The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1892-01-09
A QUEER STORY.

It Reflects Quite Severely on the Chicago
Police and Their Methods-Anarchism
Made . Productive Source of Revenue
to Some Of the Favored Ones-Ths
Animus of the Greifs Hall Raid shown
Up.
CHICAGO. Jan. 5.-The Herald prints
the following: Strange stories are cur
rent about the recent police raid at
Greif's hall. 1t is told that because of
the refusal of wealthy members of a
secret association to expeud more money
for the suppression of anarchy the
police-or certain fixtures in the de-
partment-proposed to show the sub
scribers to the secret fund that social
revolutionists' are not yet dead"
In a long interview with "a promi-
nent citizen, an attorney of great promi-
nence. whose clients are among the
wealthy class" it is alleged that
shortly after the Haymarket riot in
May. 1885, three meetings of capitalists
and business men were called through
secret invitations, at which were sub
scribed sums aggregating Sis, 900, with
pledges for an annual fund of Sl00, 600.
1t was agreed that this money should
be spent in suppressing anarchy, and
that no specific statement of receipts or
expenditures should be made by the
committee controlling the fund. The
interview continues:
Throughout the years that followed
until last October we have all responded
to the assessments of the finance COM
mittee of the citizens movement The
latter part of the month of last Octo-
Der a general meeting was held. and the
finance committee was present in n
body. No one knew why the body was
called. When we were assembled the
chairman Of the finance committee
made speech. He said there
was s57,650 in the treasury.
The committee had not expended
any money for a year, believing that
anarchy was dead in Chicago. but dur
ing the last few days he had been ap-
preached by q certain police officer,
who declared that the reds were
about to break forth again. The police
man had demanded money. The COM
mittee refused to give it. The commit
tee asked the sanction of the subscrib-
ers and it was freely granted. The
fact that a policeman had demanded
money set three or four of rs to
thinking, and we. notwithstanding our
agreement, began to make inquiries.
We learned that during the years fol-
lowing the Haymarket riot there had
been two police funds, that guaranteed
by the city and one furnished by the
citizens. From this latter fund, which
had ranged from $50. 900 to s14O, 600 an
nually. there had been drawn every
dollar subscribed except that of the last
year. A few days before the raid of
Griefs hall, demand for money had
been made. The committee refused to
advance another penny.
1.-The finance committee called an
other meeting Immediately after the
raid. There was no Disgusting OF
charges. That the raid was directly or
indirectly instigated for the purpose of
inspiring the men who had subscribed
to the fund with the idea that the reds
were again 'on the war-path' was set
forth. We told the committee to bal
ance its books, make pro-rata division
of the funds still held by it and render
a report of all money received and ex-
pended.
The committee had Anticipated us
and had the report prepared. 1t showed
that s4s7, 900 had been expended"
1T will all come out some day." said
a member of the citizens committee.
mo matter how closely the members OF
the finance committee hold their
tongues. Somebody has got rich out
of this thing, and the raid on Grief's
hall was intended solely to bolster up
the 'backsliding' subscribers to fund
from which the policemen drew thou
sands of dollars"