Reprinted with permission from Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive and The Washington Post.

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Thursday, July 9, 1903 RAIDS WILDWOOD POOLROOM Maryland Sheriff Swoops Down Upon the Layers of Odds Seven Attaches of the Resort Arrested and Released on Bail - Special Appeal in Injunction Case The poolroom at Wildwood, Md., just beyond the District line, was raided yesterday afternoon about 4 o'clock. Seven of the alleged proprietors and employes were arrested, the patrons of the place taking flight through windows and every other available opening. A justice of the peace held court on the spot, and the accused were held in $250 bonds each for the Circuit Court of Prince George County. The raiding party consisted of Sheriff E. N. Hardesty and Deputies R. Lee Mulligan, Richard Hardesty, Tom Beall, and Booth Bowie. When they swooped down on the poolroom somehing of a panic ensued. The oficers arrested everybody who appeared to have anything to do with the conduct of the place, the men taken in custody giving their names as follows: H. Fisk, Guy Hammond, Frank Clark, J. C. Kilby, Charles Hall, C. H. Slikman, and Robert Turner. Justice of the Peace Walter Ryan, of Prince George County, had been duly apprised of the contemplated raid, and as soon as the arrests had been made he appeared upon the scene and opened court on the poolroom site. No warrants had been secured for the arrrests, but the sheriff and his deputies testified that the prisoners had been detected in the act of violating a special law of 1808 against gambling. The justice promptly held all the men for the Circuit Court, fixing bond at $250 each. The men immediately furnished the required security, a Baltimore concern furnishing the bond. In regard to the suit of Robert S. Turner against the District Commissioners for an injunction to restrain the latter from cutting the telegraphic wires running into the Wildwood poolroom, Justice Anderson decided yesterday that he could not allow the complainant an appeal to the Appellate Court upon his order dissolving the temporary injunction. He held that there was no appeal from an interlocutory order, but were the order a final one, he could grant an appeal. In accordance with his suggestions, Attorneys Baker and Lambert at once filed with the clerk of District Supreme Court a motion for a hearing upon the original bill of complaint and answer thereto. The hearing was assigned by Justice Anderson for Saturday morning. If after this hearing the bill is dismissed, Justice Anderson says an appeal to the Court of appeals may be taken upon the final decree of dismissal. As, however, the Court of Appeals has the power to grant a special appeal upon an interlocutory order, Justice Anderson annunced that he would stay the execution of his interlocutory order until July 17, in order that the attorneys for the complainant might have time to present his petition for a special appeal to the Appellate Court.

Wednesday, July 15, 1903 SECOND RAID ON WILDWOOD Watchful Proprietors Escape, but Twelve Patrons Are Caught Officers Cut Wires and Destroy Equipment - The Prisoners Taken to Marlboro for a Hearing Sheriff B. N. Hardesty, of Prince George County, Md., and six deputies - Lee L. Mullikin, Richard Hardesty, John Hardesty, Tom Beall, Joseph Fanning, and E. T. Benton, jr. - raided Wildwood, the poolroom resort located near Takoma Park, Prince George County, again yesterday, and arrested twelve Washington sports, who were held as witnesses. The sheriff and his deputies appeared on the scene about 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon, but they were too slow for the watchful proprietors who jumped through the windows and ran to the woods. Several of the backers of "the ponies" managed to escape, but an even dozen were captured and placed in large wagons awaiting. Each wagon was drawn by four horses, and as the progression moved along the country roads the scene was a novel one. Some of the sports were exceedingly lively, while others were correspondingly depressed. Sheriff Hardesty wrought destruction in the poolroom. The wires were cut, the blackboards were chopped, and other paraphernalia destroyed or taken into possession by the sheriff. The caravan passed through Hyattsville about 8 o'clock last night. Marlboro is about twenty miles from Hyattsville, and the posse and prisoners arrived there long after midnight. On the way, the sheriff stopped at Collington, and secured the services of Justice of the Peace Ryan, who accompanied the party to Marlboro.

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