New-York tribune., 1900-09-12
POLICE AWE THE GREEKS.
MAY DRIVE THE PEDLER NHo La
POSED RRTBERY FROM TOWN
yREDENRITRGH DEFENDS MEN.


over the disclosures made by one Of their num-
ber to Magistrate Cornell. of the Centre-st
court, on Monday morning At the same urhe
they are wondering at and half way admlTlng
his courage in accusing the all powerful police.
They say that he may come out or the trouple
all right, for the police will give him money 10
go away and keep quiet. but they are sorely
afraid that punishment Will fall upon lhose WI"
remain behind.
Police were thick in Roosevelt, Washington
and Cherry SITS. yesterday afternoon. There
were men from Captain Vredenburghs station
and others from the Central Office inspector
Cross sent an officer into the district with Kara
labos Kololouros the pedler who mace the
charges They were accompanied by a Greek
interpreter, for few Of the pedlers speak Eng
lish KoIolourcs was asked to point out some
Of the men whom he knew had paid money to
Alex" the Greek policeman. He found the
men on every corner, and pointed them out with
out hesitation. One and all denied that they had
ever given anything TO any policeman. Ihey
were ouaking IN their shoes when they made the
denial, and would probably have denied that
they were born had the police interpreter re-
quested them to do so.
CROSS TO HOLD AN INQUIRY TO-DAY.
Kololouros stuck to his charges in spite OF
the fact that his witnesses went back on him.
He has given the police the names Of some twenty
other pedlers who he says went under the
Brooklyn Bridge at the first Of every month to
give an officer from the Oak-st. station So for
protection" They will be taken to headquar-
ters this morning and questioned by Inspector
Cross Kololouros tells his friends that he be-
ueves one or more Of these men will tell the
truth, in spite OF their fear of the police. He
says that Magistrate Cornell is the first judge
that has ever given him Justice, and that as long
as he is on the bench he has no fear.
Captain vredenburgh denies the charges
made against his officers in the most emphatic
manner. He IS strong IN his praise Of Alex
ander Howey. the Greek patrolman whom Kolo-
louros accuses Of taking protection money. He
says that Policeman John McGrath. who is
under bonds for assaulting the pedler, is one
OF the best policemen in his command. although
he is a young man. He says that the charges
will be thoroughly investigated by the inspector
in charge Of the precinct, and believes that they
Will amount to nothing.
Many Of the Greeks, IN talking the matter
over among themselves, yesterday expressed the
opinion that Kololouros was a fool to try to
fight the police.
1T Will come TO nothing" said one Of them
who talks little English. 'If a powerful com
rnittee like Mazet's could do nothing in stopping
police graftng' what can one poor Greek ped
Ter do?"
The general opinion among the Greeks seems
10 be that Kololouros will leave the city. In
the restaurants in Roosevelt-st. yesterday after
noon II was said that he had already received
offer to get out of town and say nothing more
against the police
An offer Of S105 was made to him to pay his
passage TO Australia" said one of the Greeks,
who was afraid TO give his name, for fear Of
the police. The offer was made by Greek
who is in the hire Of the police. Kololouros sent
back word that his injuries were worth more
than that and that he would rather fight. You
see, he is treating with them. trying to get some
doodle for himself. When they offer him
enough he will leave town. do not believe you
viii find him here at the end of the week"
LAWYER TELLS, OF BLACKMAIL
1t was only with the greatest difficulty that
the Greeks could be persuaded TO say anything
about the case yesterday. They retreated be-
hind a pretence that they did not understand
English. Some confessed that they would like
10 talk, but knew that the police would make
them suffer for it, and they did not care to
begin a fight. An attorney who has handled
many Greek law cases the last year and who is
familiar with their troubles made the following
statement to Tribune reporter. while several
Roosevelt-st. Greeks listened and corroborated
what he said:
The Greek. pedlers have been paying protection
upon themselves through Jealousy Of one another
bee az Sy 09g 20 eI gbg b 93 m oaf3eT on
corner or a place in ths streets around City Hal
the police scale took hand in The business and
systemat!zed matters A. that time the E ratio c wa
policemen. whose names could be given If it woul'
For eight or nine months back the police hav
insisted on the payment Of IS every month. 1t Is
heavy drain on the pedlers to give 81 80 ever!
week out Of their 81 earnings. The police max;
ever, that two-thirds Of the Greeks in this dis
trict pay regularly. They wait down under th
RriTp until an Oaly eta
ton and hand the money. OF course. the!
get no receipt for it, but the police know VIII
drifted into the protection scheme not very lonl
Park and no one who did not come from the south
ern part of Greece could sell fruit there. The pro
e remain ain more than than half an hour nn on Gerta % al
narrow streets which the law has closed to frui
men. z,o-- .o,.,. ,o,,-
have always had a hard time of it; Magistrat
ooe used 10 DELIGHT % IN binding e them en- oyer {Ter
10 from $40 TO 50 and sometimes added imprison
the injustice of it. They have notes q
tines 10 come 10 the aid Of some poor devil Of
pedler who was about TO get heavy sentence.
Here IS a chance for a Mazet committee, If ther
against the police if they would. An investigated
by higher police authorities viii avail nothing
They have no faith IN Investigations, and knoV
that the police YOU'D sooner r or later get eve
ers in the Greek district would like to testify. bu
pay 10 keep from being arrested for selling Nquo
even when they send out for it, as every restauran
without e license has right TO do.
PEANUT VENDER's TRIAL.
Some Of the Greeks say that interesting tes
timony Will come out next week when Mad
ison-st. peanut merchant is put on trial for rob
berry. They say that the charge was trumpe
up by the police because the merchant interfere
with their collections.
Captain Vredenburgh was seen by a Tribun
reporter yesterday afternoon at the Oak-s