The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-03-04
LICENSES REVOKED.
Aldermen Will Not Tolerate
the Court House Theatre"
and u. / C."

The Entertainment Committee of the
Board of Aldermen, at a special meeting
last night. on recommendation of Chief
of Police Murphy, revoked the licenses
of the two concert halls knows respect
lively as the Court House Theatre and
the star Theatre" or y. l. c.. This
action was taken in response to the fol
lowing communication. which was re-
ceived from the Chief
Gentlemen II would respectfully
inform your honorable body that for
the past two weeks / have been look
ing up the manner in which the con-
cert halls in this city are conducted.
l sent young policemen, with order
to notice what was going on IN those
places. These officers report to me
that in what is known as court
House Theatre the walters employ
ed therein solicit men TO go into the
boxes to see the female performers.
These boxes are located on both sides
of the building. close to the stage,
with a curtain in front screening the
occupants from the view OF the peo-
pie in the audience.
While in these boxes the officers
have peen asked by the female per-
formers to treat. Twenty-Five GENTS a
bottle is ciiareed for beer and twenty
five cents a drink for sherry or Whls-
key. One OF the officers on this detail
willie in q boXsSTW a woman In a box
directly opposite 70 him sitting on a
mans lap Plugging and kissing him.
These Officers saw women IN those
boxes soIeit men in the audience by
Reckoning them to come into the box.
On n occasion. while an officer sat in
a box with ora ee the female perform
erA. IL police captain, in plain clothes,
came into the concert pail n IN
mediaiely thereafter Mr.. Cronheim,
to the box and sGid:-"Be very careful
now, the captain is out there"
Such scenes and actions as just de-
scribed were witnessed on at least Q
occasions by my officers IN tne E9urE
House Theatre.
Down close to the stage may be seen
any night a number of half grown
BOYS from fifteen to twenty years old,
who spend their whole evening drink
ing and passing remarks ABOUT the
female performers.
AS to the Star Theatre, known as
the q l. c." on Grove street, SINH
lar actions occur. Captain Kelly raid
ed this place on complaint of a young
man. quite recently. The testimony
in the Police Court was to the effect
that this young man was solicited by
a waiter to go behind the scenes, the
young man went there and as he
swore in the POLICE Court, had i'm
proper relations with n ct the fe-
0fieeers have also visited what is
known as the ssWashington Garden
and they report me that there is ab,
htiulEI3 ff0 tmHAoBSt ES ~
on there.
/ make this Feportsfo ye4, gentle
men, remembering h a YOU have told
me that you granted a license to
these places Of amusement with the
understanding that the ma per-
ormer would not be permitted to
drink or in anyway associate with
the people in the audience.
would, therefor, respectfully sugA
eesf that the entertainment license is
sued 10 the Court House Theatre and
the Star Theatre be revoked.
Respectfully yours.
BENZ. MURPHY,
Chief of Police.
The members of the committee on i
eenses are:-Aldermen Samuel G. War
rem. John Tracy, A: N. Henry, William J
Moran and James Burns.
They sent notice Of their action to Chic
Murphy this morning aad Informed hin
that should either OF the theatres attemp
to have performances tonight he is at lib
erty to raid them. No licenses will b
granted the proprietors of the theatres
until sueh action is recommended by Chic
Murphy.
Alderman Mpraln. who acted as spokes
man for tile eomfatttes, asked Chief Nun
ply II he wptid MOI investigate the plac'
on Paiisade &vsHsis. formerly kept 3,