The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-13

WdS ltO small 10 De lulllDleu dl dliu
robbed by the fattening fingers of the
city's uniformed protectors. Then came |
ether witnesses showing that a cDre
more of unl.nnortant laws, forgotten by
all who did rot feel their influence Ill
rectly, were enforced in the same para
doXh.al way Anyone could violate
them-lf lie raid, and all who violated
them had t. r5y Merchants whose
business forced them to leave boxes,
barrels aid bales standing on the side
walk, or who, in loading trucks, threw
skids across, thus blocking the progress
of pedestrians; others having signs pro-
jecting a few feet further from their
buildings than some long forgotten law
allowed; owners Of trucks left standing
in the street at night, contrary to ordin-
ance-all these and more were levied on
by the rapacious blackmailers of the
Police Department for regular pay
ment. If they failed to pay, then came
police persecution. Reputable merch-
ants, who had submitted to these petty
extortions for many years, swore to the
truth of this amazing condition of af-
fairs, and were followed by building con-
tractors, who declared that for every
load of sand and lime their business had
compelled them to deposit in the street,
for every temporary bridge they had
been forced to throw across the side
walk to cover an open cellar or support
scaffolding, they had for years been
forced to pay to the captain Of the po-
lice precinct.
Scheduled Prices.
After these minor revelations major
secrets began to leak out again. Great
difficulty was encountered when an eff
fort was made to show the dictations
between the liquor dealers and the po-
lice, and up to this time missing set of
books has made it impossible to posi-
lively prove the charges that the prose-
cutting lawyers have freely made. No
one doubts now, however, for an in
stant, that each one of the saloonkeep-
ers who violated any of the manifold ex-
else regulations of the city paid, and
paid literally, for the privilege. 1t is
agreed that the police have had well
regulated tariffs for the different Of
fenses. Saloons keeping open after a.
m. paid certain sum; saloons doing
business on Sunday paid another; sa-
looms selling without license paid an
other. More than half of the 1000 sa-
looms in town committed all three of
these wrongdoings; SO the revenue, as
shown below was enormous. Besides,
1t Is pretty clearly understood that
many of the low groggeries in town in
which drugged drinks are sold and GUS
toners robbed paid highly for the privi-
lege of going unmolested, in one or two
precincts actually dividing the proceeds
of the robberies with the police captains
and their ward detectives.
Hush Money from Gamblers.
Then came the gamblers. This class
may be divided into three classes. First
were the big gambling houses where
faro, roulette, rouge ct noir, keno, poker
and other like games of Chance were
carried on; then the pool rooms, in
which bets on horse races were illegally
placed, and then the policy shops.
Up to the present time this group has
been only casually touched upon by the
committee, but enough is known to
make certainty of the belief that all
paid the police large sums for the privi-
lege of fieecing the confiding public.
That there have been scores of other
Ines along which blood money has flow
ed into the capacious Golfers of the po-
lice, nobody for an instant doubts.
Hints of many have been heard and
proof of many will doubtless develop
before the Lexow Committee ends its
sittings.
But without these minor matters the
stealings which have already been ac-
counted for are so enormous in their
total that the people of New York are
dazed by amazement.
Figuring II All Up.
1t Is not easy to approach accuracy
In figuring up the aggregate Of all these
StealingS. The estimates below are not
too high, however.
The price charged houses of prosti-
tuition for protection was as well estab-
lished as Is the price OF pig iron or
wheat-and, unlike them, it did
not fluctuate. When disreputable
house opened its proprietor was ex-
pected to pay $500 to the captain
After that, as long as the house was
running, regular contribution of $50 a
month was called for. Default of
any payment was the signal for an
immediate raid. A little figuring will
show how much this amounted to.
Complaints were received by the So
ciety for the Prevention of Vice of
labs houses Of ill fame during the past
year. Frank Moss, counsel for the
society, estimates that less than one
third of the existing houses were COM
planned of. This indicates that New
York's number is 4500. 1t is an expert
who says that the average life of a
house of bad character under one pro-
prietor Is three years. That makes the
Initiation fee" Of one-third of the
houses fall due every year. So the
total figures UP In this way:
limitation fees" of 1900 houses ($50O
each), S750,0OO per annum.
Rnrular O1Onthlu up,ontc pp A En1
houses at $50 per month ($600 per an
NUM-, S2,700,00O per annum.
This gives a total of $3,45O 900 per
year for the houses of prostitution
and, immense as this sum may seem
it is based on hard and undeniable fact
Remembering that no account Is made
of the extras paid to the police for
overlooking other violations of the law
such as assaults, robberies, etc, oc.
curing In the houses, and the prices
paid for bogus bail bonds when the
inmates were arrested (and proof that
this latter is q considerable item has
been offered to the committee), II
Will be seen that these figures are small
From Green Goods Men.
The blood money paid by the greer
goods men makes a total of great size
pul SihiilSi ludH ludl pau Dy Int
houses of prostitution. 1t was shoWr
that the main operators-there were
four of them who controlled the whole
city-paid the police captains $3.50 c
month each and the detective bureau
from SIS to $3.50 month each. Average
this at $500 month each, and you ger
$1,000 month, or total of $4,000 pei
| annum.
The exact number Of writers" is un
known, but at the lowest calculation Il
was not less than eight for each boss.
writers" paid $50 month each. Thu.
thirty-two paid not less than $1,000 {
month or $4,000 per annum.
The amount turned into the pocket!
Of the city's blue uniforms by the gam
blers Is, at present, hard to guess at
AS has been explained, there were thre,
classes Of contributors: The gambler,
proper, the poolroom keepers, and tn,
policy shop men. A conservative esti
| mate land IL probably falls short Of th,