Evening star., 1926-06-05
APPEAL IN GAMING
CASE TO 0BE SOUGHT
Arlington Committee Starts
Work to Get Hearing in
Carnival Decision.

Aroused over the telling blow struck
at their principal source OF financial
aid by the decision yesterday by Judge
Harry Thomas in Arlington County
Police Court that carnival games.
either of chance of skill. are unlawful.
representatives of various county fret
departments and civic bodies took
steps today looking toward an appeal
from the drastic ruling.
At an indignation meeting" held
last night in the headQu rters Of the
Ballston' Volunteer Fire Department
called Immediately after the court
rendered its opinion in the cases Of
four citizens arrested Thursday night
at the opening of the Lyon Village
carnival. a committee of our lawyers
was appointed to take any action
deemed necessary.
The committee. composed of Mai.
f. w. II. Ewing. representing the
Ballston Fire Department. Edgar w
Pumphrey for the Clarendon Fire De
partment: Hugh Reid. for the Cher
rydale Fire Department. and Amos G..
Crounse of the Lyon Village Citizens
Association. convened at once and de-
cided to send Maj. Ewing to Fairfax
Court House today to confer with
Judge Samuel Brent of the Circuit
Court regarding the plans for an
appeal.
Quick Hearing Sought.
Maj. Ewing will endeavor to obtain
Judge Rrents consent for an imme-
diate hearing of an appeal. where
upon ii is planned 20 request Judge
Thomas to convict one of the Lyon
Village prisoners" so that the neces-
sary preliminary steps may ne taken.
Judge Thomas. in announcing his
decision that the Lyon Village ten
pin. ring the pin. dart and hit the
keg games We're illegal under the re-
Gently amended State gaming law
inflicted no penalty on those arrested
during Sheriff Fields raid" viz. A.
B. Eaton. Clarendon fire chief: Cor
man NJ. Hendricks. assistant secre-
tary of the Lyon Village Citizens
Association; II. f.. Stelle. member
of the carnival committee. and f. g.
Cartwright, volunteer fireman, assist
ing the committee.
While the judge announced that his
decision was rendered solely on the
games concerned in the cases before
him, citizens in the county fear that
the effect of the ruling may he so
broad as to prohibit golf matches,
card parties. tournaments, horseshoe
pitching and many other similar
games vi SkIIi III WultH prizes are
awarded. Sheriff Fields declared dur
ing the hearing yesterday that. in his
opinion, prize golf matches and card
games are banned under the new law.
different i'm Arlington
Attorney Crounse told the court
that Fairfax and other counties in
Virginia have construed the new law
as affecting only wheels of fortune"
and other professional gambling de
vices. and Commonwealth Attorney
William C. Cloth replied that Fair
fax County doesn't care much what
it's citizens do. but in Arlington Coun-
ty it is different"
Both Sheriff Fields and Mr.. Cloth
| told the court that personally they did
not oppose such games of skill' az
were being operated in. Lyon Village.
But the law has to be enforced"
| they added.
The Lyon Village carnival did not
reopen last night because of the rain,
| but, weather permitting, 1t will con-
| tinue tonight and will he extended
| through Monday. Tuesday and We'd
nesday nights. 1t Is understood that
other games. believed not to conflict
! with the courts ruling, will be oper-
ated. in conjunction with the other
amusements approved by the sheriff,
including the prize Charleston con-
tests on a large dance pavilion.