New Britain herald., 1925-01-03
COURT PINS GRAPE
 ON CANDY VENDORS
(Fontinued From First Page)
decision follows:

decision follows;
 "The accused is charged. that on
 inc 9Srd day of December, 1924 he
 did then and there keep a certain
 slot machine, so-ealled. which was
 used for the purpose of gaming,
 "rhe accused is prosecuted under Section GI76 ot the General Statutes Of Connecticut, Revision of 1918. which provides that, Every person who shall keep billiard table
 which Is used for the purpose of gaming or q slot machine, so called, which Is used for the purpose of
 lottery or gaming, shall be fined not
 more than two hundred dol
 lars YXX X"
 Gaming Is defined to be the use
 of cards, dice, billiards or other in- struments according to certain rules, with d view 10 win money or other thing waged upon the issue of the contest
 "The officers found in a store con- ducted sy the accused u certain slot machine known as the Waco Auto
 matte Salesman. This machine, when nickel Is placed in 1t and the operator pulls lever which causes a spinning of wheels, produces a package of hints and possibly slugs in number from to 20, which slugs are each worth five cents in mGr- chandise, redeemable in the store where the machine is located. There is on the front of the machine a ass-covered opening in which there appears sometimes the word no and at other times an even funeral. which numeral ..dy vary from 10 20. This means that after the pulling of the lever there will be produced from the machine either no slugs, or slugs in number from to 20, as may be indicated in the glass window. Before the nickel is inserted into the machine the opera tor knows, provided the machine is working properly. that he will re- ceive package of hints plus the number of slugs indicated in the glass covered opening. This opera ton Is of course a legal one. as there is no chance taken and the operator knows before the nickel is inserted exactly what he is to obtain for his nickel, and if the operation of the machine ceased at this time the operation would be a perfectly legal one. But according 10 the testimony introduced, the machine is used by one operator for a con- tinuing number of operations. At the completion of the first operation the machine appears to be in the same condition as 1t did before tho nickel was introduced in 1t, with this exception, that if, for instance, the word no appeared in the glass covered opening on the first opera ton. it may again appear on the next operation or the numerals ?, 1, G, s, 10, F, 14, 16, 1S or 20 may appear. Thus the operator will con- tnually anticipate that the play aft- CT the one that he Is about to make will give him large number of slugs, and it is possible that on one play he will be given not only the package of hints but 20 slugs, re- deemable for a dollars worth of merchandise.
 Ut was also in testimony that the machine could be and was actu- ally played with nickels or with the slugs which had previously been ob- tained from the machine. By in- serting thees slugs into the machine the machine will not vend hints but only slugs, and there can be no doubt whatever that by operating the machine in this manner 1t be- comes a slot machine, used for the purpose of gaming.
 The machine is very ingenious ly contrived piecs of mechanism, on the face of 1t legal, but according to the testimony. as 10 the manner in which it was operated, 1t Is designed