Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-13
FIVE ARE ARRESTED
AS OFFICIALS PUSH
DRIVE ON GAMBLING
Letterman Leads Vice Squad
in Three EarIy-Morning
Raids.
PROSECUTOR SUBMITS
CASES TO GRAND JURY
Assistant U. S. Attorney Will Try
to Convict Defendants Under
Lottery Law.

Continuing the newly intensified
gaming war, directed particularly
against numbers. Sergt. o. j. Letter.
man and the vice squad this morning
participated in three raids and made
five arrests.
Starting operations at 8;l5 o'clock,
Sergt. Letterman led his squad to a
place of business in the 600 block of
Four-and-one-half street southwest,
where they arrested Burton Washington
and Joseph Tanner both colored, the
former giving an address in the 300
. block of Delaware avenue and the lat
ter the 800 block of I street.
Fifteen minutes later the squad
appeared at a house in the 1900 block
of Florida avenue, where Sandy Oliver
Sneed, colored. 81 years old, giving a
Hickman street southeast address, was
arrested. Thirty minutes later, mem
bers of the squad raided house in
the 1900 block of U street.
Two persons were arrested there. one
gave his name as Cecil Allen and his
address as the 1900 block of EvartS
street northeast. The other. Juanita
Smith, colored, 20 years old, gave an
address in the 1900 block of v street.
Charges of violations of section 865
of the code, setting up a gaming table,
were preferred against the five de-
PENDANTS and bond was fixed at 81 600:
Papers seized by the police were held
as evidence The cases will be called
in Police Court tomorrow.
Judge Gus A. Schuldt and Assistant
United States Attorney Ernest Davis,
the latter in charge of the war against
numbers" games at Police Court,
charging violators with different sec
tion of the District of Columbia code,
sent three cases to the grand jury yes
terday.
Heretofore the only persons who have
been tried in Police Court for offenSeS
of this nature have been the owners or
operators of the various premises IN
which this kind of gambling has been
going on. These persons have been
tried under section 866 of the District
of Columbia code, which deals with
permitting gaming. The maximum pen
atty under this section is year in JAN
or $500 fine or both.
Lottery Statute Is Tried.
The three cases sent to the grand jury
Yesterday were of persons charged with
violations of section 863 of the code,
which deals with lotteries, persons in
dulging in this type of gambling. agents
and any persons found with slips or
receipts in their pockets. This section
demands grand jury action and has
maximum penalty of three years I'M
prisonment or $500 fine or both.
Lorenzo Tanner. colored, pleaded not
guilty and was held for the grand jury
under $1,000 bond. He was arrested
August % by police Of the first precinct,
who sent sn agent to him to place bets
on numbers while the man was
standing on the street at Pennsylvania
avenue and Seventh street.
Sarah Drazus. owner of a restaurant
in the 1900 block of E street, and col
ored employe of the place, were held
under $500 and $1,000 bonds. respec-
lively. for the grand jury. They were
arrested Wednesday by police of the first
precinct.
The office of the assistant United
States attorney at Police Court considers
these cases sent to the grand jury ex-
perimentS, and If they are convicted the
Office believes it will furnish a means
of bringing to justice all concerned.
rAppER WIFI AN