Evening star., 1951-09-21
Ranch House
Used by Nelson,
Official Says
North Beach Building
Called TobuIotion Site
For Numbers Racket
By John V. Horner

The States attorney of Calvert
County declared yesterday that
Charles E. Nelson used the Ranch
House, a big frame building near
North Beach, Md, to conduct the
numbers racket covering Prince
Georges County and parts of
Washington.
The statement by Arthur w.
Dowell, in testimony before the
Maryland Crime Investigating
Committee, was the first public
accusation of the kind by law
enforcement officers checking into
a multimillion- dollar gambling
syndicate.
Reported Regularly.
Mr.. Dowell told the State legis-
lative probers at a hearing in
Towson that Nelson workers went
regularly to the Ranch House to
tabulate collections and that they
tried to cover up their activity by
parking their automobiles at dis
tant places.
The Ranch House is owned by
Heber McWilliams, who has been
called as a witness before the Dis
trict grand jury investigating or
ganized gambling. as result of
recent disclosures before the Sem
ate Crime Investigating Commit
tee, The key figure in the investi-
cation is Nelson, who admitted
having backed a numbers opera
ton. Full details have not been
brought out publicly, however.
Parked in North Beach.
Mr.. Dowen said workers for the
Nelson numbers business were
transported regularly to the Ranch
House in automobiles which then
were driven into North Beach and
parked. The purpose, he said, was
to avoid suspicion because the
Ranch House appeared to be un-
occupied.
On signal, the States attorney
testified. the automobiles were re-
turned to the Ranch House to pick
up the workers after their jobs had
been completed.
Mr.. Dowen said the practice
ceased about the time that the
Senate investigators developed the
story of the Nelson operations.
The prosecutor said a close
watch is being maintained to see
that numbers activity is not re-
sumed in Calvert County. AS far
as could be determined, he said,
the Ranch House served chiefly
as regional headquarters for
lottery operations in Prince
Georges and parts of Washington.
Center for City Operation.
He pointed out that Calvert is
primarily rural county and said
profits in the numbers racket de-
pend upon volume of business in
populous areas.
The Towson hearing was the
last one scheduled by the Mary
land Crime Investigating Commit
tee. There is a possibility, how
ever. that the probe will be ex-
tended in order to concentrate on
organized gambling conditions in
Prince Georges, Anne Arundel
County and Baltimore.
State Senator Omar D. Crothers,
jr., Democrat. of Cecil County,
the committee chairman, said a
decision will be made within
few weeks whether to conduct
further investigation. He said the
matter is up to the Maryland
Legislative Council, of which his
group is a subcommittee.
Much of the time yesterday was
devoted to a study of the crime
situations in Baltimore County,
Hartford and Howard Counties.
Sparrows Point Problem.
States Attorney John E. Raine,
jr., of Baltimore County, declared
that the one bad spot in his juris-
diction is at the Sparrows Point
plant of the Bethlehem Steel Co.
He charged that about $25,000 a
week is bet illegally at the plant,
which has its own police depart
ment, SEPARATE from the county's.
Mr.. Raine said company officials
had promised to clean up the situ-
alton but have done nothing. A
company spokesman declined to
comment on the charge until he
could consider the matter more
fully.
Judge c. Gus Grason of the
Maryland Court of Appeals as
serted the Legislature could elimi-
nate most illegal gambling if it
would pass stricter laws governing
the telephone companies. He said
bookmaking would be hard hit if
telephone service is not provided