RAID ON A POOL ROOM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2675, 21 June 1905, Page 54

RAID ON A POOL ROOM.

An alleged pool rcom at 43 West Third street, New York, was raided recently. The raid was made on complaint of William Brady, of the St. Paul Hotel. Columbus p venue and Sixtieth, who gave his occupation as a stenographer. During the early part of the week Brady called on Commissioner M'Adoo and sta.ted that the room was being conducted at the address given, where he had lost money betting on the races. The place was one of the most palatially fitted rooms in New York, the patrons being suposed to be members of the Verdi Pleasure Club, the charier for which adorned the walls. Beautiful paintings were on the walls, but the pressure of an electric light button would slide these and in their place would appear a blackboard beating the -names of horses and tlie odds placed against them. The police gained entrance to the place by smashing through tii-e 1-eadHght and lowering themselves into the cellar, then ascending the stairs leading to an iron cage which the cashier occupied. Others of the rafding party cut hhrotigh a partition of wood, "while others descended the fire escape, thereby cutting off all means of escape. Simultaneously all the raiding party entered the main room of the place, where they found about 300 men, whose names were taken, they being allowed to depart. Programmes and all sorts of racing literature were confiscated, but a remarkable feature of the raid was that not a telephone or telegraphic instrument could be found. Five men were arrested, but later released on bail.