Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-12-27

, the LeAOW committee. Y gu are
captain i'll the nineteenth precinct:
began Mr.. Golf.
Yes"
You recognize the binding charac
ter Of your Oath?''
L do; | have come to tell the Who'll,
truth"
This answer caused a sensation
Then Senator LeXow warned the wit
ness of the danger of perjury. Mr.
Golf excused all the other witnesses il
the court. Schmittberger said he
joined the force in 1874 and was be
fore that time a cOnfectiOner. He paiC
nothing to be made a patrolman. He
was first assigned to the ''TendelIoin'
precinct. He was there two years and
knew the precinct we'll. His duties he
said were light on account of a pull
he had with the sergeant at the desk
1T has been said that ward politics
have something to do with promo,
lions, is that SOP
Yes, it is
iticians eXert?"
They can exert an influence
through the commissioners and the
sergeants for fear of removal"
'Captain, have you ever heard of a
case where a patrolman paid a SER
geant any money to be assigned to
light work."
yes, | have heard of them
''Now, Captain, testimony has been
| taken here mat there are a number of
men i'll this city who are known as
'go-betWeens.' They are really not
connected with the department, but in
order to get an appointment it is nee
essary to go to them? Do you know
any of these men?'
There is Charley Grant, Commits
sioner's McCleaves' secretary, and a
man named Meyer, a tailor on Broad
way"
Capt. Schmittberger resumed the
stand after the recess. He said Off
GERS openly defied rules Of the depart
ment and were sustained in it by
the Tammany Hall club, of which
Commissioner Sheehan was the pres
ident. Witness is a member of the
club, as are also Captains Devery,
Price and Strauss.
Schmittberger admitted that in his
precinct the excise law was openly
violated and that disreputable women
and criminals did as they pleased.
They could not, he said, have done
the police.
There was tacit understanding for
the protection of fast houses and law
breakers, he said. He said no pretense
was made at observing the excise law
at dives in his precinct which were
frequented by all the criminals Of New
York. Witness states that Commits
sioner Voorhis appointed him captain
and he did not pay cent. At the
time Schmittberger was captain of the
of the steamboat squad Wardman Vial
told him that the men had to give up
half of their salaries.
L told him that | did not want to
keep UP the practice, and he told
me that ] was q id fool, that the
men would just as soon give it up as
not and [ might as web get it.
| agreed to this and Vial was my col
lector for about two months and then
Cannon was appointed, who collected
about $3.50 per month" While
| Schmittberger was in charge OF the
! 9th station there We're about ten
| policy shops in the precinct from
which $50 each was collected and the
| Bohemian liquor dealers association
paid about $50 per month. Witness
stated that he was called on by In
spector Williams to divide the collec-
| ton and he paid him $50 per month.
! The audience was thrown into great
commotion by this.
SchmiJtberger was next transferred
| to the 9th precinct where collections
from policy shops amounted to about
! 5000 and there 5000 per month was
| collected from each of three pool
rooms. Collector Gannan got 20 pei
cent and Inspector Williams $500 per
month.
Mr.. Golf asked, In view of that
fact you knew it was the inspector
duty to prefer charges against your
"Certainly."
'And you paid money to keep HUI
from preferring such charges"'
Certainly"
and were any charges ever made
against you by him?'
Never"
Schmittberger said that he was trans
ferred from the precinct for interior
| ing with the liquor dealers. Commits
sioner Martin proposed his transfer to
the police board at Leonard street
station where he was next placed $500
each was collected from two pool
rooms: $50 per month of which was
paid to Inspector McAvery. At the
Forty-Seventh Street station Schmitt
berger collected between $500 and 5000
per month from the policy shops an(
disorderly houses. While there Com
missioner Martin told him not to in:
terfere with the houses in Forty-siXtf
street.
Did he mention any other house?'
asked Mr.. Golf.
Yes, 234 West Forty-1rst street.
sent one Of my men there to investi
gate and afterwards some one made
complaint to Commissioner Martin
He sent for me and said that I would
have to send the same man back t.
apologize"
Did you do it,
Il had to. Next day my man Wen
and apologized.'
Schmittberger SAID that he once re