Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-01
81. harys 10 Request
Plenix City Wireiap.
Data on Slots Deal

The States Attorney of ST
Marys County. Md, said todas
he will ask Alabama law en-.
forcen1ent authorities for !
transcript of Wire-tap telephone
recordings indicating that Phea.
TX City gamblers attempted tt
extend their activities into
Maryland.
Joseph A. Mattingly. ths
prosecutor. said he wants to de-
termine whether efforts to have
illegal front men" operate slot
machines had actually resulted
in violations Of Maryland laws.
Some 200 recordings taken
from tapped telephone lines
We're used to clean up vice con-
ditions in Phenix City.
A few of them tell how a
Southern Maryland legislator
agreed to serve as the lawyer for
Phenix City slot machine inter-
ests seeking to recover Is of the
one-arm bandits from a st.
Marys County man. The man
saIiegedly welshed on a plan for
"a $3.50 proflt-sharing scheme
contrary to st. Marys County
Jaw.
LaWyer-LegislatOr Named.
The lawyer legislator was
identified by Attorney General
elect John Patterson of Alabama
as State Senator Paul Bailey,
Republican, of st. Marys. Mr..
Bailey, who did not seek re-elec-
ton last month, has law offices
in Leonardtown.
Mr.. Bailey said he could not
recall the conversations which
took place In the winter of
1948-9.
The telephone conversations
were played back for reporters
yesterday in the law offices of
Mr.. Patterson, whose father, A.
L. Patterson. was assassinated
before he could assume the same
office.
MI. Patterson. whose fathers
death led him on a personal
anti-crime campaign which re-
suited in election, has offered to
make the telephone recordings
available to legal authorities In
Maryland.
The wire-tap discs repeat con-
versations between Hoyt Shop
herd, former Phenix City slot
machine czar, and Mr.. Bailey
which show how the Alabama
operator sought to recover rs slot
machines valued at $500 from
the st, Marys County man.
The man allegedly had agreed
to serve as a front" for Shop
herd on a $3.50 basis contrary
to the county law which says the
devices can be licensed only to
bona flde local citizens.
Called Deal Illegal.
The recordings show that At
torney Bailey advised Shepherd
such an arrangement was illegal
IN st. Marys County.
smother recording between
Shepherd and his gambling part-3
ner. Jimmy Matthews, in Phenfx
City indicates that it was Mat
thewss who referred Shepherd to
the Maryland attorney in the |
first place.
The recordings also indicate |
that Shepherd called a man in
Chicago with an offer for an
arrangement to bring 100 more
slot machines into Maryland on
a $3.50 share basis.
All of these conversations took
place prior to the 1851 Federal
law banning interstate shipment |
Of slot machines.
g Both Shepherd and Matthews
we're sentenced to Kilhy State
Prison in Montgomery, Ala. on
Monday TO serve 80 days each
For knowingly leasing property (
Tor gambling purposes. They also
we're lined $4,000.
Following is a summary and
excerpts from the recordings, in
chronological order, played to
Shepherd placed person-to-
person call to Mr.. Bailey at
phone number 5. Leonardtown.
Conversation With Bailey.
After ascertaining he was
talking with Mr.. Bailey-Mr.
Bailey repeated his name, Paul
Bailey, Leonardtown, Md. -
began:
IT was talking to a friend
II yours named Jones in some
little town close to you.' He
went on to say he did not
'ecall the name of the town.
Shepherd explained to Mr..
Bailey that I'VE referring to /