The San Francisco call., 1904-12-01

Commissioners Reagan and Drink
! house, alleging conntvance- with corrup-
ton in Chinatown. were the subject OF
an animated discussion before the. PO-:
lice Commissioners last night. AS a re-
suit there viii be another investigation
regarding the existence. OF an alleged
corruption fund in Chinatown and ef-
forts will be made to ascertain the.
names Of the benefciaries and punish
them accordingly.
The excitement began early IN the.
evening and lasted more than an hour
After a few minor matters had been
disposed of, Abe. Ruef stepped forward
and announced that as a. representa-
tive of Mayor Schmitz he wished to call
attention to a published article .villify-
ing the Mayor, himself and members OF
the board. In strong language he
branded the article in question as'' a
deliberate, cowardly and malicious: lie. y
He urged the board TO make a full in
YestigatiOn Of the charges ana offered
his services as attorney gratis. pronis-
ing also to secure free OF charge Tor the
board any attorney who might he Sc.
F! lected 20 assist him: The offer was ac-5
cepted by the Commissioners, and a.
| public investigation will be begun to-.
morrow afternoon at . o'clock.
The. whole trouble apparently was
l:stirred UP by quiet raid made by.
Commissioner Hutton on Tuesday
night, when with an officer and an at
tOrney he gained entrance To a house
at $50 Jackson street and Interrupted a
gambling game. His report Of the raid
! is as follows: ,..
on Monday evening the 2st:i inst. shortly
before s o'clock !. in company wish meEsen-
| ger. boarded a west bound car aG Montgomery
ana clay streets and proceeded westerly.
On passing WRveEiy place noticed EirStc's-
I iariY that there were but few people thereon:
/ Tho messenger and myself left Che car st
Powell and Gay streets. wheN Z handed hin q
| sealed envelope and told him 90 so 90 jackson
geant EsiI!s OF the Chinatown squad and deliver
I IL him. and Il he was uet there 90 look
! through Chinatown until $OUnH him. and
| note particularly the. time oG delivery.
| He delivered it 20 she sergeant at the Wash
! ;nHton-street T'hcater at 9:%0 p gns The en-
yelope contained a request to the serSeafit "a
! meet me az the G:ug store as Powell
; and Clay streets aud conduct ;nc through
| the Chinatown gambling houses. AZ ihe
unable to see how any one but he and knew
! of the contents Of the note. Sttll. at 3:25. d
| telephone message received at a Chinese
gambling hoiiss at = So. Louis aEle$ informing
| that place that Poice commissioner and the
I
! places and TO close up quick
! Also a, 9s25 similar message was received
| at Chinese gambling place at io2 Waver!y
| place.
| AZ 926 Chin Kim You. who. / am told, is
| president OF the Gamblers Association. tele-
! phoned to the gambling place at $50 Washing
! ton street that Police Commissioner
! coming through Chinatown with the sergeant,
and TO close up quick Similar. messages were
sent to other gambling houses.
Sergeant Ellis met AT Powell and Clay
streets at $3.50. We wicked down Clay street
1rI Va
walked down Waverly place and found some
os the iron lattice doors locked with pad
Icck others closed but not locked. About
ali of the iron lattice doors were closed, which
is not customary at that hour OF the night
or at any other Of the frequent times 1 have
been through Chinatown in the evening
We went into five six gambling
places on waverly place and found but one
or two persons sitting moving around, maxi
ing a pretense of closing up.
We went to two or. three places on Wash
ington street with the same result The side
walks on Washington street were also being
crowded with Chinese.
We went to some gambling places on St
Louis alley and found the same state of facts.
There was gambling being carried on in
Chinatown at that time
then walked with the sergeant to jackson
street down Jackson street to Kearuy and
then left him, and at 10 O'Clock l received
the above reports as to the time messages
were received in the gambling places.
Desiring to confirm my belief that the
ditions in Chinatown on the evening OF the
2Sth of November were not normal went to
Chinatown on the 29th at p. m. in a closed
coupe in company with Officer Minehan and
L. G. Carpenter When arrived in front
of $50 Washington street Mr.. Carpenter and
myself hastily entered and found about one
hundred Chinese busily engaged in either play
ing or as spectators at the game Of fantan.
officer Minehan entered a few minutes later
and Sergeant Ellis about five minutes later.
We succeeded in arresting about eighty-five
inmates acquired quantity OF evidence and
se62 95 in money
night before and found there. On
the contrary those who had evidently been
there few minutes previous appeared to be
temporarily on the street and sidewalks in
front thereof.
/ had been informed some two weeks pre-
vious that for months past no gambling was
being carried except when the police were
| restrained by injunction at least up to
the hour m @ 0 Il that p the onT tn time 5s0t aS II aP
not carried is when there is opportunity
OF knowing that Police Commissioner is
The above matters are presented for such
action as you may desire to take Very
| respectfully yours. H. W. HUTTON.
This report was temporarily filed and
the discussion on the newspaper article
again taken up. Chief Whitman said
THAT he had no knowledge of money be-
ing paid for protection in Chinatown,
but If such were the case he courted
| Investigation. II ask for a full investi-
CATION" he said. When a man has a
clear conscience he fears no one, and 1
am that way. / will come out with fly
ing colors."
Commissioner Drinkhouse said:
! In reference to an article appearing in an
! evening paper regarding protection of Chinese
| gamblers by this department I wish TO say
| that 50 far as II refers to me. II is like many
! other articles in that DaDer-an outrageous
I bare-faced lie. / am and always have been
| against toleratinS this open gambling. and
| always will be against it: and I want 1t dis
| tfnctly understood that l am ready on the
| first presentation of proof of corrupt
| Knowledge or corrupt conduct in this connec-
| tion on the part OF any member of this de-
| partment high low, 10 vote for his imme
date dismissal.
Commissioner Reagan was equally
bitter in his denunciation of what he
termed "a base and slanderous lie" He
also expressed a perfect willingness to
be Investigated, and said he would do
all in his power to punish any guilty
parties.
On behalf of Mayor Schmitz the fol-
lowing resolution was presented and
| unanimously adopted:
| Whereas. It has frequently been rllmored
| and alleged that a corruption fund is paid to