The Union Club's Roulette Wheel
A judge rules that a seized roulette wheel isn't necessarily a gambling tool, sparking a debate over the city's power to destroy property.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Union Club in the Union block on Front street is a place where gentlemen engage in social pastime, not gambling, so says Judge Glasgow of the municipal court. Such being the character of the club, he decided that the gambling apparatus seized by the police is not really gambling apparatus, and ordered Chief Rogers to return it to Charles Shaw, manager of the club. The case was decided yesterday morning on the arguments on a motion to order the destruction of the club's furniture, seized when the last raid was made, Shaw having been acquitted some time ago of conducting a gambling game. City Attorney Winstock maintained that the city had the power to destroy gambling implements to prevent future gambling. John Wiley, counsel for Shaw, contended that there was no evidence the club was run for gambling purposes and that the court, having acquitted Shaw, had lost jurisdiction to destroy the property. Judge Glasgow ruled that a roulette wheel is not unlawful in itself, as it might be used for a lawful purpose, and ordered the goods returned.
“Why, your honor has not even jurisdiction to fine me should I be guilty of improper conduct in the presence of the court.”
This 1895 legal battle over the definition of 'gambling tools' versus 'social furniture' highlights the era's tension between moral policing and private club culture. Today, the site of the old Union block on Front Street (now First Avenue) is part of the historic downtown core, where the debate has shifted from roulette wheels to the regulation of modern nightlife and social spaces.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.