we won't name. be-
cause everybody knows which it is.
Officers and citizens have been moral
lY certain of rooms in it being used
for gambling for years. They would
have broken it up long ago if some
body connected with the house hadn't
always been aware of the gambling
and kept a lookout. Officers seeing
lights burning in certain windows
have started up, only to meet the
suspects coming down, looking as IN
nocent as any cat that ever ate a
canary. The law has safeguarded the
gambler Evidence that would hang
a man accused of murder glances of
of him. If five gamblers are playing
poker in room with a reasonably
stout door. and something over the
transom, and the officers begin to bat
ter on the door, all the gamblers have
to do is to stick their money in their
pockets, one push back from the
table, light his cigar and as
sumo an attitude of benevolent
neutrality while one of the other four
begins dealing hand for setback or
whist. It's always best to have pad
marked with the initials of the play
ers, too.
However, it isn't safe to try this In
hotel without the help of bellhops
and the approval of the proprietor.
One of the boys arrested Wednesday
night said he and others had been
paying $40 night for the use of this
room, or other rooms, and they have
a right to contain feeling of injured
surprise.
Wednesday night, the marshal. who
like many other folks, knows q game
is generally going on, and is con-
stantly studying how to sit IN on ir,
viewed the house from a good stand
point, and seeing this room was en-
tirely too much occupied, with eight
o. ten men in it, decided to try to
make a sneak on them. Sauntering
carelessly around he was surprised to
find the usual vigilant guardians of
duty, whereupon he pussyfooted up
stairs and reaching the room set his
sturdy shoulder against the fimsy
door and was inside before the sur
prised cats had time TO swallow their
canaries.
They meekly gave him cash bond
for appearance ia court the next
morning. Of course. none of them
appeared, and are all liable to arrest
and trial. but we hardly suppose that
will be done. So far as the home boys
are concerned, they have had enough.
The marshal overlooked one thing
he didn't arrest the man IN charge Of
the house, which he had right to do
and can do yet. This man, If put on
the witness stand, would probably tell
where his orders came from, and the
information might confirm good
many suspicious.
The reason why a frame-up is sus-
pected is because one of the men ar
rested, and who left toWn, was
pasty-faced little tinhorn. on whom
! the police have been trying to hang
something for some time. Said tin
horn however is very slick. and knows
ale the ms and outs of the under
world. The police had about conclud-
ed they would run him out Of town on
general principles when this raid Oc-
Cured. The tinhorn was bad egg,
but didn't claim to be anything else.
But he was cutting into the business
of the big gang, which gets the money
from the men who sell good water
melon crops and travelling men who
have more dollars of their firms mon
ey than sense of their own. The TIM
horn and his gang separated two
farmers from about $500 couple of
weeks ago, and the bunch possibly be-
came envious and thought It was
worth while to run the tinhorn our,
and it isn't impossible that when the
marshal was seen looking around
that the guards might have been call
ed of. This is only suppositions
but logical one.
At any rate, when the boys feel
like they must have a little recreation
they had better find some other place.
Some of them have told us they win.
As for the men higher up, they may
get along for awhile, but the law viii
nail them yet, and when it does, not
only 0cala but the whole state viii
know where they operate and who
i they are