The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-05-20
Merry Jingling Of the Slot Machines Takes
the Place of Joyful Gurgle When
Officials Are About.
APPEALS ARE SENT TO GOVERNOR
Prohibition Commissioners Fail to Find Real Liquors
on Sale but Others Find Plenty Of
Violations of the Law.


state Of Wisconsin visited forty sa-
looms in Kenosha county on Wednes-
day. and they did not find an ounce
Of liquor. They made the statement
themselves. Men who accompanied
them, however, declared that the sa-
loon life was not entirely monoto-
nous as one might expect and that the
only noise was not the clinking of
glasses filled with orange cider and
smear" something. Prohibition com
missioners Bloodgood and Parkinson
were interested only in finding liquor
with an alcoholic content of more than
two and a half per cent. The other
men were astonnded to find that in
some of the places the monotony of
the day was broken by the merry
Jingle of the slot machine, by the dice
games and that some places had been
more elaborate in equipment to lure
dollars from pockets and satisfy the
usual demand of the American citizen
and the rest Of the people who make
up the population, for taking chances.
1t was admitted that in some places
The slot machines were standing three
deep. These places were not said to
be within the corporate confines of
Kenosha county. 1t was said that the
merry jingle was so insistent in some
of the places that it was apparent
that big play was being given to the
slot machines. The visit of the Off
Gals was not timed to get the best
report on other forms Of law violation
going on.
KenOsha a Real Desert.
Commissioner W. H. Bloodgood at
the end of his hard days work admit
ted that he did not want to say that
there wasn't q drop of liquor in Ke-
nosha, but he was ready to admit that
he had not found it. He admitted
finding suspicious conditions which in
dictated that there might have been
liquor about places. He found mum
Der of the results Of drinking "hard
likker' but he did not find the liquor,
and the same thing was said of his
partner, B. c. Parkinson Of Madison.
The men left Kenosha with the I'M
derstanding that it was just possible
that their visit to the city had been
d Little too widely advertised and with
the idea that they might drop back
later. eve have been in lot of places
but we did not find anything to prove
that liquor was being, Sold" was the
final answer of the state officials on
the Kenosha investigation.
Country People Directing.
It is said that country people living
in the neighborhood of saloons and
road houses in several parts of the
county are protesting against the re-
turn Of the gambling devices to the
various places and plans are being
made to have the governor send some
gambling commissioners" to the
county to take a look and see if there
is not some way to put an end to this
form of amusement. 1t is said that
petitions have been circulated in the
town Of Salem, Somers and Pleasant
Prairie, asking that some curb be
placed on the manipulation of the
gambling implements in the county.
1t is expected that some cognizance
Of condition will be taken by officials
Of the county as a result of the re-
ports now being made.
County officials seen today said that
they had received no reports in regard
to the rapid development of the gamb-
ling device evil in the county and
they expressed that report had been
received and these machines were in
full operation throughout he county.
1t was said by people supposed to
know that the gambling operations
were not limited entirely to the slot
machines but that in some of the places
the business was branching out to
offer as an added attraction roulette
wheels and other "big" game.
City Men Feel Sighted.
Some of the city men who remember
the haieyon days when the slot ma
chimes tinkled in every saloon in the
city feel that there is something Of
a Partially being shown. They have
not raised a kick, as it is not regarded
as courteous to kick just because some
one else is getting away with it, but
Just the same they have indicated
that they were being Disseminated
against. The police officers declare
that there are no slot machines in
operation in Kenosha. 1t is admitted
that few punch boards are working
rather regularly but the people who
are maintaining these, have shown a
readiness to declare that they are UNI
der the law and contest any effort to
throw them out
Says Appeals Made to Governor.
The prohibition commissioners adj
mitted while in Kenosha that appeals
had been sent to both the governor
Of the state and to the prohibition
enforcement department demanding
better enforcement of laws in Keno
sha county. The officials said that
sheir work in responding to these APP
peals had been handicapped by lack Of
evidence to be produced
It is admitted that in the spread Of
the gambling evil throughout the
county, no effort is made to conceal
The existence of these devices.