Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-28
RAIDING THE DENS.
Usual Sunday Amusement of
Browns Finest.
A DETERMINED WARFARE.
Pittsburg's Force Of Speak-EaSies
Gradually Reduced.
AHALF-DOZEN MORE CLEANED OUT.
The Disgusting SqualOr of Spruce Alley to
be Corrected.
IHALF-DOZEN MORE CLEANED OUT.
POLICEMEN DON'T RELISH THE WORK

tion of the city. He says that, having DEM
onstrated beyond the possibility of doubt
through the excellent work of Inspector
Henry Whitehouse, that the aristocratic East
End was honeycom bed with speak-easies.
and brought to justice not alone the people
who did the illegal liquor selling, but also
the people who, acting as officials co mprom-
Use cases for consideration, the Department
of Public Safety has now turned its affec-
tionate gaze upon the downtown wards.
On its wav to q thorough investigation
down town the department, represented by
Inspector McAleese Captain Dan Sylvus,
Detective Robert Robinson and eight
officers in plain clothes, made an uncere-
monious morning call upon Mesdames Con-
nors, RYAN, O'Neill, Mccarthy and Bessie
O'Shea. To say that the officers were re-
ceived with enthusiasm but feebly ex-
presses the condition of affairs in Mrs.
O'Shea's establishment, on Spruce alley,
between Thirtieth and -Thlrty-frst streets.
1t was only 7:30 A. NJ, but some of the peo-
pie arrested showed unmistakable evidence
OF having been up all night and paying
more attention to the flowing bowl than to the
food of evangelical eloquence, which, like
the mercy Shakespeare speaks about
dropped as the gentle rain from heaven
upon Pittsburg yesterday morning.
ESCORTED TO THE CENTRAL.
Informations were made against all the
proprietors, and two of the ladies escorted to
Central station with a view to relieve the
over-worked and under-aged bartenders and
the stomachs of the patrons, from absorbing
too much of the exhilarants provided, which
were of a quality to give the delirium
tremens TO q cigar sign. Fourteen patrons
were taken in, and as the houses were all
connected by a narrow alley at the back,
the arrival OF the officers at the three un-
explored houses showed that the birds had
flown, leaving kegs of beer on tap, several
unbroken in the cellar and few jugs,
holding from two quarts to three gallons. of
what it would be base fattery to call whisky.
The officers had tough time chasing
after the drinkers through Railways and
cellars which were familiar to the fugitlves,
but dark and unknown to the officers. One
incident of this kind was that in which Of
fcer Mulvehill figured. He followed man
into 8 dark cellar under Mrs. 0'Neill's
house, but when he got down could see
nothing. As he struck a match the man,
who had been hidingin in the darkness, jumped
out, knocked the officer down and then
scrambled to a stairway, over which was
OOOr. ne puSneQ J1e OOOT open d1O jumped
out with the officer at his heels; but Just as
the copper got his head above the level the
fugitive banged the door down on his head,
sending him back to the bottom of the cellar.
The fugitive made his escape.
After arresting the inmates of the houses
the Inspector and Captain Sylvus made a
tour of number of houses in the locality
which they have had under suspicion. They
say the filth and squalor of that row of
houses is the worst they ever saw, even Vel
low Row, which has hitherto borne the
palm for vice ana Wretchedness being tame
in comparison.
BOYS FOR WITNESSES.
The officers have two BOYS under age who
will testify against the proprietresses of the
houses raided. The women will probably
be given hearing before Magistrate Nc
Kenna to-day. The persons arrested yester-
day were Mrs. Shea, Mrs. 0'Neill. Mary
Roach, John Dawson, Pat McPall. Will
lam Holden, Fred Kampa. Joseph Han
cock, Edwin Shea, and John Freeman. The
men, with the exception of young Shea, are
employees of the rolling mills in that neigh
borhood, and are specimens Of the custo-
mers of these speak-easies.
Captain Sylvus says that the method of
entrance to it by the police is only matter
of time. A great number of them have
lookouts, who are paid to know personally
all the police officers, but as their paw is
given generally in liquids, the lookout has
so frequently Seen a squad OF officers in a
regular customer that the Office has been
dispensed with, and no more elections for
outside guards have taken place This
makes the work of the officers easier but at
the same time, as no raid will take place
until the place suspected is in full blast,
there is considerable danger in the service
The drinking people assembled are some
times very ugly, and will fight, so the ut
most care has to be used to prevent any un-
toward circumstance happening from the
possession Of weapons by the drunken mob
generally found in a speak-easy.
The proprietor generally has his wife or
boy behind the bar, which, as yesterday,
frequently results IN their being behind the
bars, and the drink sold is invariably of the
poorest class, so the profits are enormous, as
no license ispsid and full prices are charged.
The only way to stop the business is to give
long terms of imprisonment rather than
heavy fines, which are seldom felt by the
offenders.
Inspector McAleese said Inst night that
he intended to notify the Bureau of Health
of the horribly filthy condition of the
houses visited by him yesterday in Spruce
alley, as he says the condition of things in
that locality is so foul that it is wonder an
epidemic has not been the result before now.
MORE PLACES PULLED.
In the afternoon Inspector Whitehouse
with Police Captain Mercer, Special Officer
Mclaughlin and a posse of police made a
hrTT1d d.. n L
land, that is frequented by Italians and has
long been under surveillance on suspicion
Of being q speak-easy. There is a small
grocery store in the building operated by
an Italian named Guy Hiulus, and an e1-
tension in the rear is used as dance hall
where crowd of the proprietor's country
men are wont to congregate on Sundays and
drink beer. Several attempts have been
made to raid the house when it
was full, but the place has
been so we'll guarded that the approach of
the officers has been noted and the crowd
warned to get out. In consequence they
would take to the open country in that
vicinity and scatter beyond the reach of the
police, but yesterday they were taken un-
swares, and rally being made. 16 men with
the proprietor were taken in. They were all
hauled to the Fourteenth ward station, where
the proprietor put up forfeit of 500, and
the others SIS each for their appearance at a
hearing to-day.
CAPTAIN Brophy and Lieutenant Orth, of
the Second police district, assisted by other
officers, made q raid OH two speak-easies
last night The first place visited was in
Hatch's court, off Fortieth street, kept by
Mrs. Ssliskis. There were no visitors in
the house at the time and as the woman had
to look after a sick husband she was not
Anl-nn a Ahn lnnhrn