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Tuesday, June 30, 1903 CUT THE WIRES AGAIN Takoma Mayor and Council Renew War on Wildwood POSSE AT WORK AT DAYBREAK Appeal to Higher Court Dissolves Injunction Against Them, They Say - Petition in Favor of Allowing the Poolroom to Operate Withdrawn - Hearing of District Case Concluded Mayor Kinnear and his town council of Takoma Park, Md., with a posse of bailiffs, yesterday morning, soon after sunrise, cut the wires running to the poolroom at Wildwood, on the outskirts of the town. No telegraphic news was received from the race courses and the poolroom was not in operation. The poolroom people were uncommunicative last night regarding their future plans. It is believed that they are arranging for another move, however, as they say they do not intend to give up the fight. Injunctions had been served against both Takoma Park and the District by the courts forbidding them from interfering with the Wildwood wires. It was generally understood that these injunctions were still in force and that it would not be possible to cut the wires again lawfully until one of the injunction suits had been heard. The action of the Takoma authorities yesterday morning, therefore, was a great surprise to both the poolroom people and the citizens of Takoma generally. Mayor Kinnear received an opinion from his attorney, Mr. Prettyman, of Rockville, last Saturday night, on which yesterday's action was based. Takoma has appealed to the Court of Appeals from the decision of the Rockville judge, and Attorney Prettyman in his opinion advised the Takoma authorities that under the Maryland laws an appeal to a higher court makes an injunction granted by a lower court void, or rather places the case in the same position as if it had not been heard by any court until it is heard by the higher court. Mayor Saw the Work Done The mayor and council reached no decision Saturday night or Sunday, but agreed to meet on the scene of action just over the District line yesterday morning. When the meeting was held the decision to cut the wires was reached and the bailiffs were ordered to to the work immediately. The mayor and council remained on the ground to see that the job was done thoroughly. A petition was circulated in Takoma last week to the mayor and council reciting that the Wildwood resort was an orderly and inoffensive one, and that as it was running the Wildwood Railway free of charge to the residents of the town, it should be regarded in the light of a benefactor rather than as a lawbreaker. The document was circulated quite generally on the Maryland side of Takoma, and quite a number of signatures were obtained, including those of some of the important people of the town. One of the men who circulated the petition was an employe of the Brightwood Railway, who was doing duty temporarily for the Wildwood line under an agreement with Brightwood road. It is alleged that he or others who helped to circulate the petition promised to all who would sign it free transportation on the Wildwood line, and stated that if they did not sign it they would be obliged to pay car fare. It was denied that the Wildwood people had instigated the petition. The Petition Withdrawn The paper was totally withdrawn without being presented to the mayor. It is said that the Brightwood Railway man was told by his company to desist from his labors in that direction. Some of the Wildwood employes hinted last night that Mr. Turner, one of the proprietors, is considering the project of turning the place into a negro picnic grounds. Mr. Turner could not be found. Hearing in the suit of Robert S. Turner, owner of the Wildwood poolroom, against the District Commissioners and the District electrical engineer, Allen, to prevent them from cutting certain telegraph wires, was concluded in Equity Court No. 1 yesterday before Justice Anderson. The court took the case under advisement.

Saturday, July 4 1903 MAYOR KINNEAR ENJOINED Wildwood Poolroom Secures Wires Through Federal Court The Next Move on the Part of the Authorities a Matter of Conjecture - will be in Operation Today The Wildwood poolroom is receiving telegraphic news of horse races again. The attorneys for the Wildwood people - Messrs. Wilton J. Lambert and D. W. Baker - made a flank move yesterday and secured an order from Judge Thomas J. Morris, of the United States Circuit Court for the District of Maryland, restraining Mayor Kinnear and the common council of Takoma Park from interfering with the wires running into the poolroom. A United States marshal served the notice upon the defendants, and the wires were put into place and made ready for active operation today. The bill praying for an injunction was filed in the name of Thomas S. Holt, who has an interest in the poolroom, and who resides in New York. By reason of Holt residing in aonther State, the wildwood people were enable to take the matter to a Federal court. The bill is substantially the same as that previously filed in the District Supreme Court and in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Md. It was presented to Judge Morris at Baltimore yesterday by Attorney Wilton J. Lambert, and upon the facts stated therein the injunction was issued. It restrains the defendants or their agents from interfering with the use and enjoyement of the wires running from the Western Union line into the poolroom, and the service over the same, or from cutting them until further order of the court. Such further order is subject to change ten days after the defendants have filed an answer to the bill, and have made a motion to dissolve the injunction. The injunction was issued upon a $3,000 bond, given by the complainant. This move was a decided surprise to the Takoma officials, who felt sure that by taking an appeal to the injunction issued against them by the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Md., they had thrown the matter over until the fall term of court at leeast. They maintained that pending the decision of the appeal the temporary injunction against them was void, and cut the wires a second time. This action was upheld by the Circuit Court. The wires were replaced late yesterday after the order had been served upon the Takoma officials, and the Wildwood people are for the present in control of the situation. Meanwhile, by a temporary restraining order issued by Justice Anderson, of the District Supreme Court, they are preventing the District Commissioners from cutting the wires within the District of Columbia. Deputy Marshal Seery, of Baltimore, came over with the Wildwood people, who had witnessed the granting of the injunction and served the paper on Mayor Kinnear yesterday afternoon at Takoma on his way home from Washington, on the Maryland side of the line. Five minutes after the mayor had been enjoned from interfering, the Wildwood people had a force of men repairing the telegraph wires, and the job was completed before dark. Mr. Kinnear telegraphed to his attorney, Lawyer Prettyman, at Rockville, as soon as the injunction had been put in his hands. They had a consultation that night but did not care to state if they had reached any decision as to what course to pursue next.

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