Ramifications of the Bucket Shop System Revealed by Detective Clifton
R. Wooldridge.
George T. Sullivan, the millionaire stock, bond, grain and cotton
broker at 159-161 LaSalle street, Chicago, Illinois, was arrested May
23, 1906, with 60 inmates. Twelve patrol wagon loads of books, records
and papers were seized and carted off to the Harrison Street Police
Station.
Mr. Sullivan at the time had one of the finest, best-equipped offices
in Chicago, which was located in the Traders' Building, opposite the
Chicago Board of Trade. He occupied several floors, and they were very
elaborately furnished. Part of the third floor was used as a telegraph
office, where forty men were constantly at work at the telegraph keys.
His private telegraph wires reached from the Atlantic to the Pacific
ocean, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the British possessions in the
north.
Mr. Sullivan paid to the Western Union Telegraph Company for the
privilege of using their wires and services $150,000 per year.
Mr. Sullivan had 111 branch offices, located in the principal cities
of the United States. Each of these branch offices evidently was
equipped with all the paraphernalia used in the bucketshop, and was in
charge of one of Mr. Sullivan's representatives.
Mr. Sullivan owned the entire equipments of the offices and dictated
the policy and work to each manager, which had to be carried out
to the letter. The following is a list of the branch offices and
locations which were operated by Mr. Sullivan:
[Illustration: GEORGE T. SULLIVAN]
[Illustration: OFFICES OF GEORGE T. SULLIVAN AFTER THE RAID]