Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-27
CONTINUED From First Page.)


made by the police or the District at
torney's ONCE to obtain an indictment
against him. have been informed
that practically the only evidence pre-
sented to the grand jury was that OF
the four employees of this ofnce whose
afndavits Of gambling in --s place
had transmitted to you. According to
your own statement, that was sufficient
evidence to justify conviction. I have
also been told that the principal effort
Of those who conducted the grand jury
proceedings was to ascertain what in
terest I had taken in the - case
and whether had threatened the four
employees that they would lose their jobs
IL they did not testify. In fact. I seem
| to have been the one subjected to the
grand jury inquiry instead of the de-
| PENDANT. 1t is not surprising, therefore,
that the grand jury proceedings re-
suited in another whitewash for the
Police Department which seems more
interested in proving that 1t cannot en-
force the law than in protecting the
public against such lawbreakers.
The police records show that -
has been arrested on numerous occa-
sions for gambling and liquor charges.
| In every instance, however, he has
! been let OF with either the forfeiture
OF small sums or suspended jail
sentence. In one case in which he re-
| ceiyed 60-day sentence he was placed
on a years probation. Within that
time he was arrested again OH other
| charges of gambling and Bookkeeping,
for which he paid the usual small fine
or was permitted to forfeit an made
quate collateral. Notwithstanding these
| violations of law during his probation
| period, 1t does not seem that any .ef-
| fort was made to execute the suspended
! jail sentence against him. Further
more, the recent case against him was
nolle pressed, although the police could
have obtained ample evidence of his
continued gambling activities at -
street northwest, where he has been
operating III violation of law for sew
eral years.
II believe I am justified therefore In
asserting that - has enjoyed special
| favor for q number of years, and that
| as yet you have failed in your duty
10 enforce the law against him.
FOrfeitures Held TrifInE.
minor forfeitures and fines are
| trif1ing items in the expense account
| Of q gambling establishment such as
| - and others have been operating
in this city for many years. It may
interest you to know in this connec-
ton that a Mr.. - OF the - Co..
claiming to represent -, owner of
the building at - street northwest,
in which - operated his gambling
establishment, recently told me that
he had seen - hand money to a
| policeman on one occasion when he
| O went there to collect rent. I
informed Inspector Bean of Mr.. -
statement prior to the grand jury in
vestigation.
1T may also be somewhat signifi-
cant that one day last week a man
rushed into the Government Printing
Once claiming that he had been beaten
by another man on the walk nearby
and called the sixth precintS for police
protection. A patrol wagon responded
and called the sixth precinct for police
| In charge. A subsequent phone call to
precinct headquarters received the reply
that they knew nothing of the matter
or the young mans name. I have been
told that the young man claimed that
he had been attacked by several men
who had accused him of informing
against neighborhood gamblers. This
occurred while your picketS were re-
ported to be on duty in the vicinity of
the Government Printing ONCE, but
they seem to have been of more Serv-
ice to the lawbreakerS than to q law
abiding citizen.
Pending a much needed change in
the administration of the District gov
eminent, I had intended not to waste
any more time in writing to you, but,
In view Of your effort to publish an alibi
IN the newspapers, feel it my duty to
submit this further complaint and to
deny publicly your untruthful state
ment that had requested you to place
police picketS in the vicinity of the Gov
eminent Printing ONCE or anywhere
else. am convinced that you are
either inSincere or incompetent and
that proper enforcement of law cannot
be secured under present District
officials charged with that duty"
Letter Is Cited.
The exchange Of correspondence be-
tween Carter and Pratt began February
l, with letter from the public printer.
This communication follows in part:
In view of sworn statements in my
possession, copies of which are trans
mitted herewith, 1t Is amazing to me
that the police could not have obtained
SUFFICIENT evidence long ago to secure
conviction of those involved or at least
put an end to gambling in the vicinity
OF the Government Printing ONCE. It
is well known that gambling and boot
Logging operations have been carried on
in this locality for a number of years
with little or no interference from the
police.
THE room at the rear of - H
street which was recently raided was
evidently constructed and maintained
for gambling purposes. The massive
doors, heavily ironed and bolted, peep
holes In the walls, the cage telephone
and cash booth, the gambling table,
the concealed hallway exit, and the
entire layout shows that the room was
equipped solely for gambling purposes,
which even a novice policeman ought
to have reported for investigation many
months ago. Yet, I am now told, the
place has been in operation for a long
time without any objection by the
police.
1.-THE raid of January 4, was con-
Quoted in a bunglesome manner and
without any apparent desire to secure
evidence sufficient to convict the parties
concerned. One of the policemen was
heard to remark that they expected to
find more Government Printing ONCE
employees than were there at the time
However, the place was raided within
few minutes after the ONCE closed for
the day, which did not allow time fol-
many employees to enter it, even If they
had so intended, nor did it allow time
for the games to get under way or race
bets to be placed before the raid &C.
CURED. Therefore, the raid could not
have been staged at a better time fol-
the propr1eGorS 70 have the charge
against them mol pressed for insufficient
evidence.
Operator Escaped.
Elm fact, have been told that by
the time the police broke through the
doors much Of the evidence had beer
concealed, the race sheets torn dowr
from the walls and burned, the table
and chairs upset and the gambling
| Daraphernalia had vanished At th(
same time, the man who operated the
betting cage disappeared and was no
apprehended by the police, who were
/ Ia ha. Iiaa oil Tia 81