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WEST VIRGINIA STATUTE DEFECTIVE. Court Decision Holds Anti-Poolroom Act of this Year Meaningless and Without Effect. Charleston, W. Va., November 20. Itacetrack betting may flourish in West Virginia, without let or hindrance, unless the decision handed down by Judge L. S. Jordan, of the Criminal Court of Ohio County, 1. reversed by the higher courts. By his decision Judge Jordan has declared the act of the West Vir Kinia Legislature of 1011, designed to prohibit the iteration of a poolroom, meaningless and without effect. The opinion of Judge Jordan was delivered in the case of the Wheeling Turf Exchange, recently indicted for operating a poolroom. Two poolrooms have operated in the state for sev oral years, one at Parkcrsburg, on a small scale, and one at Wheeling, which does business on a scale sufficient to allow the owners to pay an annual license if 1911.sh,000 to the city of Wheeling. Rumors that a third exchange was to be opened on a great scale at White Sulphur Springs, caused Delegate John Dice, of Greenbrier Countv, to offer a stringent anti-betting and anti-poolselling bill. In amending the bill soas not to Interfere with county fairs a fatal omission was made, leaving the statue meaningless, The phrase, "is sold or offered for sale," was inadvertently omitted from the bill. . When the law was passed by the Legislature. Governor Win E. Glasscock, although opposed to racetrack betting, announced that he would not approve the bill in the form that it was presented, but he refused to veto the measure on the ground that it might have some effect In the suppression of the poolrixnns in the Northern panhandle, against which the state had made a fight when several large establishments were opened within an hour s run of Pittsburgh.
