Evening star., 1935-03-08
DAILY SESSIONS
TO SPEED Up D. c.
CRIME HEARINGS
Scores of Gamblers and
Others Yet to Be Called
to Witness Stand.
REPORT is DESIRED
BEFORE Adjournment
Head Of Woman's Bureau and
Capt. Bobo First on Captains
List to Be Questioned.

The special Crime Committee of the
House arranged today to speed up its
investigation of the Districts crime
situation in order to finish before the
adjournment of Congress.
Instead Of two and three hearings
. week the committee adopted a
schedule calling for daily sessions
lasting from 1920 am. until late in
the afternoon, beginning Monday.
Scores Of witnesses-gamblers. pro-
fessional bondsmen, lawyers. court
attaches and penal authorities-are
yet to be called to the witness stand
and only through prolonged daily
hearings. the committee decided. will
it be able to complete the inquiry in
time to make report at the current
session Of Congress in obedience to
the resolution authorizing the inves-
tigation.
The immediate plan of the COM
mittee Is to summon every police cap
tain, and follow with attaches of the
various courts, and then the noto-
rious figures in the gambling fra
ternity.
The parade of captains started yes
terday with Rhoda j. Milliken, head
of the Woman's Bureau. and James
E. Bobo. commander of the second
precinct. Capt. Edward J. Kelly of
the third precinct probably will be
called upon resumption of the hear
ings Monday.
Bobo Told Of Gambling.
Capt. Bobo received quite a shock
while he was on the witness stand
when the committee informed him
that two big gambling establish
ments are operating in his precinct
and that the operator Of one had
made enough money to erect big
apartment house.
Bobo insisted he had no knowledge
OF the establishments and promised to
make an immediate investigation and
report the results to the committee.
Chairman Randolph disclosed the
committees information after asking
Bobo several times If he knew there
are gambling houses operating in his
precinct at the present time.
Denies knowledge.
mo. not right now" replied Bobo.
well" said Randolph, "the COM
mittee has information that at Eighth
and T streets there is a gambling
establishment where 100 runners meet
the proprietor every day and there is
q pay-off. The operator Is said to
have accumulated sufficient funds to
erect an apartment house at Sixteenth
and r streets and has openly boasted
he had never been arrested"
That's news to me-" remarked
Bobo.
Randolph then asked him If he
knew of a gambling house located
at Seventh and o streets.
mo, I don't know that" replied
Bobo.
1T is reported to u.s." continued
Randolph, that Sam Boards head
quarters, formerly in the sixth pre-
cinct, are now in your precinct"
Il know Sam Beard" said Bobo,
"and if he is operating in my precinct
] would soon find it out"
Representative Reed, Republican, Of
Illinois had Just previously read into
the record figures showing there were
284 arrests and 1877 convictions for
gambling in the 1882 fiscal year, 403
arrests and 2l1 convictions in 1888
and 130 arrests and A convictions in
1884, when Representative Schultz,
Democrat, Of Indiana suddenly de-
clared:
Whoa, let's get this"
Bobo hesitatingly admitted under a
lack Of cooperation between the
Police Department and the United
States Attorneys Office.
Several times members of the COM
mittee tried vainly to get Bobo to
make this admission. and as he at
tempted to evade a definite answer,
Schultz sad:
BE frank, be frank, we will protect
you."
We'll" Bobo finally said, II wouldn't
want to say now, but the lack of speed
in the prosecution of cases has lasted
for several years."
Capt. Milliken Heard.
Capt. Milliken told the commit
tee there had been a marked in
crease in the number of arrests of
women and said this was due chiefly
to soliciting Of prostitution and alco-
holism. She cited figures showing
there were $50 arrests in 1888 and
1,065 in 1884.
Capt. Millken also revealed there
had been an increase in the number
of women kept at the House Of De-
tention and admitted these conditions
had caused overcrowding and insani-
tary conditions to certain extent.
Schultz asked her If the police
women had any trouble with the
scurbstone sheiks" and Automobile
fiirts" and she admitted there had
been some complaints and that some
Of the women who had been picked
up had come to harm.
Sch,,lta declared he tf0ll1ht the