New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-18
NINETY EXCISE ARRESTS.
POLICE ENFORCE THE LAW AT LAST.
SUPERINTENDENT BYRNES MAKES GOOD
BEGINNING.


the police seemed to be making determined efforts
20 enforce the Excise law Policemen posts
had received orders TO try the side doors of the
liquor-stores and TO make arrests if they were
able 10 walk into the barrOOm. Policemen in plain
clothes sent through the precincts TO keep
particular watch of the grogshOps and 70 arrest
any hquor-dealcrs who could be caught selling.
The captains and precinct detectives spent the
greater part of the day roaming through their pre-
cincts on the same business. taking care also to
observe how the patrolmen were attending 70
their duties. Inspectors Conin and Williams, with
their aids, went through their districts in ordi-
nary attire, trying TO discover if the police in
the precincts were enforcing the law. Through
out the entire department there was fear, often
expressed, that Superintendent Byrnes had de
tectives from the Central Office on the hunt for
evidence of negi gcnce the part of the precinct
men. Mr.. Byrnes was not at the Central
Office yesterday, ard his subordinates there SAID
he might possibly be taking observations himself
When a regular frequenter of the big Broadway
hotels entered their restaurants yesterday, he gen
erallv asked for crackers and cheese. and he gen
orally accompanied the order with wink, ana
the wink produced not only crackers and cheese,
but bottled beer or gintizz or whskey straight OF
vermuth cocktail. This is Just how the hoeis
managed TO keep within the Sunday law ana yet
supply the thirsty man WITH All tic lii"lN N'i"'N
he wanted They might and did close their bars
tighter than the tghtcSt of drums but Their Gus
toners walked into the cafes or the dininsrooms
and got what they wanted. Somehow. in spite Oh
the constant run upon crackers and cheese
the hotel prOprictors' stock OF these
commodities was not sensbly diminished by
nichtfaU Instances are recorded where one plate
of crackers and cheese did duty at five different
tables and came out of the ordeal nnseathed. one
hotel was the scene of a leartrending incident III
,be late forenoon there crawlcd in shiverlng,
shaking mass of human Jelly, all that renamed
of what had tie day before been ii man Every
one in the place knew him and had Nnown nm
for many years. and every one knew what II
meant when he glanced nervously fron SIDE to
side beat the air in front of his eyes with his
hand or brushed imaginary things OF his coat
sleeve Time had been when the waiter would
instantly have glidcd to his side and placed
cocktail at his elbow Now the waiter never
moved but in silent mourniulness looked down
at tie shaking creature, sunk in heap IN his
chair
Well what are you staring al ?' gasped Satur
day nights victim, he woke up and caught
tie expression of the walters eye. Bring 1t.
and bring it quick, OF you'll corpse in this
room inside of minutes"
You can't have it, replied the waiter in
with it, first The cops is kcepn' tab on us.
The wreck lay back in his seat. closed his eyes,
and devoted the next few moments TO silent
thoughts of DR. Parkhurst and Superintendent
Byrnes The cocktail brought TO him after
awhile with the coffee, the dry toast and the
devillcd kidney which have constituted his Sunday
morning breakfast pretty steadily for the last
fifteen years. II generally takes about hVe
minutes for cocktail 10 do its bcnehcent work.
and by the time the shaking hand was steady
enough to hold cup, the coffee was cold, the
toast hard and the Kidneys leathery.
Nearly every liquor store was fast closed to
all appearances. The p ;ice have made up their
minds tliat Superintendent ByrDes means just
what he says, and they did their work yesterday
with suen energy. They not only suspected
the public but they suspected one another. The
patrolmen watched the liquor stores. the ward
detectives watched the patrolmen, the captains
and sergcants watched the ward detectives. ana
the headquarters watched everybody
In the Fourth Precinct Captain O'Connor aud
his men made vigorous effort to enforce the
law, but at one wcll-known and old-estabhshed
hotel busy trade ran right through the fore
noon The man in search Of drink walked through
the hot9 entrance until he came to the door
which leads TO the bar. On the door was
placard saving Bar closed; but the crowd
steadily filed past the placard and got all the
drink they wanted
Judged by outside appearances, the nquor-stores
On the East Side were closed more tightly Than
they had been on any Sunday for long time
The front doors were locked and no haf-drunkcn
loungers were seen near them. Few drunken men
were 10 be- seen in tie streets anywhere
The shades of many liquor stores were drawn
up or down. so that the police and the public
might look into the stores from the sidewalks
and see that no business was being carried on.
Every store which had its windows screened
closely was an object Of suspicion. At such places
men were seen on guard outside the doors, on
tie watch for policemen and spies in disguise
Strangers who went to the side doors found them
locked. Only regular custOmcis, known 10 uie
outside watchers were admitted as rule; There
were some exceptions In Ihifd-aNe Wberc JheIc uic
liquor stores Oh most of the corners.
Up ~ } o'clock p. m, only three arrests had
been made Martin Schmidt, who keeps store
al No l432 Broadway, and August strauss his
bartender, caught rcd-handed by PoAceNan
Phinp Herrick, OF The Nineteenth Precinct, ana
promptly locked up. James COsgrOvc, who keeps
a louor-stOre at No Col SiNtl-avc.S now prob
ably regrets tie temerity which led him 10 do
little business in his parlOr But the real
effect OF Superintendent Byrncss determined ac
ton was not felt until late at night, when the
returns of excise arrests from the various pre-
clncts were tecgraphed 10 Police Heddq quarters
When the complete list had been made out, u
was found that the number for the wbOc day
reached the total of nincty-Ouc higher figure
than has been known for a considerable tImc.
over the preceding Sunday. and advance OF
nuorc than forty above the average recorded at
Any time during the last five years. The fol-
lowing table gives the arrests in each precinct