The Key-House Raid: Seattle Police Break Up a Gambling Club

Chief of Police Rogers is making good his promise that gambling shall not be allowed to run in this city, and last night he made another raid—this time on the Union Club rooms in the Cobb block, run by Charles Shaw. He succeeded in capturing an entire outfit—cards, chips, boxes, and tables—and arrested two men who alternately claimed to be in charge of the place. They gave the names George Clark, a 'real estate' man, and Ed Johnson, colored, who finally claimed to be the caterer.

The Union Club occupies a suite of well-furnished rooms on the second floor. On alighting from the elevator and turning to the left, the visitor is confronted with an unnecessarily large number 30 painted on the frosted glass door leading into the club rooms. Two little round holes, or bull's-eyes, are scraped away from the frosted glass, through which the doorkeeper inside could 'size up' the outsider. As the door is always kept locked, an electric bell is found on the right side of the door, which it is necessary to press to secure attention.

Chief Rogers touched that button last evening, accompanied by Officer Phillips, and was given admittance without much delay. They found only two men in the room. The chief was acting under a search warrant issued in accordance with a city ordinance relating to the seizure and destruction of gambling implements wherever found.

The white man, Clark, in a question from the chief, replied that while Shaw was at supper he was in charge. The chief then told him he would hold him responsible as such and served the warrant on him. Clark then wanted to shift the responsibility to Johnson, who also claimed to be in charge, so the chief took them both to headquarters.

The search of the various rooms resulted in finding a large box containing 1,150 chips of various kinds, most of them with A engraved on them. Beside these he found 63 decks of cards, and three large tables and one small one, each with a 'kitty' in them. A patrol wagon was sent for and the stuff taken to headquarters, where it will pass the inspection of Judge Glasgow for condemnation and destruction.

The Union Club was known as a 'key house'—that is, a place where regular patrons were furnished with a pass key to come and go unmolested and without having to touch the electric button. It was first opened about the time the Ronald 'reform' administration came into power by the M. & N. combination, which ran it nearly to the end of that administration. Shaw and Malloy then got hold of it, and, Malloy leaving town, Shaw has been trying to run it after a fashion.

Chief Rogers has had his eyes on that place since he was returned to power and has sent his officers in there daily to catch the men playing. He gave them broad hints that they must shut up, and as he saw they would not mind him he decided to shut them up for good, which he did.

Clark and Johnson were released on cash bail put up by some one who brought the money while the men were waiting at headquarters. Shaw did not show up. The cases of Clark and Johnson will come up before Judge Glasgow today.