Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-03-10
BENEFITS DEFENCE
Of the Charge That He Winks at
Crime.
His View Of the Situation The End May
be Good, but the Means
Impossible.

At various times, some of the city papers
have devoted much space 70 articles setting
forth bad moral state of affairs in the
city and charging it upon the city and
county officials. While all may agree upon
the disease, the remedy is quite another
matter. Laws and their enforcement do
not prevent crime, they endeavor, only, to
reduce it to the minimum. On this sub
j.ct a REGISTER reporter had an informal
six with Capt. Bennett, last night, while
iripg about the fire at police headqusr-
,trs.
Capt Bennett believes he has all along
been doing his full duty in trying to quell
Jumult and disorder in the city, and fur
her, be has raided the houses Of i'll fame
until now they are kept in most orderly
condition. The Captain expresses himself
very forcibly in regard to houses ofill fame.
He claims they are a necessary evil to a
certain extent, and at the same time
pIides himself on the small mum
Der of such houses in the
CITY. He remarked: There are
more houses OF this class on one street
in Pittsburgh than there are in our whole
city, and further, l always pull house
when any one lays in complaint about 1t
or if they are the least bit noisy; in fact,
| have raided them, time and again, when
the best of order was kept in them"
mo sir" he said in answer to q query
from q reporter, there is not half the
damage done to our citizens by these
houses as there is by allowing these half
grown girls to run at large on the streets at
night. The great trouble with most
people is, they do not know their most in
innate neighbors like a policeman does.
WhyP Simply because policemsn i5 out
sll night and sees just who is out and
where they CO."
Now, in regard to gambling houses. The
moment any person makes complaint that
at certain number on such street gam
bling room is in operation, and il is an an
noyance to him, l Immediately raid
the establishment. l know OF a
number Of instances where persons
would come in here and say, 80 and so,
about gambling house, but the moment1
would ask them to sign a warrant, 80 that
the place could be pulled, they refuse
point blank. No arrests OF this nature can
be made by me or nv men without war
rant is first issued designating the number
and owner Of the place. People might tall
you or any one else that Mr.. A.
runs poker room at No. -.
Now can you swear that Mr.. A.
does run one at that number? Certainly
not. Well, ninety nine times out Of every
hundred the person giving you the infor-
nation will not swear to it. think have
done my duty since l have been in this
office, and have never heard
any complaint from the citizens
stout the gambling or lewd houses in
The city. What am | 10 do? l do not
think the citizens want me to attempt to
completely wipe out these houses Of i'll
fame, for / believe that they, like myself,
know that it is impossible for me and my
men to do so. Other cities have attempted
it and have made no success, when the
chief officer has two to three hundred men
at his beck and call, while have only
nineteen men, all told. l can't keep my
day force up all night raiding houses of i'll
fame, nor can take the night force and do
it. II l took the latter, what would the
thieves be doing while we would oe raid
ing house in Que portion of the city,
The Captain talked at great length on this
subject. The above is summary Of the
conversation.