The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-16


tectves. Says Commissioner Murdock: The
only furnish me with such information ns
want more particularly In regard to gambling
| still never could get to the place that L wante
Here we have a Police Commissioner employ
ing three detectives TO take him to some gam
bling place and he never can get to the place II
wants to go to- Commissioner Murdock fur
ther says: II presume it is under the authorit
three special dotectives / found the system il
vogue when l went there. and | adopted 1t.
Your committee cannot find the autho rity cve
| Of simple resolution for the employment o
| three detectives by single commissioner. Blu
gambling houses are 50 difficult Of detection
that the jealous Mr.. Murdock tells us even hi
| three detectives cannot find one.
! Lieut. Gov G. G. Antoine ingeniously INFORMED
your committee that he also employs u specla
detective to watch over the efficiency of IN
| force; said detective reports to him alone. Be
sides, he employs an officer who acts rs a sort .
body guard. and another officer who is Ugh
watch,nan ut my residenee. SIR says the Lien !.
| tenant Governor who thus costs the State II
personal gualdanship some $500.
| The other Commissioners have each spccia
Detectives; Ina word your eommitt9e ma tha
$4,000 por annum for detectives to watch over a
police. which has cost ON an average s7so.Wo O
for the as ths seven ah f2ar 10 '%tst
The bona % fide employment 81 sGcii slefectiSe
the Commissioners peremptorily refusing q
81 their respective detectives. 1mpairing their
force which. acccrdns = superIpteRdSni Loans
nothingp' Your committee have In the record
accompanying this report a tabulated estimate
made by Superintendent Loan. Out of u force
yet all the detectives and all the Commissioners
are Watching niglf and day over that force,
which Still remains unchanged. And for that
Your committee iind that Gov. W. 2. Kellogg
did on the - day Of July. 1878. eommjssiop. one
H. 3. Armstrong. assistant editor of the New
lvlx, Nina tufn mt .lnri n LirHt
Metropolitan Police Court, at a salary of $500
per annum
Said Armstrong. by authority Of Tho Governor
and with his consent. employed substitute. u
fiji said position ut said court. Mr.. Armstrong;
nan name 70 being borne on the pay tos Of said
y still drawing the full salary attached to said
clerkship.
AT the samo court and under like conditions.
Mr. W. H. Moon, clerk, at the St james Hotel,
was commissioned by Gov. Kellogg. Mr.. Moons
substitute Is paid $50 per month. the full salary
attached to that clerkship is. according, to Mr.
Moons statement, $1,000 per annum, Boo deposit
are of record. p
ernor was fully aware Of the sinecures he was
creating. and gave his full consent thereto. and
these acts. your committee are OF opinion, are
msdemeanors In Office, and the judge who al
least. very cOmpiaisant.
Your committee were struck, at the very
threshold Of their investigation. with tho exceed
ing prevalence of that crying evil. bunko. The
daily newspapers teemcd with editorial COM
plants and with emphatic protests from citi-
gems against this Infamous practice. and yet tho
superintendent Of Police and the captain OF that
precinct to which the evil. was notorfously con-
nned. remained IN complete Indifference until
the curious initiative taken by Police Commits
tan Board, OF Superintendent. W. r. Loan which.
q Is weii-known eliminated in his scquittal.
Your committee Prosecuted With vigor an fnyes-
M nff IN nd IA uff1xy
concluded that the Metropolitan Police Board
themselves are primarily responsible for the OK
te boa q as a Nave o saa ndhk cn
whose sole duty is to make a report to
his employer, upon all matters of police. and
pine. efficiency and general good conduct 'V, Of
he police force itself. Section - Of act %,
session Of 1869. provides that upon the
ne Metropolitan force that there are
rood grounds for believing any premises or
rooms within the metropolitan district to be kept
,hnlf alawfwl fcr thu ssoasa "a eosnnsiss
% authorize in writing any member or mem
,ers OF the police force to enter the same, who
nay forthwith arrest all persons there found
,lfending against the law. etc, etc. After cx-
mining u host of witnesses your committee
,aye failed to find IA single instance in which
,ithor the Board. the Superintendent or the
'aptains Of precincts. have acted under that sa.'
ion of the law. We find, on the contrary, u
ranEe , and absolute apathy eMNtendng M through
o attribute the Same to the sopuriflc virtues Of
money: Your committee gay that regular sys-
itan Police authorities upon the gambling es
Adjustments, extending from the Board them
elves down to and including the captains. Your
have been at great difficulties in OBJ
core. Yet we have established il beyond pcrad- |
-enture in the testimony Of i certain Dr. Grit
ear. has served as intermediary between the
,ollce authort les and the gamblers in the Sec |
md District. And also in the cvidence of "A GER
ain Mr. Daniel Wilson. the proprietor of n
gambling establishment.
Mr.. Daniel Wilson. in his testimony under
,ati, says he keeps gambling institution on
sits him regularly twice month to levy black
nail in the sum of $50 each time. or say sloo per
month. This money wi son pays with tho clear
he police" Mr.. Wilson SAYS: II first made his
Griffln'sl acquaintance about three years ago.
think had some bus mess with him about three
~ Canal street. He came to mo and represented
himself as the party that transacted that kind Of
usiness. or course that was all satisfactory to
ne. He has been in the habit Of visiting me reg
larly about one year
Question--lou say that ono Of the conditions
pon which you pay him this money is that you
re not to be troubled by the police ?
Answer-Most assuredly sir.
Question-If you did not pay. you would be
losed up?
Answer-I am inclined to think / would be
ulled
Queston-Is it not your impression that other
arties besides yourself do pay him in the same
manner?
Answer-Well, yes. sir
This Griilen under the plea of loan, makes.
$ he states, regular visits to the numerous
ambling houses in the Second District, and di-
idcS with certain police authorities the money
aus collected and gambling goes on flourish
~. Although, rs Mr.. Wilson says. the tax thus
,vicd is enormous. it stands to reason that
ian, intimate as Grffen is, by his own showing,
18th the police Of high and low degree cannot
ppropriate to himself the tax thus levied. The
extended to these gambling houses is
omplcte Just in proportion to their peculiar
II. A. Bray. ESD, is Police Commissioner. Vice
resident Of the Metropolitan Police Board, also
partner in q pawnbroker's shop in this. city.
nd friend Of this collector of blackmail. DR.:
rifen. to whom he lends money. sells gold
atches out of his pawnbroker's shop on credit,
nd Of whom, as DIR. Grifen says himself. he
ven bOryOWs money sometimes" iSee GrillenS
vdencc,. Now Police Commissioner Il. A. Rray
MS the especial supervision of the police OF the
econd District, and Griffen's beat does not cross
recinct wherein is situated Dan. Wilson's
ambling house.
Police Commissioner Bray. among other curl
us speeches. says: So far as my official duties
re- concerned, l am not opposed to gambling;
n my opinion public gambling houses cannot
9 closed. SO far as am concerned, as a Police
| don't care whether they are
pen or not" Superintendent Loan did re-
eatedy and in direct violation Of the law, issue
armts to parties authorizing the establish
lem to run publicly. We call special attention
the testimony of the Hon. o. I. Connor Mayor
the city of Kenncr. from which we quote the
blowing: The copy of the permit | offer In
.ldence vide is correct copy Of ,; the 9riglnad, sIGd
p,aII |