The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-06-01
WITNESSES ASSAIL MOSS.
PRICE Calls MN 4 COWARD AND
MACS WELLS ar HIN.

Opeh-t Nrfent pOlnES III the bow
cry Concert Halls stories of Men who
Tried TO nuy Into the Police Force.
The chief business Of the Mazct committee
yesterday was the Investigation OF the Tombs
under Warden Haghn and OF the Tenderlon
precinct under apt Price. Warden Hagan de-
Tended the management Of the city Prison and
the treatment of prisoners, and then Mrs. Ruth
Howard. who was In the Tombs for eight weeks
and who pleaded guilty last week to attempted
forgery. testified that she was compelled to az
socate there with rIbald women. was insult
i.gly acrosIrl lay deputy shcril- and had great
difficulty in getting hot water for Il BATH while
faync Moore and Louise \crmeulc who were in
the TOmhs when she was were allowed To- keep
tn their own cells. and could get hot water
whenever they wanted 1t.
CAPT. Price. who was questioned on his adj
ministratiou of the TcndcrlOin precinct. went
on the principle that hu was there tor the pur-
pose of battling with Mr. Moss
This Is the first tim" I've SPOKEN TO you in
| eighteen years. Frank Moss" he said after a
| bitter TRADE in which h" accused the lawyer Of
| subOmation Of perjury. I've been waiting
| for this chance to meet YOU and tell you some
! things I've got II Off my stomach now and
| feel better"
| ~ another time he expressed a wish to meet
| Mi. Moss outside" and darkly suggested
| tnht IL WOulu DO 10 UnlSI. Ills most luml-
! nous observation about his precinct was that
! evil resorts are necessary. and that he closed
! those in which there was robbery or assault.
The others stayed open. Two witnesses told
| of having been swndled by one Hart, who
! pretended to lie able for $500 each to get men
! on the police force. and George j. Kraus. Tim
| othy Dry Dollar Sullivans partner in the
! Dewey Theatre. defended that institution.
| President York Of the Police Board was
called. principally. 1t appeared. to hear about
current doinGs in concert halls that the board
| licenses.
| To-day the committee will devote about all
| day. so it was said yesterday. to the Tax De-
| partment. in which Mr.. Moss has had men at
| work for two weeks. The men who assess real
estate for taxation will give the principal testi-
| mony. The attendance yesterday was not
| large.
| The Testimony.
| President York the first witness, was asked
| If the Police Board was paying especial atten-
| ton to concert halls. He said It was. and he
was then asked il he thought concert halls as
conducted the Bowery conduced to law
breaking. Generally speaking. he did not.
Q.-Can you refuse to grant licenses to APP
! plicants il YOU SEQ nt2 Ave cannot make
arbitrary rcfusals When it has seemed to us
| that it was improper TO license certain place
| the license was refused.
| Q.-Who. in the first instance. determines
which are proper and which are improper
| places? A-The Captains of precincts.
| Q.-ThCn all the concert halls that are licensed
now were reported by the Captains OF pre-
cincts to be proper places to receive licenses 2
| Al think so.
| Q.-Do you know Stack S concert hall in West
street near tho Battery? Al don't remem-
| her to have heard OF II.
Or the Volksgarten in the Bowery' A
| know there is such n place.
| SPECIMENS OF THE LICE sED CONCERT HALLS.
Mr.. York was excused. and Joseph Dillon. a
| Moss detective. swore that he was in Stacks
| concert hall last Sunday night called for
glass of beer and got it, After he had drunk
the beer the waiter brought n plate with
| piece Of stale bread upon II. which the witness
produced Tho waiter explained that he
brought the bread because visit from the
| Inspector was expected. just after that po-
licGman In uniform cam" in, looked around
Tlgar A. Whitney, anothcr Moss agent. tes-
ned that he was in the Mnnhattan C3ncert Hall,
q waiter insisted that he 60 to one Of the boxes
near the stage, The witness did and found
10 see him. as they hadn't had drink all the
evening The women were among those who
drtd b"tS II bee twS Gock"s "nd
3I-cGnt package of cigtareGttes The waiter item:
gd !s o fnefS as three Sha NO
cncktails for th" ladies'. 81 So The alleged
champagne, cocktails looked like glasses Of
| seltzerand lemon. The stage performance was
indecent. and in another box two girls sue:
cceded in getting a man 70 or q years old
| ger from the box. carried him back again.
coSpITIoN OF WOMEN IN THE roMDs.
James llagan, Warden Of the Tombs since
Apri! !. lS's, testified that he was Iamma ,p
democratic club. He had been recommended
| for his place of Warden 10y John Is. Sexton.
| no W, nrlsnnnrg "a n
morning Of whom we're
were were - ,arnSi int into a Corridor ." Of he
Trsqn whS1s hSy Tsa e.
BrCakfast :" good, whoiesone. substantial COZ.
@a %'Ss s"p"r 6read SS and ar Moss
asked il any prisoners convicted OF crimes
bD S %n 'Ti Ee "W "rd ad f tRqt s%
women. convicted Of petty offences ana known
YER n EHTl P the the T%mS 1% woy
about the women prison.
Are fallen women and more, desperate
miqGle in this corridor. OF, which YOU, speak
with women accused OF shoplilting. for in
fln ""ii homes @ "a" A"Yes. SIR '''"', ''' "
,Q.-And these. women, these disTeput9ble
ilaunl thar .hnm" before and mingIc with tho
more refined prisoners. who. in the eyes Of the
being removed to her cell and locked IN As
for the more refined female prisoners OF whom
YOU speak. matters Of refinement OF manner
| are not taken into consideration in the Tomhs.
one prisoner receives the same treatment az
every other prisoner, and none Is considered
| better than another.
| RIVAL REFINED PRISONERS
Dwell, Fayno Moore and Louise Nermeue
were allowed to remain In their cells. were they
not; Ayes, they were, for a time. Mrs,
Moore said she was III, asked to be permitted
to remain in her cell after she had been in
PRISON ior a time, and Mrs, Vermeule was y
aud hysterical For these reasons permitted
them 70 remain on their tiers, In the papers
and elsewhere | was criticised for showing
fay0rtism. and then issued an order to the
effect that all female prisoners must spend the
day In the corridor.
= But you didn't compel Faync Moore and
Mrs. Nrrmculc to obey that order did your
II did not. because their cases were so soon
disposed Of.
Q--Wel why didn't you grant To Mrs. Ruth
Howard the Same privileges you granted to
Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Nrrmeulef A,Wcil. one
day Commissioner Inntry visited tho Tnmbs
and Mrs. Howard called to him and began to
| tell n very pititul tale and -
| O--Never mind that Just answer the ques-
ton A.-Commissioner Lantry suggested that
| allow Mrs HOwa ri to remain In her cell