Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-03
A SURPRISE IN STORE
Police Sensation in the Fourth Precinct
May Develop
Omcers Said to Fail in Support OF
Sergeant Daley i'm His Work
Against the Dives.

There Is surprise in store for a number
OF members Of the police force who are
doing duty In the fourth precinct and II
Is the result of what is thought to be a
lack OF discipline. Sergeant John C. Daley
who Is one of Lieut. Vernon's assistants
figures In the trouble to a considerable ex-
tent. and the higher officials realize that
the matter is the outcome of the sergeant s
crusade against the violators of law.
Since Sergeant Daley was sent to South
Washington number Of weil-known
dives" have been broken up and some
of their keepers, who had violated the law
and sold rum almost openly. either without
license or on Sunday, have been arrested.
In addition to breaking up some liquor
places the sergeant has succeeded in clos
ing up number of houses of ill-fame along
the line of Maryland avenue.
In making the raids on these places it
was necessary for the sergeant to procure
the services of persons who had frequented
them In order to get evidence. He, of course,
could not get the better class OF citizens To
go in these dives and drink cheap liquor in
order to get evidence, and even il they had
gone in they would have been suspected
and refused liquor. And so the sergeant. 1t
Is said, got persons who had visited them,
and i'm that way he obtained evidence and
closed up a number of known ''grog shops"
and speak easieS.
This kind of work. 1t would seem. did
not please some of the privateS, and Sergt.
Daley was looked upon more a trespass-
er than as an officer In authority, and he
found whisky raids uphill work. With this
feeling existing among the men he could
not hope for the support the men had sworn
to give him. and 50 he was not willing to
uust all the men with Information IN
advance of taking action.
1t has been stated that some of the Of
hcerS had been given free drinks at some
Of the saloons, but no proof of this has yet
been given before any investigating COM
mlttee.
Finally the climax came when the Fat
Mems Beneficial Association room was
raIded on Sunday and a number of police
men were found there, as printed in The
Star at the time The officers found were
tried. and the testimony taken in the case
will be submitted to the Commissioners to-
morrow or early next week.
This raid brought the bad feeling exist
ing among the men to a climax, and IL is
asserted that one evening not long ago an
officer In the station remarked: I'VE are
going to bring in all of Daleys spies.
meaning the people who had assisted him
IN making cases.
1t appears that the officers have been
particularly diliSent In that line lately for
no less than five of the persons mentioned
have been arrested and charged with Of
lenses, generally 'vagrancy." The last one
OF the number was a colored woman, named
Maria Crump. She had been arrested many
had brought her low. When she ap-
peared In court two days ago she showed
evidence of having been brutality assaulted
her eye being terribly dlshgured and her
face swollen.
Her story was that after a man had beat
her she stopped a policeman on the street
and asked him to arrest her assaiant Civ
Ing his name and place of residence.
Instead of doing that" said Maria to
Judge Taylor. he told me tina. he was going
to lock me up because 1 was one of Sergt
Daleys Spies"
There was no doubt about the woman
being guilty, under the evidence of the off,
Ger, and the Judge required her to give a
bond of 500, much larger than the usual
vagrancy bond, or go down, and she went
down.
Lieut. Vernon has given the matter some
attention and Maj. Moore II is thought,
VIII give permission for a general trans
Ter OF the rlen In the precinct IN order
to improve the efficiency of the service.