Evening star., 1939-09-16
64FaceCharges
After Arrest in
Gambling Raids
Series of Seizures
Called City's Most
Successful

SucCeSSfuI
More than go persons faced today
possible penitentiary sentences on
felony charges filed in the wake of
40 raids yesterday on asserted num-
bers racket clearing houses by police
plainclothes squads, acting on evi-
dence gathered over a period of
months by undercover men.
The raids were described by vet
eran officers at headquarters as the
most extensive and widespread as
sault on gambling in single day
in the citys history.
Two women and man were ar
rested today in raid at the Union
Market. Fifth street and Florida ave-
nue. NE. 1t. Hartman said this
was one of the big series of planned
raids, but could not be carried out
yesterday because the evidence
against the trio had not been COM
pleted. He said the three had been
writing numbers extensively, espe-
cially for country people who
brought produce to the market.
Five cases of those arrested yes
terday were dropped today at the
Office of United States Commits
sioner Needham C. Turnage. Com
missioner Turnage set all the re-
manning cases for preliminary hear
ing October or a. All the defend
ants had made bond this afternoon.
Sixty-seven arrests had been re-
ported today, and in nearly every
instance the man in custody was
charged with operating lottery, a
felony under the District law, which
Congress tightened last year. In
virtually every case the police said
they found numbers slips on the
defendants.
Among the accused were Mike
Cafarreti, former policeman and
eX-pugilist, and his son Tony. They
were booked on felony charges and
released on bond.
Called Most Successful.
Police Supt Ernest w. Brown and
1t. Earl P. Hartman, who directed
the raids. pronounced them the most
successful ever staged by the depart
ment Out of the 40 successive raids
planned, the flying squads, often
using taXicabs to escape notice,
found the men they sought in all but
three instances. In these the ralded
rooms were empty, and one of these
places had been raided accident
ally" the day before by the vice
squad, which was not lin on" the big
series of raids.
United States Attorney David A.
Pine, whose Office co-operated ac-
lively in the enterprise, was pleased
with the results and planned to
press for swift prosecution of the
alleged gamblers. In direct charge
of legal preparations for the raids
were Assistant United States At
torneys John j. Wilson and William
s. Tarver.
All day yesterday 1t. Hartman
and Mr.. Tarver sat in the police
officers quarters receiving returns
Of the carefully planned raids.
Timed Almost to Minute.
They were timed almost to the
minute. Starting shortly after 9 m,
they continued without interruption
until about 230 pm, when the last
premises on the list were entered
and the news of the raids made
public by Maj. Brown.
There were 10 raiding parties,
each numbering approximately eight
men. The raiders, led by expert
enced officers, consisted entirely of
rockies from the police school who
had never worn uniforms and thus
were not known to the gamblers.
So quietly and methodically was
the numbers coup planned that vir-
tually no gambler had advance
information, so that he could take
leave by a back window. Instead,
most of the officers were admitted
readily and made their arrests
without difficulty.
At one place, a news and maga-
zine stand in the 1900 block of Ninth
street NV, four guns were found.
They were not loaded.
The places raided included small
cigar stores. fruit stands, pool
rooms, beauty parlors, novelty shops
apartments, rooming houses and
private residences. They were scat
tered all over the city.
In many instances, police said,
some one employe of a legitimate
business would be writing numbers
or collecting them, or both, on his
own hook, and those running the
business we're not involved
After the raids were completed,
the prisoners were taken from the
precinct station to headquarters in
small groups and booked. This was
tedious process that lasted far into
the night.
Bail bonds ranged from ST 500 to
$4,000, depending on the nature of
the evidence and the past record of
the accused person. In most in
stances bail was furnished readily.
The Districts new lottery law
makes possession of proved numbers
slips prima facie evidence of setting
up a lottery. However, most of the
raids yesterday assertedly were di-
rected at gamblers with whom un-
dercover men had placed bets. in ad-
dition to the seizure of alleged num-
bers paraphernalia in many in
stances.
1t. Hartman worked up the evi-
dence with picked squad of men
who we're among the leaders of the
raids. They directed the activities
of the undercover men. So closely
were plans for the raid guarded that
few officials of the department out
side of the Hartman squad knew of
the project.
MARYLAND Roads B0dv