New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-25
NEW GRAFT" SYSTEM.
POLICE RETAIN STAKES.
after Raids They Turn IN Small
Percentage of Sei2ed Money.

Despite the efforts Of Police Captain Cottrel
ito keen the lid on in the Tenderloin, there are
,lurlistakable evidences that several Of the
plssn clothes detectives Of the TeEderloin ere
grating" 70 q considerable degree. At saloon
fn Seventh-ave-. within few blocks OF the
Tenderloin station wEich. as told in The Trb-
ure seyeraI weeks age. is continual hang-out
To- MEM ers of the police force who have ''pri-
va.e bssiness' with the various TenderlCin law
lroaIzers they are supposed TO suppress, several
Of CAPTAIN Cot.re!Is plain clothes force can still
te found every morning. At least three Ct these
olicernen are saia to owe their detail from uni
cornls 20 plain clothes duty the friends on the
police force OF this saloonLeeper. Two OF these
detectives last Saturday night were heard
On Sxth-ave shortly before raid on
q gambling house. engaged in hot argument
as 10 the possession Of spOns. These Two
policemen Went out Saturday night TO raid
en- alleged crap game at No. 455 Sxth-ave, said
20 be run by a man named Regenworth and fire.
ouented by Frenchmen and Swedes. The raid
was carried off without a warrant. Almost at
the threshold Of ;he door at No. 455 Sixth-ave-,
she two detectives mentioned fell to arguing as
20 which should seize the money on the tables
when the raid made Several reliable Wit
r1esses heard the dispute. one detective said TO
the other: You look after the prisoners and
viii seize the money for evidence in court" To
this the other replied: NO; you seized the money
for evidence last Saturday night. 1t is my turn
this trip" For some minutes neither man would
give in but finally upon the threat Of the second
detective to refuse to participate in the raid IL
he could not have his way. the other yielded.
According 10 inmates OF the gambling house.
who were arrested and discharged with the al
legged proprietors, IN Jefferson Market Court yes
se-day morning there a stake OF more than
$500 on the table when the police broke Into the
place.
When the eight prisoners were brought 20 the
Tenderloin station the detectives who had seized
this money handed over 20 the sergeant at the
desk for the purpose OF evidence liz court Only
S15.
BY al extraordinary coincidence. IN q raid
on another gambling house IN West Twenty
sixth-st the previous Saturday night, the sell
same amount OF stake seized, SIS. was handed
over for evidence. This was apparently the
raid referred TO by one OF the dieputing oetec-
tives In the alteration Saturday night. Men
arrested previously in these gambling house
raids Of the smaller kind. and afterward dis
charged in court have frequently made com
plant that the amount OF the stake money
seized as evidence at the raid has wofully di-
unfinished By the time Il reached the station
house.
The plain clothes men who are assigned 10
the work OF arresting Tendefloin women are in
almost open partnership with the half dozen
professional bondsmen who make the Tender
loin station their means of revenue. A woman
missionary who works among these women told
Tribune reporter that many Of these women
had confded to her that every time they were
arrested il cost them s. for a bondsman, s. for
the policeman TO put I'm light charge against
them in court. and 50 for the fine imposed by
the magistrate as a result OF the leniency exer-
cised bv the policeman in pressing his charge.
When he first entered upon his duties in the
Tenderloin. Captain Cottrell started in TO wage
a relentless campaign against these professional
bondsmen. He afterward discovered that he had
no legal right TO prevent this professional bail
bond business from going on. and was reluctant
~ forced to abandon the contest. Last Saturday
night these bondsmen had the temerity 10 at
tempt TO make their headquarters in the Ten
derloin station itself. and several Of them wait
ed before the sergeant's desk all night for cases
10 come in. the men had never before. during
Cottrells regime attempted any such open eX-
plotting Of their business as this. but had pre-
viously refrained from visiting the station unless
they had definite prisoner TO ask for. Cap
tain Cottrell entered the station in the early
hours OF Sunday morning. when these bondsmen
openly soliciting newly arrested women
prisoners for commissions to BAH them out.
What are you men doing heTe?" cried Cot
trell angriy. Get out OF this station mne-
diately. While in charge here ] viii not
stand for your fellows hanging around here in
order 10 pick up business. You have right
10 loiter here This is going too far"
While Captain COttreil expresses open enmity
20 these men. terms OF the greatest intimacy
appear TO exist between the plain clothes men
and some Of these bondsmen. The latter are
also freQuenters Ct the saloon in SeVenth-aVe
referred 20. and he found there any night.
when not engaged in bailing out prisoners. Ger
tain OF these bondsmen have a pull" with this
saloon keeper. to the exclusion OF the others and
81 is the customers Of these privileged ones
who are most frequently arrested by the police.
on one occasion one girl was arrested and locked
up three times in one night, and on each oc-
caSion the same bondsnan appeared TO release
her.