Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-08-16
New York,s Latest Scandal.

The collusion, long suspected, be
tween the police department and the
proprietors of pool rooms, gambling
houses and other haunts of vice in
New York city seems to have been
fixed definitely. 1t has been shown
before that individual policemen and
captains levied blackmail, but the evil
dence now points to the general cor
ruption of the police force, and a sys-
tenn of extortion from the criminal
classss for. protection in which officers
Of all grades up to Deputy Commits
sioner Devery ere Implicated.
The chief "go-between" has been
caught red-handed, with discriminating
papers in his possession; a, detailed
list of % pool rooms in the comt}na-
ton, with signal and telephone num-
bers, which various tests proved to
be authentic, was furnished to Detec-
tive Dillon by the gamblers agent, who
paid Dillon large sums of money as
bribes for his supposed service in CIV
ing information of projected raids, how
to connect with the gamblers through
Police headquarters was divulged and
verified by experiment; warnings of
intended raids were sent out by cap
tains and sergeants, who actually con-
versed with the Parkhurst men over
the telephone; and on Friday Frank
Moss, counsel for the Parkhurst So
ciety set an elaborate trap, into which
almost the entire police department of
high rank Immediately fell.
A bogus warning of an intended gen
eral raid was sent to police headquar-
ters by Mr.. Moss, through the secret
medium made known by the gamblers
chief agent, and almost Immediately
wardmen from a dozen preciencts rush
ed out to Tip" the places threatened,
where agents Of the society, previously
stationed, witnessed policemen uncon-
sciously furnish evidence to convict
themselves of aiding, abetting. tip
ping" and protecting law breakers.
There was not a single failure The
gambler recognized the warning in
every case as a regular police tip"
which could not be safely disregarded,
and the pool rooms were quickly emp
tied money and papers being carried
off to nearby saloons, and in some
cases transferred to other quarters,
where business was partially resumed.
Headquarters telegraph operators,
captains, sergeants, wardmen and pa
trolmen, all combined to furnish a
general and complete demonstration.
The main question now is whether
the evidence is strong enough to Sc
cure general conviction of the men
implicated. There is proof enough to
send the go-between to prison and it
is intimated that one or two police cap
tains and several headquarters men
are so closely in the meshes that they
cannot escape. Whether the officials
in high places can be held directly re-
sponsible is a debateable question, al
though the telegraph bureau, under
the personal direction of Devery, is al
legged to have been the avenue of COM
munication between the Upper and the
gambling houses.
Gov. Odell has requested District At
torney Philbin and Justice Jerome to
furnish him detailed information re-
garding the revelations. The govern
or is reported to have decided that
Devery's connection with the police de-
partment must end at once. 1t is said
that if Devery is still deputy commits
sioner at the end of three days Gov.
Odell will either suspend Mayor Van
Wyck and formulate charges of NAL
feasance in Office against him, or re-
move Commissioner Murphy