Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-04-08

Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone
Co. from canceling his telephone
service. was charged with setting
up q table for horse bets.
Henry Z. Fish Of the 100 block
of K street NV. arrested In
Hammel's restaurant, was in
dicted on the same charge.
Frederick c. whiteoak, 1900
block of Oates street NE. and
Ralph Caparotti. alias Rags"
Costello, HOO block of Oates street
NE. were charged along with
Acalott, in another indictment
with setting up q horse betting
table.
Jury Impaneled Last May.
The special grand jury was inn
paneled here May 10, l948. with
the announced purpose Of seeking
means to curtail gambling law
violations, At that time. Mr..
Fay estimated the annual gross
of the Washington area gambling
racket amounted to 500. 000, 900.
In the months that followed.
the grand jury either invited or
summoned Commissioner John
Russell Young, Police Supt. Rob-
ert j. Barrett and most Of his top
officers as well as an, assortment
of known numbers game oper-
ators.
Three ex-FBI agents-all prac-
ticing law nowhere brought into
the investigation to help gather
evidence. Government personnel,
some Of them from New York,
were borrowed for undercover
work.
r Information also. came to the
gxau6sjury from the public. ThGe
were i1formants who yolunt3S2ed
r1anies, dates and places because
they were indignant at the easy
living sof the gamblers without
visible smeans of support. There
were also wives who wrote heart
broker letterkaabeut the gamh
5sof thel stands.
cVmmuniF sssaKey.
sAs-Mr. FaySsspfained after the
series of raids last month. it soon
became apparent to the grand
Jury that the key to the methods
of the professional gamblers lay
in communications ~ the use of
radio, telegraph tickers and tele-
phones.
The investigators, according to
Mr.. Fay. found that Washington
bookmakers were given the instan-
taneous race information they
needed by telephone from race
horse news ticker locations in
Prince Georges County and Ar
lington, Va.
There were no tickers in the
District but investigators found Is
Of them In Prince Georges County
and one in Arlington. Va.
The grand jury also learned
that local bookmakers relied on
Maryland hackers to take the
larger bets of their hands.
Numbers Racket Probed.
Along with horse racing. the
grand jury went into the num-
bers racket. Representatives Of
companies manufacturing num-
bers books were summoned before
the grand jury to disclose the size
of their sales in this area and
who made the purchases.
The grand jury studied long dis
lance telephone slips. the re-
ports of investigators and under
cover men. the records OF numbers
book manufacturers.
Finally, on March Is, the grand
jury investigation was given q
shot in the arm by the whirl-
wind raids. Since then, 1t had
met almost daily.
It has summoned records from
the telegraph company. heard wit
nesses from Howard Sports Daily
of Baltimore which supplies news
ticker service to some Of the near
by Maryland establishments, and
listened to the testimony Of some
of those who took part In the
raids.
Sheriff to Testify.
Meanwhile, nearly score OF
witnesses gathered at the Upper
Marlboro courthouse to testify
before a grand jury there. Lead on
witness was Sheriff T. Ward Mar
tin of Prince Georges County.
Waiting their turn were Mrs.
Anna T. Keleher. estranged wife
of John (Blackjack) Keleher.
wealthy retired Washington gam
bier, and her attorney, James j.
Laughlin. They were expected to
repeat charges - first made by
Mrs. Keleher during her unsuc-
cessful divorce trial In District
Court that protection" money
was paid to county ofiicials.
Mr.. Laughlin said he would take
his files showing that long dis
lance telephone calls we're made
to gambling centers early this
year from Mr.. Keleher's alleged
headquarters In Mount Rainier.
Md.
Both Mrs. Keleher and Mr..
Laughlin were closeted with
States Attorney A. Gwinn Bowie
before the grand jury proceedings
began. presumably to discuss q
request Of Mr.. Bowie's that Mr..
Laughlin furnish the grand jury
with the names Of persons who