Evening star., 1922-08-22
TRIALS OF BOOK|ES
MAY Be PRESSED
DURING SEPTEMBER
Attorney Hart Anxious to
Dispose of II Cases in
D. C. Police Court.
SOME IN PIGEONHOLES
FOR OVER TWO YEARS
Long Delays Laid to Rush of Other
Matters-Prosecutor Expects
Thirty-Five Convictions.

Next month is going to be open
season for handbook men in the
Police Court
If Assistant District Attorney ID.
o. Hart has anything to say about
it. and he's the specialist in this list
! The pick of seventy-one cases, some
Of which have been pigeonholed for
two years, are going to be brought
to trial.
Bookmaking cases have piled up
and piled up. according to Mr.. Hart.
because Of the inability to obtain
enough time to try them. A batter
of questions was shot at Mr.. Hart
today designed to bring out the rea-
son for the apparent delay in bring
ing the defendants charged with tax
ing bets on the races from players
to trial and, if found guilty, to pun
ishment.
Why aren't handbook cases
moving was the first question.
Reasons for Delays.
Because there is just one day
week allotted for those Demanding
jury trials" is the comeback.
How Gomez
We'll, on Mondays there's any
where from forty to sixty to eighty
week end cases to be cleaned up.
You know, the police are arresting
we'll over an average of $50 persons
a day. Then one of the Judges has
traffic court. And on Tuesdays and
Wednesdays the District of Columbia
cases have to be heard. Some We'd
nesdays are open and We take them
but not so extremely often.
Then on Thursday We have our
day in court for handbook and liquor
cases. There's scores of liquor cases.
too. Now and then We have Friday
and Saturday LEFT. Friday is re-
sevred for trials of cases OF assault
and a thousand and one other kinds
of cases. Saturday is the week end
clean up and a half day"
II Cases On Docket.
How many cases on the docket
Let's see. Forty, sixty, seventy
one"
Well. when are you going to try
them?"
LAS soon as we can get to them"
when will that be?''
"If l have my way. it's going to be
as soon as the jury gets back nfAi
month. They're on two-week vaca-
ton. The jurors get back about Sep
tember g.
How do the cases stack up?"
We've got dope enough to convict.
/ think, in easily thirty-hve cases. In
some of the others the evidence might
be a bit shy or not sufficiently cor
vincing for Washington jury to hold
man"
There's the way it stands.
Police Want Action.
The police say:
What the deuce is the use making
all these bookie arrests If we can't
get convictions. Just pile up the dock
ct some more"
In reference to this. remember when
Messer and Sweeney and Fowler,
operating from Commissioners Oys-
ters office, began giving the bookies
a hot time severeal months ago. They
nabbed over a hundred In sixty
eight cases settled out of this bunch.
sixty seven pleaded guilty and one
Walter Wade Davis, who was charg
ed with making a book. literally un-
der the Capitol dome and in the House
Office building. stood trial. being con-
victed and sentenced to pay q $500 dne
and served ninety days in Jail. He took
an appeal, which is pending.
Swan Gets Further Delay.
The first case to throw ray of
light into the Offices of the prosecut
ing attorney, however. was that of
Charles T. Swan. who is the first man
in recent years to receive peniten-
tiary sentence on charges of this ma
ture. He was sentenced under section
sos of the code, which takes care of
gambling and gaming tables and so
forth, to two years in penitentiary on
May 12 Only yesterday, however.
the time for the filing of bill of ex-
ception for appeal of the case was ex-
tended until September 81.
He hasn't gone to jail yet. and he
doesn't expect to go. The bill of ex-
ceptions will be presented and he cX-
pects to win his case on appeal. But
brightly against a dull background of
acouittals and refusals of Indictment.
stands out the case to the United
States attorney as one, at least. in
which a jury was found to convict in
hookmaking cases. 1t squashed the
Floating boast of the bookies that:
There's no jury in Washington
which will convict bookies."