Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-02-09
THE REIGN OF ROGUES.
OFFICIAL CORRUPTION OF YEARS
SWEPT AWAY.
HOW THE CITIZENS COMMITTEF
FOUGHT ORGANIZED CRIME,


FOUGHT ORGANIZED CRIME.
WHAT Is NOW.
TO PREY UPON CITIZENS WITH IMMUNITY
RECEIVERS WHOSE ALLEGED RIGHTS WERE
TENDERLY REsPECTED-THE HARVEST WHICH
THE MONTE MEN REAPED-THE CAUSES WHICH
LEAD TO THE FORMATION OF A CITIZENS CON-
MTTTEE-wHAT THEY ACCOMPLISHED IN THREE
SHORT MoNTHs-THE FINAL TRIUMPH OVER
ROGUEs.
Thieves, detectives and receivers formed a
combination that a little over year ago ruled
with high hand in this District and exacted
tribute not only from the citizens bat the visi-
tors and strangers that came to the capital
city. The extent and power of this combina-
ton, the unblushing effrontery with which
their operations were carried on and the
audacity with which they executed their plans
has hardly parallel in the history of any mod
ern municipal government. Even the forms Of
law, which had been devised for the protection
Of citizens and the security of property were
prostituted in the interests of this or
ganized gang, and actually became one
OF the sources Of their strength Bank
robbers and burglars in search Of prof.
table jobs, who came here and refused to
acknowledge the right of this combination to
exact percentage of their i-gotten gains, were
arrested and the machinery Of justice was set in
operation to place them behind prison bars If
through willtul carelessness or undue reckless
ness recognized thief was arrested. then the
same machinery Of justice was perverted to
secure his prompt release False swearing
straw bail. the spiriting away of witnesses, the
intimidation Of honest officials. were some of
the expedents In successful operation. The
police force seemed to be paralyzed and COM
pletely under the control of this gang Honest
citizens were robbed. their residences were
plundered, and when they called upon the men
who were paid out Of the public tiea Try to per-
form such services, to assist in rec 2verng their
property and experimenting the thieves, by a
strange irony of fate these were the very men
whose agents and accOmplices had committed
the robbery; yet they remained unmolested in
their offices of public trust and continued to prey
upon the community. They grew more powerful
every day. Government officials. members of
Congress- private citizens, the members of the
police force, recognized their power. They die
tated appointments under the general govern
ment, they terrorized private citizens by sys-
tenn OF personal espionage, and they defended
with insulting speech their gross negligence in
bringing offenders to- justice.
THIEVES FLOURIsHED.
Under the genial rule Of this combination
thieves fourished and grew in numbers, and
those that had hard luck in other places. or had
recently come out Of the penitentiary and were
In need of money, were cordially invited by the
paid guardians of our city to come here and re-
store their fallen fortunes. BY the aid of this
imported talent the following extensive burgla-
ries were perpetrated: A large sum OF money
from the Government Printing Office. silks from
Burdette's store. contents of safe i'm Stott's
drug store. money from the office of Fitch, Fox
Brown. bonds from the Metropolitan bank
aad valuables from Gen. Ketchums residence
These were known in thief rarance as '.big
JOBS, and occurred within about the space of
three years. The men that committed these
crimes subsequently, confessed that certain de-
tectiyes received percentage of the plumber.
AN ASTOUNDING AGGREGATE
OF the almost innumerable cases of sneak
thieving, burglarles and highway robberies a
volume would hardly suffice for their record.
The experience of nearly every citizen can sup
ply portion Of this record. 1t is estimated bv
competent authority that the value of the
"
during the three years prior to the organization
OF the Citizens committee, which was Deem
Der 9th, 1882, was between one hundred and
hfty and two hundred thousand dollars a year.
Then there were the thieves, motley crew of
white and black sneak thieves petty burglars,
who were all personally known to the detec-
tives. The receivers Of stolen goods formed
an important element in this gang of criminals.
They kept what was known as fences" and in
connection some carried on a pawn business,
q I'M md nfh
bar.
GUARDING THE INTERESTS OF RECEIVERS
One of the circumstances which shows not
only the power exercised by this gang. but their
corrupting, perverting influence upon the NOR
ais OF the public service, was the immunity
which these receivers enjoyed. The strange
doctrine was entertained by men who were in
other respects honest officials and good citizens
that stolen article could not be recovered from
pawn shop unless the proprietor was relm-
bursed for the amount that he had advanced to
the thief upon it. Articles were actually taken
to citizens from whom they had been stolen,
and these citizens were compelled to pay what
the pawndealer had advanced before their prop
erty was restored to them. This was not done
by gO-between but by members of the
detective force who were not in the cOmbina-
ton and honestly thought that they were per-
pay over the money, the stolen property was
taken back to the dealer. This remarkable
moral perversiOn was due to the influence of
the accomplished sOphists belonging to this
plundering ring. AS an instance, one of the
honest detectives gave in yindicatiOn of himself
the following account in q newspaper inter-
view, shortly after the detective scandal began
to be agitated, Of how he recovered stolen
watch
He went into a pawn-shOp and found the
watch, which he fully identified as the one de-
scribed to him by the owner.
al took the watch to Mr.. -, and he identi-
fed 1t. and l explained the circumstances. 1
said that he could either proceed by law to Sc
cure the watch or he could get 1t by paying the
amount advanced by the pawnbroker-$45 He
said that he would rather do the latter; that he
was OverjOyed at recovering the watch and
that he would have paid 600 rather than lose
it, He gave me the money and paid Mr. -
(namiDg the pawnbrOker) every cent of it. and
received receipt, which l have In my possess
sOn"!
The police had the same tender regard for the
pawnbrOker. and naturally under such foster
ing system the fences fourished The regu-
lar program was for thief to steal articles
from house. take them at once to q receiver.
who would hold them until he could see a de-
tective. The owner would summon detective
to his house. and that astute official would priv
around little, and then with O mysterious air
would whisper the fatal words professionals,
but don't let the newspapers know it," into the