National Republican., 1882-12-08
and most of the police knew me. I was on

and most of the police knew me- / was on
the force for seven years myself"
"Then you were not afraid Of captureP
Not much would never have been caught
at all If hadn't gone into country town. l
was always safe in o city. Do YOU suppose
these Joints could exist If tboy were not un-
der the protection so to speak, of the detec
tives and the police2 We moved our Joint
from the Avenue when q newspaper moved
into the Globe building, and came upon Capt.
tol Hill"
"Well, about this protection business of
the detectives and police, what do you do, pay
them regular salary or give them percent
age!"'
You must excuse my answering that ques-
tion, but know that made u good deal of
money, and yet
MADE MY REGULAR DIVIDE
Pm afraid am talking too much now, but If
can save myself by telling tho truth about
these men at the proper time Pm going to
do it,"
Murphy declined to say anything further
except to intimate that the method by which
detectives were fixed was by giving them
10 per cont. where the parties fleeced did not
complain, but If complaint was made, then the
detective got half of the winning.
o'LEARY WAS THEN SENT FOR
and proved to be tall, well -proportioned man
with black hair and moustache and dark eyes,
of quite prepossessing appearance. He, IL ap-
pearcd was "steerer in the hunks business
while Murphy was "player." O'Leary was
not nearly so cautious in his manner as was
Murphy and asserted that nearly all the de-
tectives were on the "divide," but that the
police, the uniformed men were all " straight"
except one or two. and that the crookedness
was confined to headquarters.
do you think Lieut.. Ecklof is crooked {"
asked the reporter.
90 do I think hn ia Darfpptlv
You see he and Voss and Coomes and Acton
are what the others call 'chumps,' and they
are 'Chumps.' Whatever they got, If any
thing, was always obtained from the others,
and in such way that they couldn't trace it.
But the others-well, it was a regular thing.
BLACK MuzzLE' WAS THE RECEIVER
for long time, but he played wolf SO that
the others would not trust him, and then an
other was appointed. Why" said he, the
last case l worked was star-route witness
out of $500. He kicked, and said he hadn't
money enough to get home with, and we gave
him $50. Then he went to headquarters and
made another kick, and the detective who
took him to see if he could identify the man
who steered him, brought him into the place
where l was sitting, and run him by, so
he should not see me, and then took
him to q number of saloons that 1 never
visited. Finally he got him out of town, tell
ing him that he would look after the matter
and write him. We had to pay $75 for that"
Mr.. O'Leary said that when he went before
the grand jury some time ago he saw Detec-
| tive Miller standing on the courthouse steps
as he went in, and that Miller afterward came
to him and said, 81 understand you are going
before the grand jury. Now, you stick by us
and we'll stick by YOU" 81 did stick by
them," added he, "but they went back on me"
DISTRICT ATTORNEY coRKHILL
was also seen and asked if Wood or either of
the monte men had made written statements
| to him. He replied that nothing had come
before him officially, and that he was now
engaged upon his argument to present to the
court in general term when the exceptions
taken by the counsel of the monte men will
be considered. He said he was trying to have
tho law say that the monte men were
thieves instead of gamblers, as they
claimed to be; that he believed that men
who heeced others out of their money in
games wherein the victim has no chance to
win, are as much thieves as though they took
the money from their victims person. In
reference to the charges of crookedness in the
detective force he said he believed that this
whole matter arose from the remarks he made
| at the trial of these monte men, when he said
| that over $500, 900 had been stolen under the
eyes of the police, and that the business had
been carried on with method and boldnes!
unparalleled, and that the operations could
| not have been so continuously carried on, and
/ to such an extent without the knowledge OF
the police.
AT THE DOORS OF THE CAPITOL.
! One would naturally suppose it would be
reasonably safe to visit the Capitol building
in daylight without danger of being robbed,
hut it is not, although the place is guarded by
special detail of patrolmen and detectives.
| The grounds are and have been haunted all
summer by eight or ten confidence thieves of
| the worst sort. The faces of these rogues are
familiar to every one about the place, and the
police know them we'll, as is proved by the
fact that they have kept them out of the
building, though they have made no eff
| fort to interfere with their operations
outside its doors. These rascals found
/ those who had. neglected to provide them
selves with arctic overcoats were driven TO
shelter. Several, however, clung to their beats,
| and others pursued % search for easy people
in the horse-cars 1t was very dry picking
for the gentlemen, and they wore an appear
ance of discouragement as the shades OF
evening fell upon them.
THE DEPREpArIoNs OF THESE THIEVES
| have become a source of constant complaint.
They have pieyed on the unsuspecting public
for months without interference from the
police, and hundreds of victims have been
taken from the very doors of the legislative
halls led into dives near the foot of the hill
and "plucked." Their victims are taken from
every walk of live; but naturally they are all
strangers. The wolves lie in wait for strangers
and when they espy person who looks as
though he might prove profitable acquaint-
dnce, they ihsten upon him. This "bunko u
business is worked in great measure by pro-
icssionals. When Congress is not in session
their usual method is to accost a stranger as
near the foot Of the hill as possible, and tell
him that
THE CAPITOL rs CLOSED.
Having broken the ice, they "play their
sucker" for all he is worth, volunteering to
show him the grounds and furnishing him
intelligence concerning the darlington statue
and other matters. Generally the operator is
joined by confederate within very short
time after he has hooked fish, and the two Join
issues. Having won tho confidence of their
new acquaintance, the sharks proceed to lead
him by slow or rapid stages, as the exigen-
Cics of tho occasion seem to demand, TO con-
venient restaurant or saloon, where he is
systematically robbed in the most approved
manner. Three-card monte and "thimble-
rigging" games of various sorts are played for
! his especial benefit, and after he has taken a
drink OF two of "pile-knOt" OF blue, jeans u
whisky ho is liable to bet his money on any
thing. There are several
VERY DIsREPUTABLE PLACES
within two or thu co blocks of the foot of the
steps, at the end of Pennsylvania avenue,
| into which the bunko" shalps lead their
victims, and if the police were not blind
they could see what is going on very easily.
That there is no human being so utterly and
hopelessly blind as n blind policeman, and no
organization of men so powerloss to detect
or suppress crime as passive police depart
ment is notorious fact. There is every
reason to believe that hundreds of men have
| been nlundprcl u-ound the baSe of CaDitol