The sun., 1895-03-31
WOMEN AS STOOL PIGEONS.
4 CURIOUS DISCLOSURE IN ESSEX
MARKET Police COURT.

The Arrest OF May Jordan Results In tho
Discovery of n Custom Now Prevailing
Among the Police on the East 5ide-Thcy
Enpioy womer to tsecuro Evidence
Against Certain Ciasacn OF Law Breakers
There was sceno In the Essex Market Police
Court yesterday morning when Policemen
Thomas Gill and Joseph Bush of the East Firth
street station almost camo to blows over the
case of May Jordan. who had been arrested for
soliciting. To tho ainazement Of Justice Grady
the quarrel brought outthc fact that the woman
was stool pigeon In the employ Of tho East
Fifth street police, and that the police of other
east side stations were employing women to
ferret out crime. The Justice promptly ad-
journed the case until tomorrow morning. and
summoned Acting Captain Wiegand to apponr
before then and explain matters.
The woman was arrested on Thursday night
by Policeman Gill. who was in citizens clothes
He said In court that he had seen her accost mon
nt Fourth avenue and Thirteenth street. On
Friday morning. when arraigncd in tho Essex
Market Police Court, the prisoners lawyer SO.
cured an adjournment. Yesterday. when ar
raigned again. Policeman Bush happened to bo
in court in another case. Gill told the Justice
that he had arrested the woman once before,
and that she had been sent to tho Island for a
month by Justice Simms. He added taat other
policemen In his precinct had also arrested hor.
The prisoners lawyer, after whispered confer
ence with Policeman Bush, called him u wit
ness. The storm broke
This is my woman detective. my stool
pigeon" said Bush. she helps me to get evil
dencc against disorderly houses and In excise
cases. Now this policeman" " (pointinG scornfuily
at GID is dead sore bccause have n great
record for getting evidence in that kind Of cases,
and so what does he doc but arrest my woman
detective"
What's that ?" asked Justice Grady in as
tonishment- "A woman detective stool pigeon |!
Why never heard OF such n thing. What do
you me1nY''
Bush explained that he and Policeman Nioho-
help them in excise aud other cases: They were
in the habit Of sending her into cafes ana other
iained the necessary evidence. -" Hes dead
sore be because she's working for US" IS & said Bush.
no5 sore n at erGee IN Ho1r G 81 a
violate the law any more than any body else. I'm
dqy ea ak he
and it looked for a moment. as if they would at
ing the consequences OF a conflict between them
in the, court room Justice Grady called out
!" Stop thi. talk at once. This. is the most as
tonishing thing Ivo yet heard DO you men
mean to say that the police employ women of
violate tho law that YOU may make nrrestsy''..
why. everybody knows IL" answered Gill.
To prove this the wotnan- lawyer called scv-
eral policemen WIN swOre that every policeman
on special duty EN- ployed women 10 get evidence
for them. One policeman said thnt in dsorderly
house cases 1t was the practice to keep woman
in q house a week at q time.
When Policeman Bush resumed his testimony
he said that the night before May Jordan's mr.
rest he had sent her to get evidence against a
cafe in sixth street, near F'irts avenue She
failed. and he made an appointment 10 meet her
the next night. rhoy met and had few mo-
ments' conversation. agreeing to meet a. mid.
TO get :. . aside;ice. The woman was arrested
b. 6 III Immediately after Bush left her.
The woman is Bush's Mistress" said Gill
after the adjournment, land he Is trying to
protect her by a bluff. lIe may have employed
her in a few cases. but most o: the time she
Captain to cerr the street, Of q certain class of
persons and will do II even IL | have 10 tread
on some peoples tees This woman las hrngred
that Bush had promised her immunity from
arrest and she has practically dcied mr. Bush
! VIA, nowhere near her when made the arrest,
Acting Captain Wiegaud said:
" We have employed women In this precinct
to help US ferret out certain crimes since came
here. and know it Is n general custom on the
cast side for the vOlators of the law over here
are so crafty that could never get the evil
denCe we need any other way. We can't use
tie women in more than one or two cases. They
are spotted a once when they appear as wit
nesses in court, but we have II standing list OF
applicants for the position. Since the reform
movement began the expense of securing evi-
dence has doubled. and we have to work upevery
case citizen reports to US. We are no different
from the Parkhurst society in this respect. fGr
they use many women detectives, too.