Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-11-22
GoFf TELLS HOW HE DID II,
rnE coNMoN PEOPLE WE'RE MADE
TO SEE.


Washington. Nov. 2i.--Iohn w. Goff
the prosecuting attorney for the Lexow
investigating committee who Is stop
ping in Washington for a few days,
has given the Evening Star an inter-
esting interview OF nearly three col
umns on the work OF the committee.
ut was as you may imagine" he said
"a tremendous task that confronted
US when we started the Investigation.
We knew positively that the police de-
partment Of New York. a most magnl-
fcent organization as regards its own
strength, was systema tlcally blackmall-
ing all classes Of citizens That ire
mendous power had seized the COM
munity until II had obtained complete
possession. There were two distinct
elements that prevented at the be-
ginning fair start and Handicapped
US In our Efforts u get reliable tsstl-
mOny. These were first the fear. and
second the apathy OF the citizens"
II speak within bounds Of my know
ledge when | say that there was not a
business man ~ New York who had not
felt the power Of police blnckmall.
There wero perhaps a very few iu-
stances whore honorable men had re
fused To give their tlthes OF llagll tax
10 the police. hut almost without eX-
cepiion the men We're forced out of
business. One peculiar feature of the
blackmnil was that II spared no ONE
class, however obscure Its calling. I
nave particularly In mind the sail
makers who are among tho most up-
right and honest people In New York
They are mostly retired captains COM
manders Of the old clipper ships. who
have been forced out Of business by the
intfoduction OF steam. or their sons
Npt one OF these honest men dared to
open his mouth aud complain. So the
question was, What class should a.
Apply To, and appeal 10, in our Cruz
sddoH We were urged at times and
most inopportunely to go higher and
nan the responsibility TO the source of
authority, On this question We. held
most earnest consultations and nnnlly
decided That II wonld not be wise to
90 Np' our duty was 100 arouse the
conscience Of the people NJ New York.
Whleh mas boon lying suathcred. al
most killed. The common poaulp. tho
voters. III people who most felt the
oppression of the police would need 10
De aroused 10y different methods They
were To- have the lll-cments of police
corruption brought In thoir hearts
Ihe spectacle Of little bly sitting ali
nlght ON the doorstep of police stu-
ZION, CRYING bitterly for his father. who
hhd been unjustly arrested and brntni-
~ beaten by the police, meant more Ia
thes' people than she denomination
tpnL me captain had paid large money
l9l Jus promotion or that the commits
Alnn,G pcrhaps, had been hrihod.
IN" common followers would NOT mn.
trr suoh matters, but they would no.
ue' the iyrunuy OF the police over
the apple woman. over mo naannt
rooster over the blootblnck. tho news
boy the Keeper Of small soda water
stand, the owners OF little Tr4taurants
A. t''Nt 'l'ls7 o' honest CitiZ ms. strly-
lnE, struggling for living The men
az ihe clubs the more idle classes of
the population drinking over the fancy
uil7 OF the uptown hotels and rcstgur-
ants, dining at the cafes. might possI-
plN be interested In the exposure nr
me nigh officials, but IL would nor
shock them, II would not arouse In
thrfn such feeling OF personal resent
meht as would lead them to 70 ia
the polls and by their votes aid incroas-
ing power which these things signlned
You may be surprised when ! say that
New YORK, under the rule OF the pollca
department as IL was controlled nv
Iammany hail was far worse as re-
CARDS the individual comfort OF cliff
Hnns than ST, Petersburg under its
most violent police regime This was
accidentally Illustrated by witness
VINO took the stand one day. lie was
q Pole, who had BEEN sent to Siberin
as result of the Polish insurrcctlon.
Tie hnd escaped and reached this coun-
Try ana about year after his arrival
he was uuiustly arrested and cruelty
beaten. HIS story was told with an
irresistible quaIntness aud pathos
cannot reproduce 1t to You, as [ have
not the power 20 initiate his peculiar
dialect and his carnostncs~. that com
WINGED everybody. Bat when he was
asked how the police of New York
compared with those OF St. petersblirr
nc answered that the Russian police
are gentle and humane compared with
those OF our city,
AS an Illustration Of the tremen-
dous power welded by this orgaalzo-
uon, / viii refer to the difficulty NJ.
had IN obtaining witnesses to 10 up0n
the stand ana swear to facts that
they had brought to us In private
At tirst this applied to all classes. nom
reputable and disreputable. When nm.
pealed to they would claim that IL
they should testify tie police womb
hound them out of the CITY When
asked 10 they could not no rIsavhcr.,
and establish themselves I'm busIr,ass
they would reply that the pcrsarutIon
of The police OF New York Would fol-
low Thorn to every city in the cointr,
and would gradually reveal fbe as
founding fact wat the police of Ns,y
WI ..tr.. "a .....f..... ID ~. ~ "