The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-03
iC0PS AT THE WRONG CLUB.
LOOKING FOR 6AMBLING-P0LlCE
C0MMIssIONeRs lrEMBERA

e -
me Result or Capt. sheehsu,s Dsuiehiar1
Visit 20 the BuifdisG Trades Club Wns =
Private investigates 0raerea ~ Pc
lice Csnmississers Smith ara huaTsvs.
Now that Mayor strong's Police Commission.
ers are no longer In power. the story Of = recent
police raid has leaked out. It 10 particularly
interesting because two Of those Police Commits
,ioners arc members Of the club which the police
honored by their presence.
Tho Building Trades Club is the club and
Col. George Moore smith and Major Avery d.
Andrews are leading members Of II. The club
occupies the top floor Of the Townsend building,
on the northwest corner Of Broadway and
Twenty.flfth street.
Tho raid was made two weeks aRo by Police
Captain Sheehan of the Tenderloin precinct.
Capt. shechan visited the club on the strength
of an anonymous letter he had received. The
writer Of this letter complained that gambling
was going on on the top floor OF the Townsend
building. Capt. Sheehan summoned three OF
his detectives and set out for the alleged
gambling place.
The four policemen, dressed In plain clothes,
reached the Townsend building late in the after
noon of Dec. II and they lost no time in getting
to the top floor. Swinging doors from the main
hall on the top floor lead into tho reception room
Of the club. Capt. Sheehan and his mon pushed
hAouBh a. Whnbhhk uoSho oho Voh ~
about the reception room when an attendant
entered. He asked what was wanted. Capt.
sheehan said he wished to sec an officer Of the
club, either the President or the steward.
Pretty soon r. Lineman, the steward, appeared.
The Police Captain told him he had visited the
club to see II gambling was going on on the
premises.
You're ut perfect liberty to 60 wherever you
please" said the steward. There is no
gambling here to my knowledge"
tho rooms. While the policemen were 70. en-:
81 sssf sso IN CLUE Tslkf ste asnsI MMir9sssE:!n;tn s pCssids sSs
visitors. President Tostevin Endorsed the
tors sosSa about ,n the prem fRa "e Evenptaaily the the ' po.
licemen Departed without finding any evidence
Nothing more was heard Of the raid until
dered to report at once to Chief McCuiiagh at
han to explain Why he had forced bis way Into
a private club. Sheehan told why. Chief Nc
G t. RsGl%RslX: rsRGrt and f1 ANDREW G ! who si 6saS
demanded that the Captain be called to &C.
Later some of the members of the. club de-
ished. Col Smith and Major Andrews ad.
the police like . bad dream. But the indignant
members wouldn't forget.
they w saia, T ~ they eSf NEW MOVES we sn we're asq ma%Sers se Sfa
supposed gambling. clubf'
They nnRlly won the two Police commissioners
to their way of thinking, and then the wheels
were set going to make trouble for the policemen
concerned. The club members demanded q
hearing and Chief McCullagh was ordere to
arrange 1t 30 that both sides could be heard and
the story kept from the newspapers. The
Chief delegated inspector Brooks to take the
testimony and he SGT las, Thursday for the hear
The officers Of the club were on hand at the
appointed time, and SO were Capt. Sheehan and
his three detectives. The hearing took place
Headquarters behind closed doors. The stc-
nographer was sworn to secrecy. The club.
men rrcited their grievance and Capt Sheehan
and his men told their story.
Whom the hearing adjourned Inspector
Brooks said he would present a copy of the tes.
timony to his superiors. Chief McCullagh got
the evidence, and on Friday he laid 1t before tho
two interested members of the old Police Board.
The boards term of life was limited, and the case
was allowed to die with the board. But the
clubmcn are not satisfied with the result Of the
private hearing, and when they learned that SO
Tar as their two fellow members were concerned,
the matter was dead, several Of them throat
ened to hrjag the raid before the new Board of
Police Commissioners.
The Building Trades Club was organized in
1888. and incorporated In 1902. Most Of tho
big builders and contractors In Creator Now
York are members. Some OF the members be-
sides the two ex-Commissioners, are John D.
C~rimmins. Francis Seagrist, Jr., John II.
Deeves, and Thomas Z. Crimmins.