New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-06-23
CRACKSMEN and DETECTIVES

CEIVER LUDIOW-S1. JAIL AND
JAIL AT BOsToN-oUR POLICE SYSTEM.
The following statements appear III the re-
cent message OF the Mayor Of this city;
fashion to cali New.YorA City vedest one IN The
5ed world Bat notwithstanding that the refuse vice ana e
sy S sSSp i sS s dTDe into SewYor city ss
e erin; committed Sy s n 5 Ere P%sS q he
Hushpd cities CpTus Oebe during the next Two OF
eun Of crime and Vice rom places elsewhere than Nevlok will
no sss s,. 70 ,0P1T against S smUs exist, Can any
Rovv recall the Of desperate or eupn whose Sns d Tss
Iesn sIcmPlsry dealt with as criminals are nOwi
The natural and simple test Of the efficiency OF our
Police system would be TO compare the amount OF stoe
property annually recovered with the amount reported
los test the authorities do not and nave not Tor
teyera years permitted In Boston, In 1870 s98soo
worth of property stolen, aud sGS worth OF was
restored the agency police According to the
report OF our Police Commissioners just rendered. az
pears that over 81 worth Of property was res'
by the police to those whom thad been stolen uS
ing last year But the statement OF amount on VIZ ~.
ena losses is withheld. There is reason to t.
those in power dare not permit this test-a tes' w.
eo,o,noniv apped in other cities and even IN some VI
suburbs. ,,,.. ,o,,rDo,
The Mayor quotes a New England hepuo-' -" 80 ~, -.
as tesfying 10 the efficiency OF our system 10 ~
preston Of crime. The general teS'iuiOny - Nv, 80.
land officers of Justice. however VIM u''e I ,.rtu
reason to become informed on the SUBJECT any 'us
~, eatto,ir, 70 our police authorities. They nave
,od ~ o1nerjence to dread our police and criminal
courts NEARLY as much as they dread our criminals
or are NOT alone in their dstrust OF our Ponce HEAD
quarters The capitalists of Wal-st have been taught
bv long of failures Of the police TO convict Grim
nsls and to recover spOs the necessity Of providing
Cor their own protection The Executive Committee Of
the Clearing House is even devising system for
the prevention and punishment OF crime independent OF
the aid of the police authorities whom, evidently for
partisan purposes, Mayor Hall eulOgzes The
police organization signaly fails IN It's
object in ninetenths Of the cases in which
large money interests are involved. The robbery OF
banks either by forgery burglary and the receiving
of stolen bonds or money oenses for which punish
Inent has been for years almost unknown IN ts
city, What signifies the arrest and conviction OF some
mere dufer" subordinate, some bungler at forgery
or checkraisng, some novice In pocRetpieking some
unskifu manipulation Of stolen bonds While the really
dangerous criminals. the daring and expert "cracks
men" and Observation-Disclosures who swoop only for
large spoils-have their eyres in conspicuous places
and after every predatory raid I'm city or country nd
immunity the earliest fruit of SUGGEST
The assertion is made that conspiracy exists at Police
Headquarters, that its ramhcatons extend mo the
Courts and that its object to secure percentage OF
the proceeds Of crime Certain members OF the detective
rorps and other and higher officials are named as CON
stung this dishonorable combination These men are
found in possession of wealth evidently dsproporuonate
70 the accumulation OF ordinary salaries. Police jus
nee collects at Treasury through his banker the
interest upon over 100000 in United states bonds regis
tered I'm his naIne A wel-lnown detective whose name
has become prOverba from OnSssiOn to secure cOnyc
hons is said by other public officers TO have acquired
fortune Of about 100000 during few years service at
salary of 81 2OO Other members ohs small but evidently
powerful combination credited with the possession OF
Iaually large means. well-knOwn firm of criminal
lawyers has gradually acquired almost monopoly OF
eases coming up I'm certain Police Court in which
criminals well supplied with money are concerned The
income Of this firm is stated at amount almost beyond
belief and yet these lawyers supposed TO be allowed
90 keep not much than per cent Of their apparent
Earnings. The remainder 1t Is said, goes into the pool"
sor division among those who ind cases for trial, and
those who try them.
What is the record OF convictions OF bank robbers
through the agency of New-York Ofcersi There have
been remarkably large number or bankrobheries AZ
East within the last three years. The perpetrators
have BEEN as rule criminals well known 20 the police
of NewYork, and the alleged receivers OF the stolen
bonds and other property are equally well known, in
several cases. members of Tammany clubs, as contrib
ptors TO Tammany election funds, aud of them
M no distant period member of the Tammany General
Committee Within three years past, the following
banks have been robbed of the amounts named :
Ocean Bank, New-York City, 100000; Norwalk Bank,
Conn s25OO0O; Boylston Bank 100000; Grafton Bank
Mass $4,000; Marlborough Bank, n. H., $4,000; Pc
nnonnock Bank Conn.,. 500 900; Glenns Falls Bank ~ "
$4,000 South KensngtOn Bank, philadelphia, 100000
To these are 10 be added the WIN. l.. Gray Co fraud
by which Wall-st. was plundered Of at least 100000
the loss Of $4,000 gold by f. C. sedman broker; the
stealing Of box Of securities amounting to 100000 from
No &c Wa-st, and the thousand and one minor check
foeeries amounting to perhaps 100000 Within few
weeks a package Of $4,000 in bonds was snatched
from the Office Of the Union Trust Company; a
forged check for 5000 passed on E. d. Nor
gan, and another the Exchange Bank for $500
There be taken into account the considerable
number Of robberes which never reported by the
pie. for of ~
believed from the foregoing figures that certain gangs
Of criminals have handled during the period above
named bonds and money unlawfully obtained, TO the
amount Of over 100000 But, Of all that amount, not
than oneffth has been recovered for the losers
or aHHe perpetrators Of these seUerdl robberteS can the
police Of New- York point 10 single one conrfeted
through heiY ageney1 Officers from other cities have
occurred the conviction Of few but in bringing about
such convictions it is believed that Police Head
quarters rendered very little aid, II any. True, many
Of these rObberes took place out Of NewYOrk City, yet
got only the amount Of this kind of crime that is per-
perated here and does go unpublished shown by these
figures TO be large to throw rldicule upon the
MAYORS euOgium but the detectives themselves,
whose profession it Is TO know the haunts and habits Of
nrmnas and 10 have secret sources OF information to
the movements, nay to the very plans Of organized
crime, would resent such an imputation upon their
sagaCty as would be implied in their being relieved from
the responsibility Of feretng out the gangs Of criminals
rdldlhg uehce upon pdhhs III VV"u'i' WINS - ''O>'7
u bank robbery requires the association of six to twelve
persons and the simultaneous absence Of any such num-
her from the comparatively limited class known TO be
capable Of breaking into bank protected by modern
ssfeards ought Of itself generally to afford clues su
rient for detection,
The following list is believed upon the evidence Of ex
perienced officers, 10 include the names of wellknown
criminals each Of whom concerned in some one and
in some cases. in several of the rObberies above enume
rated They may be termed" pet criminals for they
seem to enjoy the protection Of powerful influences at
Police Headquarters George Wilkes "spence Pettus,
Hank Hail. Engles, Michigan Bill,"-forgers VIM.