100 Years Back: Lethbridge Police Versus Gamblers
Interior of the Brown Amusement Company Palace, circa 1912.
Galt Museum & Archives, 19891049249
Playing cat and mouse with local "gambling joints" was a daily activity for the Lethbridge Police in the 1920s. It was not an easy game to win. Operators often hid gambling dens in otherwise legitimate commercial establishments such as stores, cafés, hotels or barbershops. For the police, simply "uncovering" a gambling outfit was insufficient to bring charges. The police had to be able to offer proof that gambling was taking place. That meant catching the participants red-handed. Lethbridge gamblers were cautious, smart and inventive, and the police worked to find solutions around their new approaches.
One method was to conduct a surprise raid on a business suspected of housing a hidden gambling joint. The Lethbridge Herald reported a police raid of four businesses in February 1920: Lethbridge Rooming House on 7 Street S, the City Taxi offices at 409 3 Avenue S, Soderburg Block on 5 Street S and the Arlington Hotel. The police arrested 50 people and had to requisition a special bus to transport them all. The courtroom was packed full of people. The Herald reported that all those arrested pled guilty. The proprietors of the raided establishments received fines exceeding $100 each, while the individual players received fines of $5 or $10.
In response, the local joints came up with an early warning system that consisted of ingenious bell arrangements to signal approaching police. Police found a way around this system by using a plainclothes officer to hire a taxi driver to go to the Leader Barber Shop on 5 Street S, which they suspected was operating a gambling joint. Once the taxi arrived at the barbershop, the officer asked the driver to ring the bell and followed the driver inside. The officer then squeezed into the gambling den by following a client who had the correct password. The raid resulted in more arrests and fines.
You can find out more about the history of Lethbridge in the 1920s by searching the Galt's database of archival and material resources at collections.galtmuseum.com