The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-04-05
HOW
DEYERY
CAYED
The Story of a Reporter S
Nerve
His Experiences With New
York BuncO SteererS.

uty Commissioner Of the Police OF
New York" said one of the Washing
ton correspondents for a New York
newspaper, as reported by the Even
ing Star. "And from the pretty close
study of the man that I made at that
time reached the conclusion that II
ever a man deserved his lifelong rep
utatlon for being as hard as nails and
as uncompromislng as hammered dy
Mantle, then that man was this same
Devery.
"The incident happened about 10
years ago, when Devery was captain
OF one of the West Side police pre-
cincts in New York. | was attached
as reporter TO a New York newspaper
not one of the yellows, but one OF
the most conservative sheets on Man
haitian Island, and therefore a paper
of vast influence.
"The green goods game at that time
was being worked for tens and hun.
dreds Of thousands by a regular or.
ganizatlon OF famous green.goods men
and II was openly limited by most OF
the New York papers that this clique
OF swIndlers had the protection of the
police. The bulk OF the green-goods
men made their headquarters In Dew
ery's precinct. Everybody knew that
they we're working In that precinct,
and the demand upon Deyery to wipe
them out was loud. But Devery
strenuously denied that there was a
single green-goods operator In his en-
tire Jurisdiction. His denials were 30
childish in view OF the notorious facts
that they we're calculated TO make
one laugh I'm Deverys face when he
was making them; but there never
we're many folks who cared particu.
larly 10 laugh In Devery's face. He's
too huge and strenuous.
Finally my city editor took me of
every other kind of work and told me
10 take the trail OF the green-goods
folks in Deyery's precinct and show
them up--to force Devery to at least
acknowledge that there might be a
few OF their crooked INK In his domain
didn't tackle that job with any par.
tlcular relish; but II was not case of
ana 80 I went on a still hunt for the
purveyors OF the saw.dust filed satcb.
els.
First | dropped in upon Devery--
whom didn't know very well at that
ume-and told him that I'd been as.
signed In O. way to his balliwick. and
that I'd be greatly Obliged to him II
he'd hand over TO me neatly type
written list OF all the green-goods
men In his precinct. Well, you ought
to've seen him. He was sitting be.
hind his desk when | blandly sprung
that on him. and thought that he was
going 10 hop over II and the rail and
bite both my ears on
They amt no such people as
them In this precinct he bawled
bringing his mighty fist down ON his
blotting pad with a tremendous bang
4 don't believe there's any such
people anywhere In New York;
never seen one anyway You go
ahead an, dig f'r 'em II you want TO;
but you want To hew pretty close T.
tn line or and he glowered at me
as II he had half a mind TO chuck me
into donIon keep right then on gen,
eral principles.
well. struck pay dirt, as they say
from the first day and without much
trouble. did a Rube stunt and wan
dered into a plant that had been tip
ped on 20 me- as a hangingout place
for a bunch OF the satchel manipula.
tors. and l made elaborate plans 90
buy 5000 worth OF the phony papers
from one OF them, thus got the
names OF four OF them. or their assum-
cd names. and by comparing these as,
sumed names with the records OF the
rogues' gallery-in which all OF them
had been 'mugged'--I traced them out
II was ploughlng around Deyery's
precinct for over three weeks In this
way. and at the end OF that time
had a pretty complete list OF the
green-goods workers along with their
addresses. and carefully noted des.
criptions OF their plants. their meth.
ods and manners together with the
names OF at least 10 chaps from var
ious rural sections who had been
done by the operators. while was
nosing around ON their trail. had
more narrow escapes from being
pounded 20 a pulp than ia ever care 20
40 through again, and. In fact. for sew
eral years after that l kept strictly
away from the green goods mems see,
tlon OF the city, and went armed when
out az work after dark,
with all this data In hRnd-the |
most convincing array of facts and
figures that l ever dressed up before
or sinoe-I presented myself 20 Dov,
cry again. First. passed over 10 him
as he sat writing behind the rail OF the
station house a tvopage typewritten
list OF the green-goods men In his pre-
cinet. with the alias OF each. Devery's |
face first went red aud then Il as
sumed a purpllsh apoplectic hue.
"'rhem peoples all business men
o. standin In this precinct he shout.
cd at me 'G'wan am prove that they're