Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-11-09
PH|LA. GAMBLING
LID PUT ON TIGHT
cortelyou Declares Places s
Where Toomey Lost" Have
Been Closed for Some Time
GAMESTERS GOT 1923, 1000

.rnenting on the gambling revelations
made by Charles T. Toomcy. confessed
embezzler now in tho peuitcntiary.
Toomey, former assistant secretary
Of the Fidelity Trust Co.. who looted
an estate entrusted to his care, claims
he lost S32S, 900 to gamcstrrs. He has
begun serving a sentence ot ten to
thirty years in tho Eastern Pcni.
,tentiary.
Director Cortelyou asserted today NIL
the gambling places mentioned in
Toomey's confession had been "")osed
absolutely"
Understand. the public safety head
continued. 'Toomey usually was taken
to place where a set-up' had been
arranged. An analysis of the list Of
those present, as recalled by Toomey,
shows that while he was given the im.
preston he had been taken 70 regular
gambling house. only professional gam
blers were there.
"In other words, no one was present
except those who had planned to trim
Toomey. After the election last No
vember the word went out that the
city was to be wide open.
Many Houses Sprung Up
"The result was that between No
vember and January many gambling
houses sprung up and gambling obtain :
ed a good hold here. Rut when this nd =
ministration came into power the Mayor
declared fatty against any liberation OF
gambling or any form Of COmmercialized
vice. 1t was difficult TO reach every
place, but in time the lid was clamped
down on every place in the city
Toomey's confession. a vivid docu
ment, was told in a room in the dis.
trict attorneys suite of Offices at City
Hall. Those present included Assistant
District Attorneys Joseph II. Taulane,
James Gay Gordon. Jr.. Major Samuel
o. Wynne. chief county detective
Lieutenant Joseph Lestrange. Of the
city detective bureau, and Harold B.
Beitlcr, counsel for the trust company
The Jekyll and Hyde career of the
trusted official began four years ago.
During the day he vas known as n man
who. in twenty six years. had worked
hiuself up to position Of unquestioned
trust.
In the late afternoons and in the eve =
nings Toomey lived his other life. the
familiar acquaintance of professional
gamblers. drinking heavily. betting huge
sums on the turn of a card. tho roll ot
the dice or the vagariCs of the little
roulette ball.
Toomey said his first theft was com
mitted in 1916. He had gambled before
that time. but on n small scale. The
lure of 'sure thing" led him to alb.
stract $1,000 from the estate Of Joseph
r. Sinnott. deceased. His tip was a
''sure thing'-for the gamblers.
From that time onward he was WOO
ing chance with the cards stacked
against him. He gradually hogan plung
ing, until one day he bet S25, 900 in a
desperate effort to rccoup. lie lost
again.
Tcomey Gives Names
Toomey named to the district attor
ney's 7ffcc the men he claimed won
most of the stolen money. Among then
were Tom Markce. Joe Mcioldriok
Charles Schwartz. Moe Wcinbach. Ed
Cook, Al Cook, ''SOin' McCrosSin
Tom Clancy. Joe Hamilton and Harry
eeitz.
For two hours nearly every day
Toomey told his queStiOners, he was
accustomed to playing at place run
by McGodrick on the second floor OF
a house on Thirteenth street below
Walnut.
His playing hours there, he said
were from 4 p. m. until p. m. ilc
lost SIT 900 there one afternoon which
be had won on the races. Roulette was
the game he played at McGoldrick' S
place. Toomey said.
When he lost the $1,000. he said
he paid $4,000 at ouce. paid $1,000
later, leaving a balance of $1,000, and
paid an additional $500 as a compro
mise on the balance.
Toomey said he did not know what
led him to manipulate tho books of the
estate. He said he got wild or crazy
or something else" He added that hc
"dug his own grave" by taking more
and more money instead of digging
himself out" Of the difficulty.
,.1T,
remorse and went three times to the
Office Of the trust company president
to confess. He lost his nerve each time
he added.
Was Private Secretary
81 was William p. Gest's private
secretary for fifteen years" Toomry
continued, referring to the president o
the trust company. ~ was not only
his private secretary. but was his per
sonal secretary. l had key to hi
personal safe deposit box. ] was trust
ed more than any other man in th,
Office. In fact, Mr.. Gest was a fathe,
10 me and brought mo from a stenog
rapher there to the position | had"
: Toomey said he dropped" $4,000 a
the Saratoga race track. He alsr
sambled at place conducted b,
schwartz. 1882 Market street. He los
y1U, ,ODO there ShOOtng craps about Au
gust . of this year.
Toomey said a man named Harr,
Williams introduced him to Schwartz
Asked il he still owed any gambling
debts he replied he owed $23 900 t,
gamblers. Toomey said he never learnrc
that the races he was betting on wcr
fake races.
Toomey told his interrogators he hat
been drinking heavily shortly before tn
expose. The trust company presiden
had him ION the carpet for drinking
he declared. He then told how hr wen
10 an Atlantic City saloon and how b
lost $4,000 in u crap game in a bac
room.
Referring again to the place he sal
was run by Schwartz, TOomcy said h
made three visits there and los
$40 900. In the gambling houses visit
ed BY him in this city he said h" wa
the biggest bettor at any Of them.
Toomey said one gambler acted as
bodyguard for, him. This gambler, h
said, would meet him after bankin
hours. ride to Atlantic City with hir
and return with him from the shor
resort.
Markce, one of the men named b
Toomcy, bought a garage at - Mort
Virginia avenue, Atlantic City. Sport
ing men at the shore resort say III
garage was bought with money I'll
trust company official dropped" ther,
At this garage today. manaG'