The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-03
POLICE ARE MOTTO BLAME.
cOyLINs' REPORT As TO FAKE
CLUBS, POLICY PLAYING, SC.

re I~ntinnte. That inc city Magistrates no
Not sustain the Bind the
D,soraerly House Commissioned Moss want
ed Ciosed,-NcLauEhiIn Charges sheived.
Chief Conlin answered the demand Of Presi-
dent Moss for information about policy, disor'
dsriy cafes, and fake clubs. one OF sixth ave-
nue. and Thirtieth street " in particular. yester-
day. His report was long and argumentative.
Remarks about the mysterious Sixth avenue
establishment led 70 a brief collision between
President Moss and Mr.. Parker that betrayed
fires %slumbering under the surface.
President Moss had said that there was an I'M
mense amount Of policy playing in town and
that disorderly cafes seemed TO seek shelter IN
the neiRhborhood Of Police Headquarters, Tho
Chief reported that policy playing. According
to his reports, was carried on only In the First,
Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth. Thirteenth,
Fourteenth, Sixteenth, Twenty.hrst, Twenty
second, Twenty-third, and Twenty.ninth pre-
cincts. In these precincts there were a number
OF suspected policy shops, all under surveillance,
not only by the precinct police, but by himself
as we'll. His men had made 347 arrests in one
year. He did not think policy playing could
be suppressed entirely, but it could BIO
driven from precinct to precinct, and that
was his plan. In one precinct. where 1t ex-
listed to an inexcusable extent, he got evil
dence and made charges against the Captain.
"Thc charges are yet pending before your
board" he wrote. The Chief referred to the
case of Capt. Sheehan, then in the Twenty.sec-
ond precinct, but since transferred. which re-
suited In lodging the witnesses for the prosecu.
ton in Jail for perjury, in tho abandonment OF
the case by the trial Commissioners before the
defence was reached, and in the denunciation by
q Judge on the bench Of police methods.
Cafes flourish, reported the Chief. mainly on
thelower east side, in the Eleventh and Four
tecnth precincts. Like the policy writers, their
proprietors were extremely careful to sell drinks
only to persons known TO them. immortality
was very rarely p~ractised upon the premises.
Cider, which cost 8 cents, at 81 a bottle and bad
coffee at 10 cents furnished profit enough. The
Chief did not explain why any one should pay
So for an Scent bottle Of cider; he said 1t had
been proved that the customers Of these places
did. Evidence against them was hard TO get
He SS was as. using nst e sstisf sadef however, with having
the whole burden put on the police. There were
Others, no remarked, whose business it WAS to
the police are doing their utmost to eradicate both
policy playing and disorderly cafes" he wrote,
time to time, Indicating that the hands Of tho
police are not upheld as they should be. Hence,
he agEgSsted Opera t E,ns among fSsg oIaSiai Il. which " sh
enoFInons amount of conscientious police work
done without its proper results
President Moss, who had listened to the re-
port unmoved, approved some of the sugges-
lions. He referred to the day. not long since,
T ,So aI PoiIsy sss1ians T CaSr sr apd fsed Il ss sSu %hid IN
one lawyer paid for all Of them out of one big
roll. They enjoyed it, and told counsel for the
Society for the Prevention Of Crime (Moss) to
was run for them At that rate; He liked the
sSs see Inc ea asss th GSmPS' the % Sh,sist 1e esP Sonrt.
Until that be done 1t might not be a bad
thing for the Commissioner to toe the mark"
he said; " that was the view l took OF the Clar-
The Chief held that his treatment of the fake
tinuous," and besides antedated the resolution
OF the board. MI. Moss smiled at the reminis-
ton of inquiry. When the report went on to
the corner Of Thirtieth street and Sixth avenue"
ton what or where it was. he raised his eye
browsx but said nothing. Commissioner Parker,
who had tried hard TO get hin to identify the
He asks for information as to the exact loca.
tion Of the alleged house of designation" he
And I don't care to mako it any more spe.
eifc." said Nj; Moss. Think the Chief could
Tie discussion sttr.aayed away. but presently
came back to this matter. A,person who sits
Was il the Blou !" Mr.. Parker asked;
! iAaVen \ pulu u was, Sdlu- frCSlQeut MOSS,
Who told you That person beside your
Mr.. Parker said yes.
"Ihave noticed" said Mr.. Moss contemptu'
ously. that that person takes u peculiar inter
est In getting at the specification in this matter
just as it was in the Hammerstein case"
Hammerstein sued Mr.. Moss for $50, 600 dam
ages for things alleged to have been said In
board meeting. The reporters did not print the
alleged libel. but it reached Hamnersteir
promptly, and Mr.. Moss had occasion to poini
this out at the next meeting.
The charges against Inspector Mclaughlin
were filed as stale" Philip Rhinelander pro
posed the presentations of II medal for bravery
once a year TO policemen just as the firemen ge'
theirs. The iden of such n feature OF the annua
parade took with the board. and will probably b,
carried out next year. AT the same time honor
able ~nIention and, the bronze medals for Iueri
will be given.
The Corporation Counsel reported that the de
partment could not build a new station house OF
the lots purchased in the Twelfth precinct TO
that purpose because there was n school near by
To a station house belongs a prison, and the Law
of n school. Col. Grant wanted TO go on, sine,
they had the lots. but the three lawyer member
OF the board said the Commissioners might be
come individually liable for damages. Col
Grant said that that wouldn't trouble him much
Tho whole case Is that the Board OF Educa
ton wants our lots, he said. 1T has itself vic
lated that law in the Twenty-flfth precinct b,
building a school near n station house"
THAT was the choice of the Commissioners o
Ed9cation,' said Mr.. Andrews. THE law is 70
their protection
Other lots will have to be bought.