Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-21
BY WARD GREENE


The gentle art of rolling dice, as
promoted in Atlanta by Floyd Wood
ward and his merry men in the fat
and prosperous years Of 1919 and
1920, will occupy. the attention of
bunco audiences this week.
Swindling has dropped from sight
for the nonce. High finance has
disappeared. Those gigantic tales of
thousands that went winging away
on Mexican petroleum and race
horses no longer will be heard. The
talk Monday night was Of two-bits
And. evidently, there is going to be
a lot of talk. Eugene Black, prose-
cutting attorney, called out the names
of a dozen or SO witnesses who
who will be there Tuesday, And
Solicitor Boykin remarked to the
press table that they had enough
to keep the committee busy till
Christmas. if the committee hears
The majority of these witnesses
are or were, followers Of the little
cubes. And they are going to tell
how they followed them night after
night in the Sans Souci and on Cen
trail avenue and South Broad street
followed them until even two-bit
pastimes got too expensive.
1t appears, from the testimony Of
the trio of Sans souci-ites Monday
night, that this place lived. up to
is name-"without care" "a point
which Mr.. Black brought out quite
4" There was, said the witnesses, a
table tab 'n With nla0 felt cloth 10th on it and
cushioned rims around it against
which to roll the bones; One man
banked the game, another raked
thn dina - and fharn third
as they came up. Here, said the
witnesses, one might shoot every
day and Sunday, too, from. p. M,
lasted, And, if any undesirables
stance.-there were sandwiches and
Bevo by the boat-load. AS one wit
ness put it, when the buzzer buzz
went to supper"
It must have been gay life-in-
triguing, as the novelists say.
By way Of example, take the case
of Witness Barber.
Mr.. Barber is a business man. He
sells crockery and china lie has
a good job-so respectable he SIM
ply wouldn't tell Judge Hines where
he worked.
Mr.. Barber dropped around to the
Sans Souci or 40 IL occasionally. He
shot craps. He lost, all told, about
zoo "berries." The lure gripped him
He didn't want to shoot, he didn't
want to lose his money. But-there
it was, the table and the rafting
dince and the good fellows and the
sandwiches and Bevo. So he trotted
back.
Finally-so Mr.. Barber told the
committee-he decided the only way
to remove temptation was to get the
place raided. So he invented the
name. of "Starr MCGEE" There must
Bill Hart and Cripple Creek.
And as starr MCGEE" he tele-
phoned Chief Poole, he said, not once
but several times.
''Nobody knew that name but me
and the chief" he said.
And then came the night when
Floyd ard-Woodward the
''banked the game" who ratified sill;
yer dollars galore, who had killed Ed
Mills--turned around to Mr.. Barber
meaningly: Hello, McGee!"
Did Mr.. Barber finch? He did
| not. But, in his own words, 81 like
to had duck fitv And Woodward's
Hello, McGee," did more for Mr.
Barber than all the raids in Chris
I6nQOTn. lie went DdCh " SSHlI d
avenue just once, and that time he
paid a social visit"
Camp meeting chairs made their
appearance at the probe Monday
| night. It's one more way to get a
small harvest by renting them out
| seat. Some undertaken could read a
| a dime a whack.
The layout las they say in bunco
circles), has changed somewhat in
the center Of the arena. Mr.. Black
and Mr.. Boykin have secured them
little typewriter table and put it
| over opposite the witness chair be-
| tween the press table and the COM
mittee table.
John Y. Smith added to the eclat
Of the press table Monday night. He
| was welcomed with loud cheers, but,
after a few caustic remarks anent the
probe, retired behind a newspaper
and stayed there the rest Of the eve
| ming.
Herbert Clay wore no flower in
his buttonhole. It's absence was re-
! marked.
where's the American beauty to-