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BASIS OF THE NEW ORLEANS SUIT. Particulars in Which It Is Claimed Louisiana Law Was Violated. MfaM .lean Cordons petition for the dissolution of the New Orleans Business Mens Association was filed ill court last Friday. The petition charges the association openly encouraged gambling and persistently pursued an avocatioa contrary to law by a device carefully planned. It asserts that the stakeholders were paid hut *:; a day by the raeiag association, and thai they were required to bay an admission th-ket of . a program for tea cents and also to pay tea cent, real a day for boxes la which to keep the envelopes containing bets, and that the professional bettors pay them for their services from day to day. Further, the petition charges, bookmakers paid from 8 to a day for operating, this money being paid for admission badges which were either destroyed or returned to the association and never used. That part of the petition harping the aaeaeJa-tion with parsuiog a business contrary to law. reads: "The business Mens Baclag Association. Incorporated, and ali of its officers and Ogeata did daring said raeiag meetiag continuously and persistently pursue a bosiaesa or calling or avocation contrary to law. in that said corporation and its officers and .gents did by a device carefully planned and perfected by them, encourage, promote, aid and assist persona to be! on horse races conducted on the race course op. rated hy them in this city, in direct contravention of the provisions of the institution and laws of this state and especially el" Act No. ." !l of 1808, generally known as the Locke law. and said corporation and its said officers and a. ems have since loaaary i. 1916, pursued said business, calling or avocation contrary to law. and have publicly .•iniiounced their intention to pursue, in the same manner, said busi-n s, calling or avocation contrary to law at race meetiags which are to he held by them in the future. The petition describes the stakeholder system as an •"ingcuiotislv arraaged plan, scheme or device." It contains a description of the Paha Garden ami declares the rules and regulations of the track provide all hotting should he inducted there. I; ..-sorts that the association has encouraged betting in that it has widely advertised that each of the stakeholders was bonded for .,000 to insure per-s, n- placing wagers against any speculation or gambUag. The stakeholders numbered more than one hundred, and worked in pairs, one stakeholder taking the bets on one race and then retiring to another part of ihe Paha Gardea to pay off, while the second received beta en the next race. A copy of the hetting contract is embodied in th. petition. In this connection the petition reads: "While ,!l! theory of the use of tin- form printed Oa each of the e:ief ].. s in which liets ale placed si ■■uis to he that there Should appear thereon the badge number ol the casual bettor who backs the horse to win. ami the badge Bomber of the pro-fessioaa] bettor who beta against the horse to lose, and al-o thai e.i h of said parties should sii; the form as evidencing an aleatory contract between Hem. tie practice more frequently is that the badge number of the profeasieaal bettor does not appear on the envelope, ami he is not required hy the stakeholder to si;;n the contract, as above indicated, the method of operation beiag so consistent that the stakeholder lavariabiy delivers the amoiinis ,.-; hits i,,st by the casual bettor to the professional bettor who may have worked along with him just prior to the particular race. Ami in many Instances the stakeholder holds a number of envelopes upon soma of which is nlreadj mitten ihe nan f tin- professional bettor who is Hon arorkiag with I im, and on oilers of which are written names of helpers of ihe particular professional bettor, while all bets placed iu these variously signed envelopes are made hy one ago-fewnioaal bettor." Bequest is made for a receiver on Hie allega-tlon that the association or corporation is maintaining a business contrary to good morals and law. and that the officers and agents are feonard-izing the riuh:s of all stockholders by grossly mismanaging and misapplying the property and funds "I Ihe corporation in the maimer speeilienllv Bel forth in the petition. The professional bettors, it is asserted, pay from 0 to 0 a day. depending upon the amount of business the individual professional Letter is shown lo have transacted during the few days ptl vkrasly this being determined by the reports of all transactions the stakeholders make each day. The pi litioi. n-si rls; "And said amounts so paid are in some instances paid by the purchase of numerous tickets or badges for admission lo the grounds, most of which are not used and are either destroyed or returned to the corporation, ils ooacera and agenls. and in other Instances are paid in cash to one Harry Shaw, who receives sail money for ami in behalf of the corporation, its olheois and agents, and delivers if li Alfred F. Page, auditor, or Samuel .1. Hart, secretary-treasurer. Many assist. nils were employed by the profi s. sional bettor, who paid them per .lav and s.-me times much greater sums, according to the husi-ness done, these assistants serving the professional in ascertaining odds and in accepting hits for the professional, the petition charges.
