The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-06-20

m UPERlNTEN DENT Is IL n IL .
" has at last been brought directly
mn into the investigation of the
" police department by the Lexow
committee. He has now heen dragged
in. Lawyer Moss to-day just took the
head Of the uniformed force by the
collar, and, fguratively speaking.
pumped him right down in front of
The committee aud the public. Mr..
Moss began these interesting procsed-
ings by reading the official reports of
captains and inspectors to the superin
tendent in relation to certain precincts,
in which they stated in many instances
that no gambling places or disorderly
houses exist in those precincts at the
time covered by the reports, while the
evidence taken before the commit.
tee showed that at that very time those
precincts were honeycOmbed with dis
orderly houses. Mr.. Moss pointed ont
that for years the police captains had
reported the existence and location of
hundreds of houses Of disorderiy
character. Suddenly, said Mr.. Moss,
after the grand jury had made pre-.
sentiment calling attention TO the ex-
istence of section 2S5 of the code Civ
ing to the superintendent Of the police
power to issue his own warrant for the
raiding of such bouses, these reports
ceased and the captains reported that
no such houses existed in these pre-
ciucts.
BYRNES NOT SURPRISED.
The abrupt disappearance Of these
disorderly houses did not appear TO
have excited any comment on the part
of the superintendent, Mr.. Moss said,
although it would bs fair to suppose,
as the chairman pointed out, that the
superintendent would either have COM
plimeuted the captains for ridding
their precincts so completely of disor-
derly houses or made some inquiry
as to the correctness of the reports
Mr.. Moss also pointed out the some.
what singular fact that in the earlier
reports, in which lists of known disor-
derly houses and their location in the
Eleventh and Fourteen precincts were
given, these lists were evidently writ
ten in the same clcrkly hand, the re-
ports having been apparently made
out at police headquarters. where such
lists have been kept for years, The re-
ports, although evidently made out by
the same person. were signed by the
captains of the respective precints
Mr.. Moss also put in evidence the
letters addressed last year by the Soci-
ETY. sor the Prevention of Crime TO the
police commissioners, Superintendent
Byrnez, and Mayor Gilroy, calling at
tentiOn to the existence of certain spec
ified disorderly houses some of which
letters we're treated with contempt by
Police Commissioner Martin and his
colleagues Mr.. Moss also read official
reports on the charges contained in
some of the letters, some amusement
being caused by the statement therein
that Wardman GlOnnan had investi-
gated some of the charges ana found
them unfounded. Glennan, it will be
remembered, was one of the wardmen
charged by several witnesses before
the committee with having collected.
blackmail for police protection.
PASTOR HAMILTON TEsTIFIEs.
Rev. William Hamilton, pastor
of the Allen Memorial Methodist
church, in the Eleventh precinct was
the first witness to-day. He testified
to having asked Captain Devery if he
could not do something to remove some
of the houses of ill-fame in the street
In which his church is situated The
captain said that if he closed the houses
the inmates would simply go into tene-
ments and more harm would result
AS to the violations of the excise law
on Sundays in the precinct, Rev. Mr..
Hamilton said that on one occasion he
counted seventeen or nineteen saloons
open and doing business between his
house and the church. He pointed out
one of the saloons to the police
man on the beat, and asked him why
he did not close it, and the officer re-
piled that he dared not do 80.
After further strong testimony show.
ing how bunco steerers were protected
by making specific payments to the po.
lice. Mr.. Goff opened up another ave.
nue. of information. He called a we'll
preserved looking man to the stand
who gave his name as Frank Clarke.
During the war, Clarke testified, he
was engaged as gambler, being dealer
III Ahio BHlno oO suS pldCo hDOWu Us
"Old Generals, at Prince and Mercer
streets The gambling place, the de.
tective said, was frequently visited by
police detectives from headquarters.
They.did business with police headquar
ters then.
HEADQUARTERS DIVIDED UP
Among the headquarters mon W no
regularly visited the Old Generals ut
that time were Dusenberry. Bradford,
Kelso afterwards superintendent and
Tilly. Some headquarters men called
regularly each week for the money for
the protection of the gambling house,
and $100 was always paid for that pur-
pose. The money was put in nm en-
velope, which was put in certain
place.: and the officer always got
it. The Generals was fa-
nous resort for thieves pick.
pockets and burglars, who were
in the habit of leaving their envelopes
there containing money for the head
quarters men. The witness said he
had frequently seen these criminals
put money in envelopes and leave the
envelopes there for the police Among