Evening star., 1949-11-04
'Snags' Lewis
Gaming Trial 10
Resume Monday
Called the Head Man
In $4,000, 900 Year
Numbers Ring Here

A long and bitterly fought legal
battle seemed certain today, as
District Court Judge Matthew F.
MCGUIRE recessed until Monday
the trial of William "Snags"
Lewis and 13 co-defendants on
gambling law charges.
Attorneys on both sides bick-
cred every inch of the way yes
terday. Often they had to be ad-
monished by the judge to tone
down their verbal exchanges.
The judge also sternly ordered de-
fense lawyers to stop argSsag after
he ruled on their numerous OBJ
jections and bench conference
motions.
After describing Lewis as the
head man in a $4,000, ,000-a-year
numbers game enterprise, raided
last March in a Bladensburg
(Md) bungalow, Assistant United
States Attorney William Hitz
called a major witness, Murray H.
OF.
Mr.. OFF, due to resume testi-
flying Monday, ran the Statewide
Sports News Distributing Co.,
from which the Government con-
tends the Lewis syndicate" OBJ
tanned horse race results by ticker
and telephone.
Isn't Much Doing
He told the jury of nine men
and three women that currently
there isn't very much doing, at
his company's Offices in the 3R00
block of Bladensburg road, Col
mar Manor, Md.
The witness identified a con-
tract he had with the Western
Union Telegraph Co. for a leased
ticker service by which he sent
sports news to an IS. Stanton"
Mr.. Hitz declared, in his opening
statement to the jury, that IS.
Stanton" was Mrs. Sadie Stan
ton, listed as owner of the bunga.
low at 4310 Forty-sixth street,
Bladensburg.
That was where deputy United
States marshals staged raid last
March Is, under the direction of
United States Attorney George
Morris Fay, arrested Lewis and
the other 13, and seized $25, 900
in cash and two truckloads Of
gambling equipment, Mr.. Hitz de-
clared.
Lewis and his co-defendants are
being tried under a two-count in
dictment charging operation and
participation In a lottery and Of
conspiracy to violate the Districts
law by engaging in such activities.
Yesterdays session adjourned
just as Mr.. OF said his State
wide Sports News concern had OBJ
tanned racing news from the
Howard News Service of Balti-
more. He spent more than $4,000
for installation of q Western
Union telegraph apparatus to re-
ceive that material AND relay it
to establishments to which he had
subleased ticker teletypes "like
those in stock market brokerage
Offices" he testified.
Employees of the telegraph COM
pany and the Chesapeake and
Potomac Telephone Co. took the
stand earlier as the Governments
first witnesses.
Ralph A. Yates of the telephone
company identified records of in
stallation of two telephones at
4310 Forty-six street. They were
in the name of Gilbert Stanton
last March, he said.
Harry Gilbert of the telegraph
company identified record of an
of a ticker at Forty
six and Upshur streets, Colman
Manor. That ticker was leased
to the Statewide Sports News
company and subleased to IS.
Stanton" by that concern, al
though installed by Western
Union.
Defense attorneys attempted
unsuccessfully to have the records
excluded because of the apparent
conflict in the "Colmar Manor"
address as against the Forty-sixth
street, Bladensburg address.
Shown records of Western
Union maintenance inspections Of
the ticker, Mr.. Gilbert said he
could not explain why the names
Mary Smith and Miller were on
the same card with the name rs.
Stanton" Mr.. Hitz asked if he
did not remember having told him
during the noon recess that those
notationS were the names of other
people, besides Mrs. Stanton, who
admitted them to the house. At
that point Judge MCGUIRE ex-
cluded what he called "hearsay
upon hearsay."
William P. Toole, another tele.
phone company employe, testi-
fed he inspected the two tele-
phones in the bungalow at Forty
sixth street, Bladenshurg, last
At that time he was only
IN the living quarters and not in
adjoining rooms. which the Gov.
ernment contends were the gamb-
ing headquarters. Mr.. Toole
said both telephones were in the
living room and nearby bed
room.
Neiqhborhood Concert