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ENFORCING THE LAW AT SARATOGA District Attorney Gives Explicit Definition of What May and May Not Bo Done Saratoga N 1 August 4 I have been on the job every minute since racing began here Sheriff Clarence L Grippen of Saratoga County is quoted as saying and I can honestly say that 1 have uot seen any violations of the law against gambling I have twentyone deputies here and I have instructed them to report to me any violalions of the law No complaints have been made of gambling and so far as 1 can see the law has l eeii complied with withThat That there is plenty of speculation at the track is conceded but it is conducted in such a manner that it is within the law No money Is passed and no attempt is made at socalled bookmaking Sheriff Grippeu and Ids nieu mingle with the crowd and where there is an unusual gathering the sheriff warns them to be careful and not transgress the law There was a conference Saturday morning attended by District Attorney Lawrence B McKel vay Sheriff Gripptii and his deputies AVilliam A Pinkerton Police Commissioner James H King and Police Magistrate Charles B Andrus The district attorney addressed the deputies and Instructed them as to their duties uiuler the law He said In sub ¬ stance stanceA A private bet made between two friends with or without writing or a memorandum is not a crime nor are several such liots even when made by the same parties a crime On the other hand the laying of odds and soliciting of bets from the public by men who do this habitually and as a business constitutes bookmaking and Is a crime crimeThe The law makes a clear distinction between the man who does ordinary betting and the one whose business is the soliciting of bets from the public and it is against the latter the law is directed Professional bookmaking does not necessarily have to be recorded there can be oral bookmaking too provided the evidence against the alleged maker of books shows that he habitually and professionally solicits bets betsMr Mr McKelvay based his opinion on the decisions handed down by the court on the Shane case and several other decisions of that recent date In reading these decisions to the sheriff and those tailed iuto the conference the district attorney ex ¬ plained that ho wished to make clear to them the antibetting laws as regarded by the courts and by whose decisioii his own interpretations would be governed governedRuling Ruling that private belling by large numbers of people would he a crime DistrictAttorney McKel ¬ vay decided that this condition might easily lead to confusion and disorder Accordingly the men were instructed to report and prevent such a state of betting bettingIn In any case where the circumstances seemed sus ¬ picious in the actions of a suspect the Pinkertou men were urged to report the case to the sheriff if they could not collect sullicient evidence to war ¬ rant an arrest arrestVnlike Vnlike the Piukerton men whose jurisdiction was contined to the track the deputies said the district attorney were uot only guardians of the Saratoga track but their authority ex ¬ tended all over the county They were MI duty liouiid to suppress all forms of gambling iu that territory and if bookmakers and gamblers intent IIJUHI getting favors should become unduly friendly and attempt an exchange of confidences with them the district attorney said he would prose ¬ cute any man who affected by these friendly ad ¬ vances failed to do Ills duty
