GABBLERS RAIDED.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 1961, 5 April 1919, Page 1

GABBLERS RAIDED.

AT A “TWO-UP” SCHOOL. A DEVOXPORT SURPRISE. A police raid was made on Sunday afternoon on a “two-up” scdiool at Dcvonport, Auckland, and the names of 28 persons were taken with a view to prosecution for indulging in this prohibited form of gambling. The presence of cliques of two-up players who indulge their gaming instincts at different rendezvous in the city on Sundays has been the subject of comment in various circles for some time, but the simple apparatus used, enabling a (puck cover-up when a warning is issued, and the adoption of isolated places for play, with “scouts” set out systematically, makes the catching of the gambler a difficult matter, The brick kiln adjacent to the Takapuna racecourse, on Lake Road, Dcvonport, has for long been noted as a Sunday resort for a considerable number of men, and though (he police knew it was commonly reported to be the rendezvous of two-up players they found that surprise visils result in the discovery only of cliques of men discussing the cost of living problem, the licensing poll proposal, or current racing and sporting events. On Sunday Deteetivo-Sergt. A. Hammond and Detectives .1. Cummings and J. B. Young decided to collaborate with (lie TVv*>hpovt police to “out-scont” Iho school. The detectives went to Bayswatev about 11.30 a.m., walked overland through the gorse from O’XciilV Point to the beach at Lake Road, where they were joined by Sergt. Baskeville and Constable Cannon, and the party made a further reconnaisance, and (hen picked (heir way as inconspicuously as possible to the boiler room of (lie brick kiln. They got (here about noon, and from the engine room they had a close view of the drying shed of the kiln, a slruelure which was roofed but without sides, and which had been reported |o he (he place where the gaming took place. Hardly had they got into the engine-room when a man came along, (allied for a male and warned him to “keep his eyes skinned,’'’ as he had seen footprints on the beach. The two men apparently made a search of the vicinity, for though a crowd of men arrived at the kiln about 2 p.m., there was no sign of play for about an hour. Then the game of two-up was taken up hesitatingly, and the temptation of “heading ’em” broke down all fear, for the players began to enter spiritedly into the play in the drying shed. Cautiously peering from a window of the engine shed, the police observed 33 players, and noted (he names of over twenty whom they knew by name. At about 3.30 p.m. thev went out of the engine-room, end the school broke into a sudden wild flight, like a, covey of startled quail, with some of them followed by some of the police, to be cornered and have their names and addresses taken. A dash at the “ring’’ resulted in the “kip,” one of the toss-pennies, .and 12s (Id in cash being seized. The majority of the players, whose names were known, (led and scattered, some to take the Bayswater boat to the ctiy, and yet others to Devonport, while one man later chartered a launch to make the crossing unobstructed. It is surmised that the police got through the scout; cordon when the pickets were off guard at the luncheon hour.