Smyrna times., 1894-06-27
The Tammany Hall Investigation.

in advance and fed to Europe, and
there is hardly a man holding an Office
in the city government of New York
who is not trembling in his boots. The
papers of the city each day contain
several columns of the examinations of
the LexOw committee, and the cross
questioning of Lawyer Goff, with such
headings as Bribery and Blackmail."
"Vice made to pay Tribute, "Enor-
nous sums eXacted by the New. York |
Force, Sensation at Disclosures, "&c. |
Never, perhaps, says the Record has |
a Legislative investigating committee |
lifted the trap off such a sink of iniqu
ity. More than a dozen of the captains |
have been besmirched, and even the
investigators are astOnished at the
revelations. The investigation shows
that the police, in addition to their
salaries from the city, have had an ad-
ditiOnal income contributed by the
keepers of disorderly houses, gambling
bouses, merchants and push-cart ped
dlers. This extra income is called
"paying protection" by those who pay.
By the the public it is sometimes called
blackmail. The police probably called
it perquisites.
SQUEEZING SALOON KEEPERS.
While an accurate estimate of the in
come of the police from these sources
is impossible at this stage of the inves-
tigatiOn, enough facts have been made
public to show that is was enormous.
There are, as shown by the last annual
report of the Board of Excise. 1000
saloons in the city. Most of them keep
their side doors open on Sunday, and
after legal hours at night. The price
for protection for Sunday side-doOr
opening varies according to location
and amount of business. The average
is believed to be $40 a week for each
saloon. Police protection would there
fore, cost the $500 saloon keepers, if
only one-half Of the total number of
saloons paid at this rate, the following
| large sum:
$500 saloons, at $40 a week each,
$4,000. $500 saloons, 50 week, 81, :
$4,000.
BLACKMAILING POLICE CAPTAINS.
The charge against the Police Cap
tains, of whom Mclaughlin and Will
liams are now inspectors, is that they
|
disOrderly houses in return for police
protection, or, in other words, as long
as the money was paid the houses were
allowed to do business. The witnesses
testified that the usual fee to a Police
Captain was $500, and that every new
Captain sent into the precinct by the
shifts made by the Commissioners re
ceived $500. In other words, if Cap
tain was transferred to a precinct and
remained there only a month he got
his $500, and the incoming Captain gOt
another $500. Besides the initiation
fee there was tax of $50 month paid
to the ward men representing the Cap.
tains. The charge against some of the
Captains is not that they received
money from these disorderly houses
but that they were paid to allow un
licensed saloons and cafes to do bust
ness.
A woman testified that she kept a
soda water fountain on the sidewalk
and that she had to pay the policeman
on the beat 81 per week for privilege
1t is also known that merchants wht
permitted goods to remain on the side
walks were compelled to pay for th'
privilege.
One witness, Morris Jacobs, testified
that John J, Ryan, the Tammany Hal
leader of the Twenty fifth district, anC
Deputy Commissioner of Public Works
accepted money from one of his con
stituents, promising that the constituen
should be made policeman. Mr.. Ryal
has not yet been allowed to reply Of
oath.
GREEN GOODS PROTECTION.
There has been testimony introduce
tending to prove that the green good
men of New York city have been pre-
tected. The man who gave this test
mony is George Apo, and he has bee
a criminal from his early youth, havin
spent much of his time in prison. H
principal occupations have been picl
ing pockets and steering fools for gree
goods swindlers. He said that Ne
York was the only city in this oountr
where police protection could be bougl
for green goods swindlers.
One woman of the TenderlOin distri'
swore that for ten years that she pal
to the successive ward men $3.50 ever
three months. Members of a society {
that they banded together to bu
police protection and to be allowed
keep open on Sunday,
MILLIONS IN IT.
The total sum collected from all the
sources, including the gamblers al
lottery policy dealers, is believed to
close on to three millions of dollars pt
year. 1t is now made plain to citiZel
how police captains can afford to pa
$4,000 for their positions, how they CT
have city and country houses; no
they can have steam yachts; own $9t
600 buildings and get rich on salari
not more than $500.
PROTECTING GAMBLERS.
Police Justice Diver, who holds
1O-year place IN the city government
$4,000 year and whose term does Il
expire until 1900, was implicated
testimony before The Lexow Comm
tee. Frank Clark, who said that
had been for years q professional ga
u bier, and who, since 1878, has been c
y gagged in the buncO and three-ca
4 monte business in the Fourth ward
that city, testified that he had been G
gagged in the business with Edwa
Parmley, who ran five places near t
bridge and not far from the City Hs
During all the years these places we
in operation the witness was ne\
interiered with by the police. VIII
any victim "squealed" the police ga
the bunco men protection, but co
pelled them to divide with them
money they obtained from the victi
In one instance that Clark remember
$500 was divided with the police
this manner. Clark gave full
scription of his business and the prof
and said that Parmley Thought"
exclusive rights to carry it on in
g ward. He paid the money to Just
Diver, In whose saloon the Operat
made their headquarters, and in VIII
safe they deposited the proceeds
each days game. Clark declared t
Divver started Parmley in the busin
but he didn't know what part of
profits went to Diver. de could
swear that he knew all these things
a matter of personal knowledge, but
said, II know it was so just the SAN
- Police Justice Diver is one of
best known Tammany politicians
the city, and has been held in high
gard by many respectable peol
When Mayor Grant appointed
Police Justice, Recorder Smyth
thnua cfrOpOl.r wao