Evening star., 1949-03-26
Closely Guarded Plan
Sent u. ). Marsha|s FOL
] Spots at Same Time|

projected gambling raids were a
closely guarded secret known tc
fewer than half a dozen men.
Then, the hour came.
A car drove into the alley be-
hind bungalow in Colmar Manor
Md. United States Marshal w
Bruce Matthews strolled into Bar.
ber's news emporium on Tenth
street. Across the street, an As.
sistant United States Attorney
walked into Hammel's restaurant
That's the way it was here and
In Maryland as United States At
torney George Morris Fay waited
anxiously beside his phone to
learn if his secret had been kept
If he would get the evidence he
sought.
Find Air Conditioned Room.
One of the Investigators gave
this description of what happened
at Forty-sixth street:
When the car drove into the
alley, they sighted "Snags" Lewis,
described as the proprietor of the
place. They hadn't expected to
find him there.
The four deputy marshals hur-
ried around to the front of the
bungalow while the investigator
went through the unlocked kitch-
en- door. He saw seven women
and a man and kept going, NUT
tering Government"
BE- After going to the front door
and opening it for the others, he
found a locked door and pounded
on. it.
Let them in," he heard some
one say.
Place Well Equipped.
The raiders found themselves in
an air-conditioned room with
knotty-pine paneling on the walls.
They saw more than a dozen add
ing machines, supply of tele-
phones and a ticker. In a closet
they found a .38 caliber revolver
and a 80 automatic. They noticed
the windows of the room were
barred.
They found more than $4,000
most of it on Lewis. Late last
night, they were still counting the
money.
The investigator and four mar
shals arrested IA men on the spot.
The women were not arrested.
At the same time another crew
hit the State Wide Sport News Dis
tributors at 3701 Bladensburg road.
They went through a steel door,
according to an investigator, into
q counting room.
2,590,0OO Slips Found.
Investigators said they found
100000 printed number slips and
q ticker service with a relay sys-
tenn of Is telegraph ticker lines
tanning out to service other spots
In Prince Georges County.
In one room that appeared dusty
and disused, they said they found
a 40-foot-long blackboard, COM
plete with betting windows, adver-
tising. This Club Pays Full Tick
er''-meaning the same payoff as
q bettor would get at the track.
Investigators said they found
bags of betting chips, roulette
wheels and chuck-a-luck equip
ment.
Charles H. Ward. chief deputy
marshal, who went into Barber's
with Mr.. Matthews and four other
deputies, said they found $409.85
in the cash register and $347 in
a rear room on the shelf which
Barber admitted throwing there. "
Under a counter at Barber's, Mr..
Fay said, horse and numbers slips
were found. Typical of these was
a tabulation of one runners take,
Mr.. Fay said. He showed a slip
marked Fox" on which was writ
ten PLAY. $460.25; hits, s285.75;
pay, $174.50."
Paraphernalia Piles Up.
Mr.. Fay said he was informed
evidence in the form of numbers
slips or other gambling para
phenalia" was also picked up at
the other places.
Panel trucks and passenger au-
tomobiles began arriving at Dis
trict Court about 4 pm. to unload
the phones. files, pads. cigar boxes
of money. tickers. electric type
writers and other equipment.
They were still coming in near
midnight.
Meanwhile, the prisoners started
piling into the marshal's Office to
be fingerprinted. Handcuffed to
deputies, they were taken up in
the elevator to the United States
attorneys Office for questioning.
Paraphernalia piled up in a
juryroom. Mr.. Fay consumed cup
after cup of coffee. The tele-
phones tangled constantly with
marshal's reports.
Many Wear Sports Jackets.
About 6 pm. deputy sheriffs,
each with a defendant menacled
to his wrist. began walking their
captives through a drizzling rain
along the two blocks from the
District Court Building to United
States Commissioner Cyril S.
Lawrences Office in the Com
merce & Savings Bank Building
at Seventh and E streets NV.
The alleged gamblers varied
greatly in size and clothing. Some
wore business suits but majority
wore gaily colored corduroy or
gabardine sport jackets and other
types of outing wear.
First to reach the Commis-
sioner's court was Walter Sunny
Mason, about 40, who is an op-
orator in a bigtime gambling Or
ganization, according to Mr.. Fay.
IIe was charged with selling a
lottery chance, or numbers slip.
on Tuesday at his place of busi-
ness on Seventeenth street near
TT etroot NJ w EIic orro ioprnonf