New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-03-17
THE THIEVES TERROR.

prevailed among TIE ednaHe Of the Eighth Ward on tho
appearance yesterday in THE tribune OF the article ON
Gambling and Panel H0usesv Tbere vos ,lso mo I,,,o
excitement al Ponce headquarters. kilograms were
flying between Superintendent Kelso and bis auborli
Dates unfortunate patrolmcn and Captains Of Precincts
were severely crosscXamined by him. and many ~ oro
retired from that awful private room OF his invoking
| anything but blessings THE TRIBUNE reporters who
| had caused all the mischief One advantage has Ger
tainy been gained The prOpretors of these dens have
| received than "A severe shaking from
the police. Officers have been posted at
the entrance Of every panel-house TO prevent
unwary victims from walking into the arms OF the
thieves With large staff OF female assistants to sup
port all of whom have to be extensively dressed with
heavy rents to pay and large brides 10 be PAID nightly 10
the local paromen il impossible that these panel
houses can continue their infamous business II the Su-
perintendent OF Police firmly adheres to his determine
! ton to break them up. At early hour yesterday
! morning, Superintendent Keso tecgraphed Capt Nc
Cary Of the Eighth Precinct TO repair TO headquarters
On his arrival he was ut once asked u TIE Tribune
! article was based facts. The Captain was forced
! to admit that IL was true. although he was at
! first inclined to deny ts correctness. He received
singing reprmand for not having sooner
reported the facts to the superintendent and
told that it necessary for the superintendent
to so ont and collect information for himself he would
endoayor to apply remedy. Capt. MeClary was or
derod place officers in front of each panel house men
surveillance until pancltheyng is eGectually broken up
During the day a representative of THE TRIBUNE called
superintendent Kelso and in response to questions
with reference to the article IN TIE TRIBUNE, the super
intcndent said:
the oiicie IS true IN egerD word Of H. Thare aSccT
TUNED ms iron, inquiry since rcadiHgM H."
The superintendent then asked who the author Of
the article. The reporter replied that he was not ut
liberty to answer the question, because it rlo in
THE TRIBUNE Office that the name OF the author OF an
article should not De disclosed except a the discretion
OF the managing editor.
The superintendent replied that bis object in making
the inquiry was that he might communicate with the
author and et him 10 make complaint against the Of
fccrs who had trcated and arrested aim. lie declared,
further that he ony 800 glad that any loosene or
abuse which might exist IN the Department should 10
exposed that lie might apply the correction at once. He
was mortified. however ihat In so glang case rs this,
tho information should have come through The columns
OF q newspaper and not from his subOflinates.
After recOuntn VIVA; had been done to break up the
panel game the superintendent declared that he would
next turn his attention 70 the keno games, and seemed
surprised to find tlat gambling going on 50 openly
How police officer OF any grade De ignorant OF this,
however IA rot evident the garing lights and crowds
OF svOrtuon to Dc IN the vicinity Oi Broadway aud
Housion-st, every night and during the small hours OF
the morning evidence enough 20 every ono expert
oEccG IN city crime. Obviously, those Captains in whose
precincts these abuses exist have not been particularly
o. afrs. Nearly every police officer who had read tic
article no matter what his grade, expressed himself
satisfied as to its correctness. II seemed TO carry con
vction with It, Several old ana experienced officers,
holding positions OF trust declared from what they had
heard they Of tie opinion that hs subject Of I'M
suppressed crime might he still further pursued TO al
vantage - -
One Of TIE THuNE reporters spent several hours last
evening v.n, the different places mentioned in the ar
tto .rl.. "a q WI
the police and he also visited several liquor stores and
trldesen ascertain the views Of those most likely to
reflect the opinion Of tho inhabitants OF the With and
XVII wards. TIC Keno places were all in iul past,
and crowded as usual with infatuated player Flor
cnces's saloon was visited among the others aud was
found to DE well raronizcd. The reporter was told
but does not yOuch for tie truth OF the story,
that person supposed 70 be reporter and who was in
vcsing in the game, thrown bodily out of this
salgon and his cards taken from him. by rough called
"Bg Candy" OF the propretors. Certain it is that
threats against the writer Of the article were freely
uttered and had the presence Of Of the reporters
been known, he would have been roughly dealt with At
the I'urUs nothing noteworthy occurred
cept universally desire to know the writer OF
the article and to obtain revenge The reporter learned
that Tom Draper heard tO remark in Rcddy the
Blacksmiths nquOrstOre that if they (the paper had
only let him alone thee months longer, he would have
made money enough His host volunteered to go with
him TO TIE TRIBUNE Office aud punch The heads OF tie
reporters but Draper declined to do 1t.
The panelhouses, TO all outward appearances, were
closed and, in fact, the evening stormy few of
the prostitutes who hablues Of the houses were in
the streets in front OF each house policeman was
eatoned the houses in the Eighth Ward being No. 62
Greenest officer No. 4SJ Nos. 50 and 81 Grandst officer
No l2; No. al Morcerst, officer No. 46 No i76 Broome
ST. officer No 2lS7 In the Fifteenth Ward. No. 239
WoOser-s was watched by officer NO. 655; No 22 Greene
ST. by officer No. si2; and No. 2O9 Greenest by officer
No. 17 After learning these facts the reporter visited
the Eighth Ward Station-HOuse, and was very politely
received by the Sergeant duty, who eheerfuy VERT
fed the repOrer3 numbers Of the officers, from the de-
tabook He next visited The Fifteenth Ward Station
House. where in response to questions, he gained the
yishcd-for yerifcauon from the Sergeant on duty The
Sergeant speaking OF the article said that II was caeu
lated to do good deal Of good IN awaklng puDnc
| opinion, and might result in the wedding out
| of au The houses lie said that one diff
entity they had to encounter in the Fifteenth
ward was the occupation OF portions OF these houses by
respecabe people, who knew nothing OF the robDeres
perperaed on the first floors, and could not be held
responsible for them The difficulty OF discriminating
WHO were respectable and who were not while the ar
rest of the wrong persons would provoke criticism and
nrobabIy censure were things TO be considered, and
nrolaby in many operated TO deter the authori
! ties from making arrests
The respectable inhabitants Of both Wards whom
reporter visited delighted with the exposure They
saw that the gangs which nfest West HOus0n-st and
make 1t dangerous at night composed Of those who,
having their money at Keno, attempt by robbery TO
secure the TO try their luck again. They are also
unanimous in stating that the game afOrdng as 1t does
through the smalnoss OF the stake AN opportunity TO
play of which everybody avail himself, has done
more than ANYTHING else to ruin and demoraize young
men, and should be broken up
KEEP TIE BALL ROLLING
To the EditOr Of The Tribune.
SIR: THE TRIBUNE created a sensat ion this
morning with the exposure of Panel Houses and Keno.
fhnronghlY annIecinfed by all