The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-06-20
JUSTICE DIVER
Is Involved in the Police Inyestigat-
ing Committee.
PATRICK HAD BEEN A FRIEND OF
BUNCO STEERERS.

Further Testimony Regarding the Paying
| of Money to the Police Officials-It
Looks as If General Upset Would be
Necessary to Put the New York Police
Force in Condition Again.
New York, June 19-The Senate po-
| lice Investigating committee resumed it's
sitting this morning. Lawyer Moss op-
ened by reading the reports of certain
lpolice captains to Superintendent Byrnes
in the spring of 1892. The reports con-
tained lists of policy shops, pool rooms,
| gambling houses and bunco places. He
read the report of Captain Cross of the
14tA precinct, which stated there were
no gam bling house, disorderly house,
| policysshops etc., in his precinct in jan
uary, 1894. A report from the same cap
tain in the following April stated that
| Captain Cross's detectives had raided
half dozen gambling houses, showing
that such places did exist in the pre-
| cinct. Lawyer Moss called the attention
| of the committeee to the fact that the
| body OF the reports from the 18th and
| 11th precincts was in the same hand
|
tains were different 'This looks" said
| Lawyer Moss, as if the reports were
| compiled by some one at HEADQUARTERS
and sent to the precincts for the sigma
lures of the captains" The reports had
been made at the request Of the superin-
| tendent on the receipt of a complaint
from Rev. DR.. Parkhurst containing
list OF so disorderly houses. Bessie
| Buffers house was on the list," said Mr..
Moss. "She testified she was never
called upon by police officers The re-
| port of Inspector Williams: in reply to
| port said there were no disorderly houses
| in Captain Devey's precinct, and the
| charges against the latter had no foun-
| dation.
| Senator Lexow asked Mr.. Moss if he
meant to insinuate that Superintendent
Byrnes received the previous reports of
the location of all these. houses, ana con-
| veniently forgot them when the reports
| were handed in. You can put it that
way if you like" replied Mr.. Moss
/ Rev. DR.. Emile Hamilton, formerly
| pastor of the Allen street memorial
! church. was the first witness. He testi-
| fed that women solicited in the streets
near his church, and he ca lied on Cap
tain Devery and asked him to put stop
| to soliciting and the disorderly houses.
The captain said: "Oh, any person can
| find that class of things if he is looking
| for it. If l drive them out of these
| houses they will go among private fam
| lilies. and that will be worse" The wit
| ness stated that short time afterwards
| he told policem an of saloons selling
| Sundays, and asked him to shut them
| up. The officer replied he knew they
| were open, but dared not go to close
| them.
Policeman Patrick Grove, of the 25th
| precict, under Captain Strauss, was the
! next witness. The witness said he
knew William Pospisil, president of the
Bohemian Liquor Dealers Association.
| He had not told Mr.. Pospisil to send
around circular warning the saloon
keepers to be careful Sunday. He told
| him Sunday would be strictly enforced,
and said nobody gave him orders to tell
/ Pospisil.
The next witness was Nicola Kobar.
| He testified he kept a saloon and was a
member of the Bohemian LIQUOR Deal
ers' Association. The object of the asso-
citation was to sell beer for eight cents
pint and be protected by the police. He
| said: The organization had arranged
to have committee wait on Mr.. Del
more, the Tammany Hall leader, to ask
him to use his influence with Captain
Schmittberger, to accept the same
amount Captain Gunner had received.
Kobar said he gave money to the po-
liceman who arrested him, and when
the case came for trial he was dis
| charged.
Frank Clark, the next Witness testi-
| fed that in 1878 he went into the employ
of Palmelee Jones, who ran bunco and
monte game. Sometimes the victims
"squealed," and then the ward man
came around and gave notice that some
body had "squealed," and this gave
time to get out of the place. If the VIC
| ward man sometimes sent word to us to
buy the victim a ticket to go home
They always received half of the amount
| he said he lost. The bunco men were
permitted to do business provided they
did not bunco priests, ministers or citi-
zens OF New YORK. Buncoo steerers had
to paw 500 to the station house of the
fourth ward, and when they started in
business $500 had to be paid. The mon
| ey was put in an envelope, said he, and
brought to Patrick DIVERS saloon. sDiv-
yer is police justice now. The gang
spent money at DIVERS, and some days
it ad as many as 90 victims, and often
took in $500.
Judge Ransom asked Clark why he
came as witness. Because" replied
Clark, II was beat out of lot of mon
ey;;n
"Well, they tried to send me to state
prison and ill-treated me-" The witness
said he could not say whether. Diver
got share of the spoils or not.
"Did you see Palmelee give up the
money to the police official?"
"Yes, sir; he always gave them an
envelope"
"Did you ever personally see him give
money!"
Il saw him put the envelope in his
pocket, but never saw him hand it to
the police officer"
did you ever personally pay the po-
lice to protect you in your crooked bust
ness?n
"No, SIR"
In reply to Mr.Goff, witness said he
was sure the money went to the police.
The committee adjourned.