Zachariah Simmons
Encyclopedia
Zachariah Simmons was an underworld figure involved in running policy games
in New York during the late 19th century. Supported by the Tweed Ring, he took over the policy rackets from Reuben Parsons
and John Frink following the end of the American Civil War
. He would run three-fourths of the city's six or seven hundred policy operations and eventually held interests as far away as Milwaukee and Richmond
. He would eventually retire during the 1880s and turned control over to one of his runners, Albert J. Adams
who would continue to run Simmons' policy games until the reform movements during the 1910s.
Numbers game
Numbers game, also known as a numbers racket, policy racket or Italian lottery, is an illegal lottery played mostly in poor neighborhoods in the United States, wherein a bettor attempts to pick three digits to match those that will be randomly drawn the following day...
in New York during the late 19th century. Supported by the Tweed Ring, he took over the policy rackets from Reuben Parsons
Reuben Parsons
Reuben Parsons was an American gambler and underworld figure in New York during the early-to mid 19th century. He was the first man, along with partner John Frink, to establish illegal gambling and policy banks. Parsons was considered the top gambler, known as the "Great American Faro Banker", and...
and John Frink following the end of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He would run three-fourths of the city's six or seven hundred policy operations and eventually held interests as far away as Milwaukee and Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. He would eventually retire during the 1880s and turned control over to one of his runners, Albert J. Adams
Albert J. Adams
Albert J. Adams was known as The Policy King and the Meanest Man in New York. He ran the numbers game in New York City from around 1890 to around 1905.-Biography:...
who would continue to run Simmons' policy games until the reform movements during the 1910s.
Further reading
- Cornell Law Project. The Development of the Law of Gambling: 1776-1976. Washington, DC: National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, 1977.
- Hyde, Stephen and Geno Zanetti (ed.) Players: Con Men, Hustlers, Gamblers and Scam Artists. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2002. ISBN 1-56025-380-0