Evening star., 1951-09-02
By Keith Fuller
Assoeidsad Press Stoff Writer

LAKE CHARLES, La, Sept. L.
Dice tables were quiet in Lake
Charles tonight and the sheriff
of Calcasieu Parish said gambling
would remain shut down.
That would indicate that citi-
zens and newsmen crusading
against gambling have won their
point. Nonetheless, eight Of their
number are under indictment on
charges of defaming three con-
|fessed gamblers and 16 public Of
ficials.
How did this situation arise?
There are two answerS-one
from those indicted and another
from those allegedly DETAINED.
Five of those indicted are of
the managerial and news staff of
the Lake Charles American Press
and three are members of the
Peoples Action Group. The PAG
lis an organization campaigning
against gambling.
Indictments Assailed.
It's officials say the indictments
are an attempt to muzzle the
free press and nullify PAG ef-
forts to end gambling.
The public officials allegedly
DETAINED contend the anti-gam-
bling campaign originated as a
means of gaining circulation for
the American Press and Pulitzer
Prize for its managing editor,
Kenneth l.. Dixon, one of the
men indicted.
They also contend the news
papermen overstepped legal linn
its in some of the things they
printed.
! The story starts, as one resi-
dent put it back in the days
when Jean Lafitte and his pi-
rates gained for indivisible loot" :"
From that time on, there has
been gambling in this Southwest
Louisiana country, a predominant
lily Catholic area along louisiana S
Gulf Coast grown rich on oil and
chemical industries.
Huey Long Recalled.
But gambling on a wide-open
casino basis didn't begin until
the gubernatorial administration
of the late Senator Huey P. Long
the man the Kefauver commit
tee says invited New York Gam
bier Frank Costello to bring his
slot machines to Louisiana.
| Last January the Kefauver Com
mittee held New Orleans hearings
/ that threw a bright white light
on gambling in the state.
/ During the hearings, gambling
in Calcasieu Parish closed down
Sheriff Henry A. Reid promised 1t
would not be allowed to return
But soon gaming houses were re-
opening on a hit-or-miss basis
One would be open one night
closed the next.
Mr.. Dixon, an enterprising
young newsman, long had consid-
cred the gambling situation here
unhealthy He decided to do some
thing about it.
Aided by two other hard hitting
young men-G. G. Buchanan, 9
nigh tension power line trouble
shooter. and James Dewey O'Brien
l33-year-old attorney, Mr.. Dixon
helped form a committee of pri-
vate citizens to take action.
! They contended that since law
enforcement officials had not
closed gambling in the past, there
was no reason to expect them to
do so in the future.
From the PAG membership, zoe
men were selected to gather evil
dence on gambling.
Mr.. Dixon, an Associated Press
correspondent during World Wal
II, used tactics he had seen the
French underground employ. TIC
prevent leaks, no one person
among the evidence-gatherers
knew the identy of more than one
or two Of the other team members
When the PAG crime commit
tee. headed by Mr.. O'Brien, felt
it had enough evidence. it laid on
the desk of District Attorney Grit
fin 100 specific gambling charges
against 80 Calcasieu Parish resi-
dents.
/ The 33 gamblers were indicted
and brought to trial. They pleaded
guilty and received suspended SEN
tenceS and fines ranging from $25
Ito 500.
PAG Not Appeased.
This didn't please the PAG bit
Many Of the men had records oi
previous convictions. and there
should have been jail terms, the
PAG said.
/ At a mass meeting the PAG de-
Imanded a special session of the
grand jury to investigate gambl-
ing and PAG charges against
Sheriff Reid of malfeasance in Of
/ flee.
The grand jury session was
called and District Judge Mark
c. Pickrel instructed it to investi-
gate not only those two matters
but also any possible violations
of the States anti-defamation law
He included the latter, he said
later. because he felt there had
been some pretty loose statements
made by the PAG and the Ameri-
can Press.