The Portland daily press., 1872-12-25
THE KNIFE AND THE PISToL-THE POLICY
SHOPS AND THEIR KEEPERS


New YORK, DEC. 20, 1872.
Murder! Murder! The knife and the
pistol are doing their horrid work more pro-
fusely than ever before. The latest assina-
ton Of one policy shop-keeper by another was
one of the most atrocious and malignant
butcheries of which the annals of crime fur
nish any record. These two men are repre-
seLtatives of class who live in habitual and
scarcely disguised violation of law, pursuing
calling which brings them under severe
penal statute, and yet they are never molest-
ed, and become so accustomed to driving
their nefarous trade without interference
that they hardly realize that they are chronic
wrong doors. For quarter of century Or
more this business has been pursued here to
a large extent, and men have realized for
tunes by it. Benz. Wood is the leader and
chief of the policy dealers, and she as you
know has not only escaped conviction, but
has been sent to the State Senate and the
United States House of Representatives and
is 10 this day an oracle and authority among
Democratic politicians. Il,
Next to the rum shop, or TO use somewhat
vulgar but extremely expressive slang phrase,
the gin mill, the policy shop in New York
city is the most demoralizing agency for des-
polling its poor. ignorant, credulous victims of
their scanty earnings. The most inveterate
patrons of this mystic craft are the black
people in whom a certain vein of credulity or
superstition runs which makes them suscep-
tible to the destinations Of game of chance.
They '.play policy" in their dreams, and bet
on the numbers revolved in the midst of their
broken slumbers. Like many other species
of gambling this passion ''grows by what it
feeds on' and these poor creatures endure
hunger and nakedness that they may con-
tinue to buy chances in lotteries that never
win, and invest in numbers that are proven
bially unlucky.
Thriving on such decisions of the poor,
your policy shop keeper revels in diamonds,
drives fast horses, occasionally sports his
yacht and gives entertainments to the
Judges and prosecuting officers of the Crimi-
nal courts within whose bar he ought to be
answering for his ofenses. Sometimes per-
haps he receives gentle warning, the effect
Of which he perfectly understands. He buys
immunity from further attack as cheaply as
he can and charges whatever disbursement
heis compelled to make to "Black Mail ac-
count"
The murderer in this case appears to be
one of the average type of his class, got up in
the somewhat fashy costume which tney
affect and to have had his demoniac spirit
kindled within him by the successful rivalry
of form er partner. Unused to either moral
or legal restraints, acoustic ned to look upon
law breaking as thing of course under GER
tain circuu stances, it cannot be supposed
that homicide was in ested in his mind, with
any such awful turpitude, as better men are
wont to associate with the idea of it, even
under eX rene provo alton. He has now to
confront public opinion which has been
aroused by the frequency of murder to the
absolute necessity of Furnishing it vigorously
and what is more dangerous for him a new
public prosecutor within a four days will dis
place the stu gish and apparently torpid
District Attorney during whose administra-
ton deaths by violence have been more fire.
quen than during any preceding few years.
If Mr.. Phelps signalzes his oficiai career
by urging on speedy trial of such malefact-
ors as Simmons, King. and all the-more re-
cent offenders, whose desperate crimes call so
loudly for vengeance, he will inspire evil
doers with some fear of and respect for
the law and we may look for a dim
mutton in the number of terrible homicides
which have been occurring with startling
rapidity of late.
Nevertheless we cannot expect law-abid-
ing spirit in a community where so many
statutes are a dead letter.. While the policy
sh ,p, the gambling saloon, the dance house,
and other fruitful nurseries of profigacy and
vice en- oy the federation of the men whose
business it is to execute all laws, murderels
will grow in these very schools of iniquity
and the gallows must try to cure what inert
officials neglected to prevent.
THE TRIBUNE EDIToRsHIP.
There was a great deal of surprise felt here
at the sudden cessation of negotiations be-
tween Mr.. Cofax and the new proprietors of
a controlling interest in the Tribune. 1t was
believed and stated that the arrangement
was actually concluded on the 10Th, that Mr.
Colfax subsequently hesitated, asked for three
days before committing himself irrevocably,
and that on being answered that his demand
for time, if persisted in must be deemed
declnation, said, ''well, let it be so consider
ed then"
THE FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL FIRE.
At the time of the fire in the Fifth Aven-
ue Hotel the Herald vas evidently tnirsting
for fresh excitement. Accordingly it
pitched into the propretors of that excellent
inn, with ferocity that bordered ON the dia-
boicai. They were accused of being the
guilty cause OF the calamity which led to the
sutft cation of eleven o. their servant; VIII.
occupi d one of the upper dormitories. For
some DAYS the paper raved and stormed
against them in column after column. New
ertheless the facts are developed in the inves-
t'gation before the Fire Marshal, and as they
are being revealed at the pending inquest uy
the Coroner, demonstrate, what every oody
who knew the men might have been certain
of; lie. shat there had been no inhumanity,
neglect or snort coming of aLy kind on the
part of the proprietol Of the house. Messrs.
Darling and Griswold are among the most
exemplary and public spirited of New York
citizens. Understanding to absolute perfec-
ito the difficult and intricate art of "eeep-
lug hoteI', they have never forgotten how
10 De SeuIleIueu. Lucy are UOUu IQeQ u
broad and ju .icious libe ality s'as prompt to
he call kindness as the summers wind o
blow into the flung up window, and as
ready as any men VINO dwell among us to
lend he pi G han or a generous purse to |
any good .bject that app ais to human SYM
pathy.
Naturally, just such gentlemen as these
are peculiarly sensitive to any allegation re- |
hecting on their kindness to their employees,
and for their sakes shall be glad when the |
truth, as set before the public through the in |
vestigation now in progress vihdicates them |
from every aspersiou, and makes it apparent |
that they have omitted nothing which the |
highest sentiments of Christian philanthropy |
demanded of them in the trying crisis they |
were suddenly subjected to.
CoMPoUNDING FELONY.
The cool acknowledgement implied in Jay |
Gouids restitution of between seven and |
line millions of dollars to the Erie Railway |
Company, opens new chapter in the biogra-
,hy of the class he belongs ,and will go into
history as the greatest piece of effrontery
ver exhibited by dashing criminal sup
rose there was nothing for the directors to
10 but to take the money, and forego the
prosecution; but it is painful alternative.
What precedent to establish for the future
reatment of great railway defaultersl If
hese things go onsmuch longer no capitalist
viii dare to invest dollar in the stock of
corporations controlled by boards of Direct
RS. Who can tell how soon "rings" will be
i = II 1