New-York tribune., 1901-08-18
A RESPECTER OF WOMEN.

Deyery's remarks on the police situation are
highly interesting and characteristic perform
ance Tammany has never been lacking IN
efrontery but 1t is doubtful if, since Tweed
asked the people of NewYork what they were
'.going 10 do about it, a more tmpudent-we
might almost say more sacrileGious-utterance
was ever flung in the face Of the respectable
elements Of the community than is thrown at
them by this proved fattener on the wages Of
prostitution who dareS TO lament the wrongs
done TO womanhood by attempts TO break up
the system OF police blackmail
The efforts of the Society for the Prevention
of Crime are not directed to the extirpation of
vice 1t is trying merely TO break up the part
nership between the public authorities and the
vicious and criminal classes II is not saying
that immoral persons should be driven into the
streets but that they should not have in their
pay the police officers OF the city and COM
mand the services of the police telephone sys-
TEN and other department machinery TO AID
them in carrying on their criminal business
The charge against the police is not that they
show pity 10 outcasts and seek TO keep those
whom we must endure under control in decent
seclusion, but that they fiaunt them encourage
them and share the profits Of their degradation.
And TO this charge, backed up as 1t is by
criminal conviction and by evidence of a per-
nerve" TO answer:
don't think it's just for men like Dillon,
McClintock and Moss and other agents to be
going around among those unfortunates who
don't modest anybody when they are not inter-
fered with 10 try to drive them into the street
without providin' any place for them to go TO-
II looks 10 me. in the face Of the way these
people actin. that they've all forgot that
they were ever born Of women
Forgot that they were ever born of women"l
IL,
OF vice! With your record you presume TO
talk about the sacredness Of womanhood. You
who few years ago dared not face charges Of
growing rich on women's shame, who for all
your present bluster and boasts of readiness to
meet all enemies played the baby act and
declared you were sick and unable TO stand
trial, while your accomplice, Glennon, fed
abroad till the storm over!
In 1894 this man who pretends TO pity women
was dismissed from the force for blackmailing
them by a police commission under Tam
many government. Katie Schubert. the keeper
of disorderly house in Chrystie-st.. testified
that Captain Devery came personally 10 her
house and introduced himself as the new cap
tain on his arrival in the precinct. He wanted
$500, which she did not have, but a few days
later he and Glennon called again and Devery
took from her $500. Karl Werner, the keeper
| OF a similar resort, teSIlUeO DeVeTy came
| to his house with Glennon, introduced the lat
| ter as his wardman, and the next day Glennon
called alone and entered into negotiations which
| resulted in Werner paying the wardman 5000
| The Police Commission dismissed Devery from
the force. but the courts restored him, not on
| the ground that the charges against him were
untrue, but because the dismissal was techni-
| cally Illegal owing TO his insubordinate refusal
10 obey the summons OF the commissioners and
| meet his accusers and their acting on his case
without his appearance.
So he is now al the head Of the force. Under
| him the old system Of levying tribute hourishes
and the whole department machinery Is found
TO be at the beck and call Of the lawless. Con-
fronted by these facts, Devery with monu-
| mental shamelessness processes, in the name of
pure womanhood and motherhood concern for
the welfare OF creatures like those whom he has
forced to share with him the profits OF their
shame
Il don't think it's right" he says that they
| should use these poor women club in an
attempt to hurt me. They can slaughter me-
but they shouldn't these poor outcasts for
"a political issue" No, indeed. poor things. II
is shame to use them for political issue when
the police want TO use them for a source OF
| incomel