New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-12-17
VICE AND THE SHAKE-OP
SOME PERSONS THINK THE TWO ARE
CONNECTED.
REMOVAL OF TITUS FROM ELDRIDGE-sT'
GIVES HOPE TO DIvEKEEPERs-sIKi KIN
GENcY SEEMS TO BE OVER.

A In, If SPECULATION was INDUCED in yesterday
as 10 the result Of Saturdays big snake up IN
the police force upon the campaign against VICE
The sudden transfer of Captain Titus from tne
precinct where he had so quickly made the ais
orderly keep off the streets at least and hide
;rs,a,d ~ haunting itself as it did under Herl-
b,,,s rule was regarded by some as calling on
nv Devery of the active fight against dive
l,senars which Titus has made. Titus. having
shown his ability TO clean the district, would
MT stultifv himself by allowing the dives 10
flourish again, so a new captain, in the opinion
Of some. has been sent there 10 relax the strln-
gency.
Some of the suppressed dive keepers took nope
Yesterday and talked about opening up again.
CAPTAIN Stephen o'Brien. who succeeds Titus
had not arrived at his new post yesterday. He
win be O hand to-day. Captain Titus. the new
chief Of detectives was busy yesterday learning
the ropes in his more responsible position. The
fact that he served ten years in the Detective
Bureau in Byrnes's time now stands him in sooa
stead. He would say little about his sudden
promotion.
PROMOTION SURPRISED TITUS.
..It was as unexpected to me as it could pos
siblv be" he said. II knew nothing OF it until
7 received the official notification yesterday. on
the whole. I am glad to be here. One feature OF
the new post which is very pleasing to me IS
thar am continuing the work of very close
personal friend. Captain McClusky and are
very good friends and I am entirely in SYM
nathv with him in his methods. So that shall
continue the work Of the bureau on about the
same lines under which it has recently been
conducted
If was pointed out that he Captain Titus)
had expressed himself on various occasions as
being anything but anxious to take charge OF
srae in.
under different conditions" said the Captain.
smiling what we have TO deal with now are
present conditions. / am here now. and shall
try to do the work put before me TO the best OF
my ability ] shall make no changes in the
methods now in vogue. Whatever changes the
Chief may have in mind he will make. DO not
know that he intends changing things 10 any
considerable extent 1 shall continue to make
public such matters as are Of general impor-
lance. impsrtiaIly and thoroughly"
Devery continues TO meet all questions regard
ing his reasons for the shake up with the
stereotyped reply. For the good Of the service"
Captain McClusky. the deposed Chief OF De-
tectives, was seen yesterday at his new quar-
tiers in the Grand Central Station. He looked
exceedingly glum. but would express no opinion
at all as 70 the cause OF his downfall
YORK THINKS DEVERY LACKED POWER.
Commissioner York. TO whom the shake up
seems like a direct slap in the face. thinks
Devery exceeded his power in transferring the
Deputy chiefs Mclaughlin from Brooklyn to
Queens and Clayton from Queens TO Brooklyn
He has asked for the opinion Of Corporation
Counsel Whalen upon that point. Commls-
sioner Abel thinks Devery did right Commits
sioner Sexton, who is regarded by many as the
real power in the Board. thinks Deverys powers
were not exceeded. but Sexton pretends that ne
knows nothing of the reasons which led Devery
10 order the changes
John w Keller. Of the Tammany Purihcation
Committee says the shake up was not the result
Of any recommendation made by that commit
tee. He declares il will go right on with us
work pointing out police derelict!on wherever IL
may be discovered The runaor that further
transfers will be made are persistent, but no
solid basis for them can be discovered.