The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-01-15

Mr.. Pettit's opening remarks outlined
what he proposed to prove and what he
has since proven-as well as Infinitely
worse infamies-by an army OF witnesses,
men and women. We quote the Philadei-
phia 'Inquirer's'' summary of his
speech
He said he proposed to show the COM
mittee that the police not only ignored,
policy shops. gambling dens and houses
OF il-fame We're in full blast and flourish
ms. He said the only time attempts
respect was when complaints were made
by citizens and that citizens were Some-
times approached for making complaints
the provision of the charter intended to
a the police out of politics had been
willfully violated, that men were dis
and that other men accused of serious
crimes were permitted to remain on the
force. He said the law was violated at
every primary and general election. The
police publicly canvassed Their divisions,
terrorized citizens and stood idly by
while repeaters were plying their trade.
The first witness was D. c. Gibboney,
Secretary of the Law and Order Society,
who testified that "s~peak-easies" existed
in every police district in the city. They
We're not reported by the police on the
plea that it was hard to get evidence
In spite of this defence the witness said
he had personally seen policemen in uni
form in these places. Where arrests
were made 1t was at the instance of the
Law and Order Society. Hi said the
strongest backing of the dives came
from patrolmen and sergeants. In many
instances the police seemed to do watch
duty for the dives and to warn the pro-
prietors when there was danger. He tes-
titled to having been in these places on
Sunday and discovered four or five ofi-
GERS drinking in a room that was crowd
ed with thirsty men.
On December u Mr.. Petit produced
reputable witnesses to show that the
police were aware OF certain species of
crime, and that instead of trying to
suppress it they were actually protect
ing the guilty ones. In spite of the In
ability of the police to get evidence
against houses of i1l-fane, a witness was
produced who swore that h had per-
sonally discovered 638 of these houses,
$50 of which were located in the Eighth
district. mi Jackson, Il colored worn-
an of ILL Division street, told Of how
she had been arrested about a year ago.
h paid a constable SO and gave Harry
-tCOF 80 - 6tAAt6 A4Cl ooLiJ Dats III PAl
of this. was sentenced to nine months.
The Rev. Fl. o. Gibbons, pastor of the
Third Presbyterian Church, on Pine
street, ! said the Sums were located
near his church. The people were wretch
ed. and the locality was rowde with
houses Of prostitution. policy shops and
speak-easies. These were all apparent to
the passers-by. some of them extensively
so. Policy writing was very general.
Gambling on The street was to be seen
every day. In the houses of prostitution
women were at every window inviting
persons in. The police were standing
on the corners and in conversation with
the inmates of the houses and never in
terfered. He complained to the police,
but their answer was, you must swear
out warrants"
NThe police. the witness said, were al
ways workers in the Fifth ward. They
were extensively active at both the pri-
mary and general elections. Ballot stuff
ing and padding of the voters lists were
common occurrences. Men stood at the
polls and deliberately added names to
the list. He told of cases of repeating
where the police had released the Offend
ers before reaching the station house.
The immoral influence of the district was
o-verpowering. The respectable people
were disfleartened. because they got no
aid from the police.
Eugene Lyons, a detective, who has
been investigating houses of prostitution,
gambling houses and policy shops in all
parts of the city. testified at some length.
He said the police knew the location of
them ALL In many instances the police
visited these houses, drank liquor there
n were paid money for protecting
them. Whole blocks of these houses were
together. He said there were ESQ houses
of ill-fame in the Eighth district alone.
Citizens had frequently complained to the
police without avail. In the Sixth police
district there are lis; in the Seventh
there are 40; in the Ninth, 20: in the
Tenth. %: in the Eleventh, -; in the
Twelfth, Is; in the Second. 40; in the
Fourth, 10: in the Third, 40; in the First,
S; in the Eighth. 6; In the Twenty-eighth,
Is. In thirteen police districts ssS houses
of ill-fame existed. The witness said
Margaret Longdon, of No. GIL North
Tenth street, told him that she had to
pay the special officer on that beat for
protection.
Inc testimony Oh the next WltneSS
brought out with distinctneas the con-
trast in the treatment accorded to Com
lime men and a~nti-Combine men in the
department. Ex-Police Oficer Robert
Taylor. of 1.411 Mole street. told of how
he bad been discharged after a farcical
trial by the Police Board Of Inquiry. He
was a cook and steward in the navy dur
ing the war, being connected with Admir-
al Farragut's fleet. He was a member |
of the police force for nine years, being |
dropped from the roll last summer. lie |
was under medical treatment and while
in uniform had gone into his own house, |
which was on his beat. to take some medi-
cine. He was not gone more than four
minutes. but for this slight derellction he |
was discharged. He admitted on close
Questioning that the real cause was be-
cause his name had been used as one of
the officers. of the First Quay Club of the
United States. He was suspected Of be-
ing an anti-Combine man and that ended
his career as an office-holder.
Miss Leslie Nixon. a bright looking
young woman. residing at No. 242 South
Fifth street. said that In September last
she had preferred a charge against Oficer
John Baker. of the Third district. She
said that he had got her into trouble and
was the father Of her child. He had
taken her to a lodging house at Fifth
and Lombard streets, and while he was