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Com ing Storie* by
E dw ard Law ton
D orothy W est
E dw ard W orthy
J. A. Roger*
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Numbers and Steel
Homestead» 1 * 11 . Has World’s Largest Steel Mill and Biggest “Numbers Racket” in U. S.
Where BittnhurglierH l ned to Play tlicir Numbers in the Good Old Days
Photo o f the ox-Wall Street o f Pittsburgh, allowing left. Bill Snyder’s old place at 70 Fullerton (strangers couldn't enter). Center, 1401 Wiley Ave­
nue, where Gus Greenlee once ruled. Arrow shows salesman in act of writing, Right, the most famous “ figurerie" in the old days where “ W oogy”
Harris was boss. In October, 19.10, it was estimated that a total of $35,000 a day was played on the digits.
j
smoke »hops These smoke simps many uiffueutlai Nordics makes It with tlie underworld for a long time
usually sell light lunches, confection­ difficult for the late coming colored end they have been fair enough with
the public with numbers, so they
ery and a few staple goods. Space Is folks to gain enhance
’ are respected as much as anybody
l reserved for young boys who are
There are a number of people who clso tn town
Numerous attempts
granted the privilege of gambling make a living In Homestead by sell­ have been made by Nordics to break
with the owner of the place, exacting ing numbers on the streets, supposed­ tins grip, but the white citizens of
a cut from all games. The law never ly hot tips It Is a common occur- Homestead have blocked all attempts
In fart. It looks as though, that if
anre for a prison to be stopprd on
Interfere« wtih such places because
Ihe streets and asked II there is any the colored bankers do not control
the
operator
of
such
a
place
ts
us-
1
Interest In uunibers on the part of the numbers racket, there will be
large ansi that Homestead served
R| j o i i a n m n JACOn
ually bring compensated for some Ihc pedestrian, and there are others none tn Homestead. In the past,
Perhaps no lubiirl) of Pittsburgh I* Tlie local racket was a break, for wrong the town has done him. or he who make a house-to-house canvass white bankers have failed to pay off
with numbers tn certain parts of the when they have been hit heavily, but
*• well known to the public *« the they could collect on three different
‘ is paying a larger protection price to
little town of Homestead * place of numbers, on the '‘morning roll," itlir law enforcing officials Special town and, from close observation, all on no occasion has a reputable col­
"noon roll," and “evening roll
The counters are set aside for numbrrs of them seem to be keeping the wolf ored banker been guilty of such con­
m o w twrnty thousand souls Where­
duct; hence the control of the num­
from the door.
numbers
were
obtulned
from
three
players there a bet may be written
as. Pittsburgh get* the credit or
Homestead's chief numbers backers bers racket in Homestead by colored
dice that were rolled in Ihe morn­ I by the person playing Ihe number
are men who have been identified bankers.
blame for all that occura In Allegheny ing. noon and night, and. (a gain the
or It nu»y be taken rare of by clerks
County, much or the actual work confidence of the people, the public Dream books are available for one
goes on In Homestead In thia Utile was Invited to witness the "roll.“ and ! who L. doubtful about what to play,
if any outsider saw fit to throw the i Adding machines are near at hand
tow s wr find*'
tllgl*
plant In the world; the center of vice dice, the privilege was granted How­ to quicken the tabulation of the
ever.
In a short time. It was wen amount of money due. A blackboard
I. r trip Pittsburgh district this being
the only plsce In Ihc county where that three "roll«" were too many, so is kept in a conspicuous place so that
colored folk have the absolute con­ ihe number was cut to two ihe noon anybody, passing the place ran easily
loll and the evening roll. The noon , see what number has played and ail
trol of the number« racket
Western Pennsylvania was not roll formerly occurred at one o'clock Ihe figures that have come out for
imltlen by the numbers bug until | but at present the dice are thrown 'the week
the spring of 1930, but she accepted ! at twelve o'clock to Insure publlca- j The “ runners" arc men who usually
the racket with glad hands, for thr ! lion In the local evening newspaper. canvass the outlying districts. S in e
present economic depression had just The evening roll comes oil at nute- of these men carry their work on
started. So great was the reception llilrty; no newspaper report* Ibis ! at night going as far as sixty miles
of the number« racket that we find number, but the same Is telephoned Horn the starting point Persons In
that there was no effort made to throughout the district. The roll at j these places know what tune to ex-
check the Invasion mid in the couih tlhc present lime Is tlie most famous J |iect the runner and by this method
of time we Ilnd everyone from school numbers gamble mid those who de- the work Is carried on very rosily.
children to person* holding high pub- nend upon It arc able to bet a num The banker supplies all of Ills distant
, lie offices trying his Imnd at a her on Mondays and holidays us wrll 1 runner* with cars, but If a local run-
game that paid six hundred to one. as any other day.
| ner has a good business, an automo-
It Is reported that one small town
Strange as It may seem, the noon | bile is furnished him also
These
Imd Its lino! operated by the town o f­ roll and the evening roll are con­ j i miners ore paid good salaries—In
ficials and In certain places In Pitts­ ducted by different Individuals and | fset, any person holding a responsible
burgh the lowest bet one could make ns far as the onlookers are concerned position Is good for u salary of not
was five dollars.
| then' has been no upheaval Otmoem - less than one hundred and fifty dol­
When the numbers started In | tog leadership among ttiese colored lars a month.
Homestead the townsmen had much I bankers and from all appearances,
Another group of persons reaping
trouble with their backers, for the there wont be any
a harvest from the numbers are Ihe
Persons who bet on the stock mar- spiritualists During the life of the
colored barkers usually paid all bi ;s
and the whites paid only those that I bet, rare« and the Chicago dealin g New York Clearing House, spiritual­
1
they saw fit to pay; and In a short House enrich the coffers of Pitts­ ist* gov» out tips that hit within a
time we find that the colored backers burgh hankers, hut the local number.« week and as a result schools of spirit-
V > I
were doing seventy-five per cent or kings welcome these bankers Into I iralimn were established throughou
«■V-fà*
more of the numbers business In I heir midst, for thr men from the big ihc town mid many people enrolled
Homestead, and, despite the protests elly come to their rescue when a | lor the course, mid not all of them
of the white bankers, the business numb, r hits them very hard. All of were colored. Those folks who did
grew among the Afro-Americans, and the bets made on the above named not enroll for the course aided this
before the withdrawal of the New collected In Homestead an- hastily inckel by paying large sums for “hot
York Clearing House reports, the tiansported to Pittsburgh
1 lips,"
One of these established
business done by the Nordlrs was
Throughout the town esch banker schools was nn absolute success and
very, very Insignificant and the col­ has a number of “stations." Most of tile lender, who was a former garage
ored business had spread to an area these stations are operated by col­ man, became wealthy over night with
of about twenty-five miles.
ored bankers the only ones operated many hundreds of people paying
With the clearing house numbers by whites are those In the exclusive homage to him At the present time,
Many of especially on Friday nights, many Photo taken in basement of Leadenhall Hantlst Church. KalUmore, M l ,
abolished, the racket became a local white residential sections
one- a number was given out 1« Ihc slatlona operated by Afro-Amrrl- colored homes In Homestead arc used where !7* shoes were given sws* during the t'nristmss holidays. At the left
Homestead that was good for the eifna are classified ss business house* for readings and the pi esc i ice of so ! Is Mes. Mhrl Davis. At the extreme right Is the Kev. S. H. James, p so tor.
Cam e Conducted Openly, Bankers Collect,
Spiritualists Sell Tips, and Runners G o from
House to House Canvassing. Corner Store
will Place a Bet. Dice Rolled Every Noon
and Evening.
South Baltimore Children Get New Shoes
III'