The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-05-24
PARADISE IN THE BOWERY.
DETECTIVE CURRY KNOWS OF NO
DISRBPUTABLE SALOONS.
A FIrst.rate Certificate for Gombossy and
the Lndiep-SenHtor Fnanett Discovers
"a Republican Ex.Convtct EHcisemHn.


state Civil Service authorities. Tho increased
expenditure and Increased revenues of the
Board were first gone into. 1t appeared that
in 1883 tho Board OF Excise asked the Board OF
Apportionment for 100000 with which to pros
ecure forfeited bonds, and that the request had
been refused.
Tom Costigan, after the stenoGraphers had
moved their table and made other arrange
ments to give him room, wedged himself into
the huge witness chair, md. as chief clerk OF
the District Attorneys Office, identified series
Of statements made up from the books OF that
Office. They covered tho year from May |,
1889, to May |. 1890. and showed that there
were now PENDING, untried in the District At
torney's Office, eghty-sX indictments found In
that year for violations of tile Excise laws
There Ind been about $500 complaints In the
snme time. Only II few OF these reached tho
Grand Jury, the time OF that body being taken
up with prison cnses. The District Attorneys
office had no facilities. the witness said. for
handling tho great mass OF excise cases. AT
this point Mr. WINS made an address. lie said:
We have found the Board of Excise exercises no
control over place It has been licensed, the 70
lice Dopar assumes to exercise such control but
might Just well not act, for thousands OF complaints
90 annually unattended to- We have found that bonds
which supposed 20 insure tie good behavior Of tho
lcensee might lust well never be given since they
enforced In fact the whole systen 40 far as
the enforcement OF tho law is concerned, is mere
shabby veneer Unlike the result OF our work in other
Departments we seem here to have brought an indct
mont not a ainst individuals hut against whole sys
tenn against system that Is the greatest breeder OF
vice and disorder that exists In the state.
James Steele OF 2O6 East 122d street testi-
fed that tho Mansion House. ut Third avenue
and l22d street. had very bad reputation;
live riEh S0DpG1ee he snid an s my
day than on any other day. Men. women. and
young girls arc going in aud out Gontinpaliy'
in his ears. said that lie was a. shoe sinner"
next door to retcrsons. 2S4 Eighth avenue.
He said lie " shined' on sunday.
" Did you eN or see persons going in or out OF
Peterson on sunday" Mr.. WINS asked.
40. sir" said the Italian PROMPTLY. There
too wagged his head until the earrings danced
and snid TRnka" as MIR. WINS told him he
SignlHnd Herschmann. dealer in furniture at
300 EowUIy testified that Com bossy,s place, at
IVA Bowery, has "A bad reputation IN the neigh
borhOod, and is q resort for disroputable wo;
men anu disorderly men. He was surprised
Il Mt the police did not see the character OF the
Detective James Curry Of Cart Meakim's
precinct said he had known. Gonbossy's ever
since Gombossy had 1t. and he proceeded to
mendntion. The girls who went there, he SAID,
we're ladies. He didn't know ANYTHING about
rHs t that his Ms paFIner Detective Shsri
dan. had told him that waiter there had had
some trouble with man. and somebody ing
know much about it,. senator fassctts Curl
osity was aroused. lie asked:
Q-Are there AM, saloons in your precinct that are
1' V1II"~ much ground does precinct cover A.
q there any piss" III it particularly freluented
= suppose Your captain ordered YOU to go out and
look for some tT"oS, where would you 20 mFst' Al
q When YOU did go into ANY place to Iook for the
CROOK, which pa'e would 1t be hrst A-No particular
THAT Is the saloons in your precinct are all equally
N@-or all equally ,ou-h Ell UnitSnnn,ly'-1here
.. Did You crook in GOmbosSy's plncef
cS Sfi'1 1 EoT stF sir 81 in the s'fsst " , '
two at the aceiienia hotel, am quite sure
Now officer" said Senator Fassett. In his
mildest. tone, leaning over in an intensely IN
terssted fashion VIII y9% tel tic c% yo Nss
Mr.. Gombossys place :"
hat ended detective Curry's examinnticn.
and Robert ". Petty. reporter testified thar
in GombosSy IS last Friday night he saw a lot
of Detective Culrys ladles mil CLING freely with
tune on the stage, and then, slipping on loose
gowns. came down into the audience and sat
down and had drinks with men wherever there
performance. he said. was not moral show"
Detective John sheridan was less eu ogi- ic
Of Gombossy's han Curry hal been hu; still
he thought II wns II pretty good place, and that
there was no reason why il shouldn't have a
license. lie aid that hight bel re last man
broke one \ man named Walker. who was a
sort OF sunerinte den, OF 'hS T4Lters some,
the glass he paid for. and IN the row tho man
who, broke 4 had two teeth Knocked out by
mad secured the name and address Of the nun
whose teeth w"rn knocked ont. ne didn't Think
an d6 "ae w ds2T
should complain against it as such, He said
the girls who sang on the stage in costume
the audience freely. drinking with men, but he
had, seer, the same thing done at Roster II
Balls and Theisss, and saw no harm in 1t.
Odd YOU SEQ any one there that y"n thought
o.Ebid You ever sec a respectable there Al
Do you know Louis Steckler. the Corporation At
HMs G@mo9 ms EarS IN pa M: district 'r
S"tid YOU ever SEQ him N ;ombosys A-No sir
Odd you ever zee Louis steckIer ana GonboSSy TO-
Chief INSPECTOR Thomas F. Duncan Of tho
Excise department said that lie was "A member
OF tho Tamrunny Hall General Committee II
place a' on @ q" lchard Croker
Eeioro that ho had been Tor i've years r9pying
1876 to ISL had boon al inspector and clerk
in tho Excise Department,
Q-Do you know Jacob Blanks place.
The witness had been there. He didn't know
what the polio, meaning Of the word :, chin
pics" was and could not tell whether Blanks |
was or was not u resort for chippies." lie |
had seen mon and women drinking together |
there, hut thought that women unnCcompnniod |
hy men were not admitted. lle did not know |
that he Excise laws were systematically Nio- |
lated ut Adam Gander't IN Eighth street and |
he had never heard OF the Sixth Avenue Hotel |
until the presont investigation began. The
place at "a Bond stiG oct. he SAID. was Just like
Hanks. and so was l37 East Thirteenth street.
He saw nothing improper in any OF them.
Q.-WOuld you take your Sife Blanks: A. dies
itAungly-SO, don't think would
P-NOuld you like Your daughter 70 20 tllere' A.
No sir
Mould you Ike to no seen there with a woman
A We'll its DO worse than the Atlantic narden.
9th, women who 20 to blank and th"ne other
places act and dress ike pubic women, dom they
A. Yea
Senator fasRettIf no sugGing goes IN place you
don't call II dlsOrlery, do vOut Tie that It
Is frrquented by gamblers prostitutes, and thieves
iorsn make house disordeTly does III ALI II were
proved II would, suppose.
Q.-NOw isn't u TACT that far as any genuine,
SAT- factory inspeciOn rs to tho moral character anu
reputation or man or place II concerned this whole
ystrn an utter farce A-hO SIR the inspectors do
he best they
Q.Then. II any immoral person place has license
IN New York now II II the fault OF the inRpectOrs' A.
No. sir; they 10 tho best OF their ability
Oh II should Do SHOWN 10 he tact that there arc
10 Ccn-rd PAGES IN New York where prostitutes gam
bier, thugs aud thieves gather for pleasure and pTOt
and where they eGtIrs strgugers. how would you ex
plain ~ Al couldn't eNplhlnit
G-M onld tho inspectors he TO blame then A,They