The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-06-30
|B|G OFFICIALS MIXED UP IN IT.
Liquor Dealers Forced to Sign
Afidavits Denying Other
Afidavits They Made.
EFFORTS TO EXPOSE THE GANG.
Certain Newspapers Knew the Facts
but Decided at the Last Mo.
ment Not to Print them.

The slight refer .nce made before the
Lexow Investigating Committee yester-
day to the Hollywood Whiskey Com
pany, and the fact that liquor dealers
had beer forced to buy that particular
brand or suffer persecution from the po-
lice. has set the public wondering what
It all means. The reference, however
slight, seems to indicate that Lawyer
John W. Goff intends, when the Com
mittee resumes its sessions. to have all
the facts laid bare. AS he cannot do
that. however. for several months to
come. THE Evening World" to-day
throws little light on that corporation
and the manner in which. from compare
tive obscurity. It rose In . night. a. It
gre to be big concern. with its signs
In a majority Of the saloons
this city.
Mt Is not generally known that about
x years ago the wholesale liquor
II callers were in despair over the sudden
hpetus given to the sale of Hollywood
\ fhiskey, some of them fearing they
\ iould be driven out Of the business.
For years they had supplied whiskey to
the retailers. particularly of the small
err class. The relations between whole
saler and retailer were of the most cor
dial nature until about the time stated,
when the wholesale men gradually felt
the trade slipping from them. At first
3 they could not understand the change,
until one day a certain retailer en-
tered the office Of Peter McQuade. a
well-known wholesale man and one of
the omcers or his organization.
am sorry," the retailer began. 81
owe you lot of money. Mr.. McQuade,
but cannot pay you. Nor will be able
to do SO for a long time"
~ hurry about that" was the reply.
Yoa can get your whiskey from me
Just the same"
lice viii not let me. / must buy from
the the Hollywood Company or close up my
As : Wholesale dealer. Mr., MeQuade
but had never regarded 1t in a serious
hght He knew that the corporation
vhaa- struggled on for years. but the
men. He asked many questions Of the
retailer. and elected the information
that. the ward man in one particular
have to buy the, Hollywood whiskey, or
The retailer did more business on Sum
day than any other day Of the week
Of his society. and the facts were laid be-
Sre them Tas decided t. see
tended: The result satisfied them as to
why the trade had fallen off. Then a
careful investigation was made, and as a
Williams as well as other officials In the
Tolice Department were interested In the
Hollywood Company, and that the or.
ders to The retailers had come from that
10 wholesale dealers thought them
selveSa big power in the city and that
fighting the police. Every influence pos
sible was brought. to bear on the powers
that be to aid them. But the threats
mem were left almost %tbon
Q customer of any kind.
II public opinion could be brought to
bear upon the case i was thought the
police officials would retire from the
Held. SO a newspaper man named Smith
was informed of the facts. He knew he
had a great story. 1t would be one of
and when the wholesale men offered to
pay him well Cor his services he refused.
Amy paper In New York. he said,
will jump at that story and will pay
The reporter went to work on his
''sensati m" The names of half dozen
retailers who were friendly TO the whole;
sale men were given TO him, They all
made affidavits to the effect that they
= had been coerced by the police into buy
ing Hollywood whiskey.
affidavits as proof. Smith started out to
sell II TO the first paper he thought OF
for thousand dollars or so. He showed
II to the city editor. who told him II
was a great story. indeed. He was
asked to call again next day and hear
what the managing editor had TO say.
When he called again the manuscript
was returned to him.
"The story is not in our line" he was
told.
The newspaper man was amazed. He
tnnk his UnSrrint to another
The result was the same. and so was
II with all the newspapers which he APP
preached. 1t was then. as stated. that
the wholesale men decided TO start a
paper for their own protection. and they
did. with Reporter Smith In charge. 1t
10 still running.
Abram s. Hewitt was then Mayor OF
: New York, and IN desperation the whole
sale men forwarded the affidavits to him
and asked for an investigation. The
Mayor was surprised. but instead of
tsising action himself he referred the
matter. and sent the complaint and affi-
f(lunfluasssi nm Sscona It1asl