Evening star., 1934-12-11
CRIME CONFERENCE
VISITORS CONDEMN
NUMBERS RACKET
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
runners and trail them to their source.
1t usually turns out to be big Or
ganization. They divide the terri
tory and if anybody crosses the line
one rubbed out short time ago for
doing little poaching on the other
crowds district.
THE game itself is form Of petty
larceny and if you let them alone
they'd soon be taking money from
children in the kindergartens."
Supt. Of Police John P. Smith of
Detroit:
There isn't anything in the gam
bling game that has any good to it.
All these things are rackets of the
most contemplate sort and I've been
fighting them through 80 years in the
Police Department.
Says Game Breeds Murder.
IF you let these fellows go on with
their numbers game there will be
murder in your city. There's no way
out.
Everybody speaks of this as a
petty racket, but I can't see it that
way. It's this kind of a game that
leads to the worst criminality. Muir
ders, thievery. kidnapings and every
thing else spring from gambling rows
and the cliques that run the business.
I'VE put $50 kids on the witness
stand in a single penny y-and-nickel
gambling racket in Detroit few years
ago and we gained convictions. And
before the case was finished the judge
expressed amazement that such con-
ditions Of Turing youngsters into steal
ing and begging pennies for gambling
purposes could exist"
'Bleeds Decent People"
Chief Of Police Philip T. Smith of
New Haven, Conn:
There isn't single one Of us not
against the numbers game. 1t is an
insidiouS racket that bleedS decent
people for the benefit of underworld
rings that have become very extensive.
We have been hitting at the sources
and uncovering elaborate and expen-
Sive operating machinery, such as add
ing machines, printing equipment and
other evidences of considerable cap
ital investment on the part Of the
racketeering groups.
I'VE are fortunate in New Haven
in having aroused public sentiment
to a point where foolproof laws give
us an effective weapon against this
kind Of gambling. In addition. the
courts up there are back Of US 100 per
cent. You will do a great service to
this community if you succeed in
arousing the public, so that effective
laws are given your enforcement and
prosecuting agencies"
Sees Serious Crime Peril.
Chief of Police Edward j. Tighe,
Revere, Mass. president of the Massa-
chuettS Police Association:
THE numbers game has become a
big paying racket-that is, to those
who operate it-and with that con-
dition has come violence and crime
OF a more serious nature. We have
bounded them throughout Massa-
chuetts, and we're knocking them off
every day. It's the kind of game that
mushrooms up quickly, in spite of all
enforcement, but it mustn't be allowed
to continue without interruption"
Police Chief Charles A. Wheeler of
Bridgeport, former president of the
International Association of Chiefs:
For years we have been arresting
and convicting gamblers operating the
numbers racket. At the present time.
Connecticut is fortunate in having ex-
ceptionally good anti-gambling laws
and State and city enforcement agen-
cies that are effective in fighting the
game.
II am deathly opposed to gambling.
it's just another form of robbery with
the odds always stacked against the
honest player. This is particularly
true in the numbers racket. I hope
you hit them hard down here"
Inspector Moore of New York State
Police:
THE numbers racket-is that pop
ping up down here? Why nobody but
suckers play that, I've seen it sporad-
ically throughout New York State, but
I've always thought those who played
1t were mentally subnormal. I've found
people who charged their groceries so
they could pay cash to the numbers
runner.
But they're all suckers; intelligent
people don't play that game"