Tampa, Bolita, and the First Half of the Twentieth Century
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Sunland Tribune Volume 26 01/01/2000 Article 5 2000 Political Excess Shaped by a Game of Chance: Tampa, Bolita, and the First Half of the Twentieth Century Pam Iorio Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sunlandtribune Recommended Citation Iorio, Pam (2000) "Political Excess Shaped by a Game of Chance: Tampa, Bolita, and the First Half of the Twentieth Century," Sunland Tribune: Vol. 26 , Article 5. Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/sunlandtribune/vol26/iss1/5 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sunland Tribune by an authorized editor of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. POLITICAL EXCESS SHAPED BY A GAME OF CHANCE: Tampa, Bolita, and the First Half of the Twentieth Century Pam Iorio At the northeast comer of Eighth Avenue and Fourteenth Street in modern Ybor The first half of the twentieth century City is a parking lot for Hillsborough saw the city of Tampa grow from a Community College. While historical frontier village to a medium size markers dot numerous locations metropolis, experiencing challenges that throughout this historic Latin district set it apart from other cities in Florida. there is no marker on this comer, nothing Tampa’s ethnically diverse population to indicate that this spot in Ybor City consisting of Cubans, Spanish and saw the birth of a gambling industry that Italian immigrants, who settled in Ybor would shape the identity and the politics City and West Tampa, fueled a booming of Tampa. cigar industry that brought tremendous revenues and nationwide recognition to Tampa historian Tony Pizzo credits the the city. 1895 arrival of bolita to Tampa to Spaniard Manual Suarez, known as El Tampa’s port and railroad linkage Gallego. Drawn to the growth and supported economic growth. Civic vitality of Ybor City, El Gallego opened affairs were dominated by pioneer a saloon at the northeast comer of Tampa families, white, Anglo Fourteenth Street and Eighth Avenue, businessmen who traveled in a and introduced a game of chance that constricted social circle webbed by was, at first, considered a fun diversion marital ties among their families. The for working class families. Pizzo city’s political affairs were the stuff of described how the game of bolita was legend and lore. Election days were played: raucous affairs. Tooting car horns and brass bands provided a festive backdrop Bolita was ‘played’ by the selling of to the highly intense and personal chance on numbers ranging from one campaigns that culminated in rowdy and to one hundred. Little wooden balls unpredictable election-day antics. bearing the numbers were placed in a Election fraud was pervasive. Deeply bag, which was tossed around a intertwined with the political and social circle of men. A number of the life of Tampa was another industry that crowd would reach for the bag when defined the city - gambling. For more it was tossed into the air, and seize than half a century, Tampa’s reputation one of the balls. This ball was cut grew as a gambling Mecca where from the bag with scissors, and lawlessness was condoned by a wink and declared the winning number. Those a payoff to public officials. At the heart holding the winning number were of the gambling industry was a game of paid at a rate of 8 to 1. Bets started at chance, imported from Cuba. It was 5 cents and up to a limit set by the called bolita.1 house. Bolita was ‘thrown’ every night at 9 o’clock and twice on under his wing and sent him off to Sundays.2 military college. This was a short-lived experiment in rehabilitation; Charlie was Bolita was illegal, but despite that fact, kicked out of college and returned to its popularity quickly spread throughout Tampa where he found his true vocation: the city, crossing racial, ethnic and gambling. economic lines. Affluent customers bought their tickets in fashionable Hyde Charlie’s new career was helped by the Park; blacks played in their fact that "some of Tampa’s most neighborhood, an area west of Ybor City prominent citizens . were heavy called the "Scrub," while cigar workers bettors." One of his first experiences in Ybor City factories bought bolita with gambling was as a courier for bets tickets and cafe con leche with the same placed on horse races. Wall made a regularity. Though Cuban and Spanish commission from the transaction and boliteros first organized syndicates to saw just how lucrative having the right control this profitable industry, it was an connections could be. Wall surmised that Anglo from a well respected Tampa a bolita system built on these same family who figured out how to form a powerful connections could also flourish partnership that linked both Tampa’s and he saw the long term potential for gambling and political interests. amassing wealth and political power. The dynamics of small town Tampa, Tampa’s written local history is rich with with a clearly defined political power references to Charlie Wall. Called the structure that operated on a system of "dapper dean" of Tampa gambling, the cronyism and personal favors, served "Bolita King," a "brilliant gambling Wall’s interests. Bolita operators would czar," the "Big Boss," Tampa’s Racket pay Wall for protection from the police, Chief," "the brains behind a gambling Wall would buy votes, elections would empire," and "Ybor’s Underworld King," be won, and public officials would be Wall is a fixture in Tampa’s colorful paid to tolerate the status quo. Tampa local history. No novelist could conjure elections, which never enjoyed a history up a more compelling character. Born in of fairness or accuracy, would now be 1880 into a highly respected and leading manipulated by gambling interests.3 Tampa pioneer family, his father, John P. Wall, was a former mayor and well Understanding gambling’s influence on known doctor and Wall’s mother was elections and political life in Tampa descended from the McKays, another requires an appreciation of how pioneer family prominent in civic and Tampans historically chose to exercise business affairs of the city. His mother their franchise. Even before the turn of died when he was just twelve; his father the twentieth century, Tampa elections died two years later. Charlie was left were steeped in personal attacks, only with a stepmother whom he managed in a slipshod fashion, and disliked so much he shot at her with a generally only for the most stout-hearted .22 rifle, earning himself a stint in jail by participant. An election in 1887 age seventeen. Finally an uncle, Dr. H.T. provoked the following editorial from Lykes, a member of another wealthy and the Tampa Weekly Journal: prestigious Tampa family, took Wall For two or three days before the "Tampa was still nothing but a lusty election, whiskey was dispensed free boom town which was suffering acutely by some of the saloons. On election from growing pains."5 Election day day the streets were lined with revealed an unruly and unsophisticated drunken men, the most obscene, facet of this diverse community, a side at vulgar, and profane language could odds with the progressive and vibrant be heard, not only on the streets, but image city leaders so desperately wanted also in the room in which the to portray. But the history of Tampa election was held. Frequent rows and contains an interesting sidebar: the men fights occurred, and during the entire who ruled the city through most of the day and night a drunken and riotous twentieth century were willing to put up mob held possession of the town. with the city’s wild elections and Such a state of affairs are a disgrace notorious gambling reputation, as long to an intelligent and civilized as they remained in power. community, and the Journal desires to place itself on record as being Elections would continue to be raucous opposed to any such proceedings. affairs, far into the new century. Election We denounce the buying of votes by day was often a festive event, with any man, either with money or highly competitive races that brought whiskey; we do not believe in excitement to the citizenry. In the 1908 coercion or intimidation, and we call mayoral race, the Tampa Morning upon the respectable, law-abiding Tribune reported that, "Every musician and intelligent citizens of Tampa to in the city who could muster an see to it that the like does not occur instrument was marshaled into bands, again.4 and from early mom until the last ballot had dropped into the boxes, blasts of ‘A The reality of Tampa elections was at Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight’ and odds with they image that city fathers other melodies added to the din of wanted to project of their growing city. cheering around the polls. The bands Early boosters of Tampa attempted to were transported from one precinct to depict a vibrant city on the move, led by another in carry-alls, and after regaling progressive men of vision. In 1895, The the workers at one voting place would Tampa Morning Tribune featured a hasten to another to cheer with their front-page spread entitled "Beautiful lively airs."6 When automobiles replaced Tampa By the Gulf" which detailed the the horse and buggy, candidates hired tremendous growth and vitality of the cars to transport voters and carry their city. The article’s headlines summarized messages throughout the city with Tampa in this way, "Public Spirit and megaphones. On election day in 1910, Harmony Abound Among Its Prosperous the streets of Tampa were teeming with and Contented Inhabitants - - The activity, "with people moving about in Demand for Real Estate - It Is every possible kind of conveyance Impossible to Supply - - Suburbs Are excepting balloons and airships, and the Spreading Rapidly - Public Improvement thoroughfares were congested at all the the Order of the Day." Historian Karl polling places.7 Grismer saw a different Tampa during this same time period, concluding, Tampa politics was personal and many While the thought of the black citizens understood that their own "purchasable" vote was unacceptable to success in this fledgling city had much city leaders, other "purchasable" votes to do with being aligned with a winner.