Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-22

Yo.k police. for example have shown them
selves to be utterly unable to catch up with
the murderous bunch of pyromaniacs who
have been setting fire to apartment houses
on the west side during the past two
months or So These villainous jobs of the
nat-houSe burners break out sporadicaily
and on one night not long ago 10 less than
six OF the houses. all of them sheltering
scores of people, were set on fire within
the space or three-duartcrs of an hour. The
police haven't yet caught one of the crimi-
nails engaged In this frightful work. On
one night. when the police professed to be
watching a certain ives; side district for
the fat-house burners. three such fires
were started i'm the alleged watched" dis
trict, and one of the houses burned to the
ground. the people asleep in their beds at
the time getting out by the narrowest pos
sible chance.
Blank Hand Works With Impunity.
The so-caled Black Hand operators are
hurting their bombs about In the Italian
| section with all Imaginable impunity. ALP
sorts of impressive statements are handed
out from police headquarters as to how
the Black Hand bomb throwers are being
rooted out, but none OF the actual bomb
throwers has as yet been corralcd. and
the well-to-do Italian who is required, by
| means of a Black Hand letter, ID leave
Sl,oo0 or 5000, or whatever the may
be. at a certain place within a certain space
OF time. on peril of having his home and
family blown into the air. has pretty
the devil for a witch when he moved. from
his comparatively peaceful Italy 10 this
lawless New York, where everything
goes" and where all hands are on an
equality in a general lack of police protec-
ton.
There were good many unpleasing fea-
lures attached to the police administration
of Devery, but, all the same many New
Workers who study these matters are be-
coming inclined to the belief that Devery
was the best police chief this town has had
since the time of Byrnes. 1t is unquestion-
able that graft was one of the main con-
sideratlons OF the Devery police regime,
but 1t Is equally certain that only a small
percentage of the New York population
grating, while the whole population had
an efficient system of police protection.
Bulifes. plug-uglies, panhandlers sand
baggers and such like We're kept down with
a stern hand when Devery ruled. There
were no pyromanfacs In his time and the
hold,up men were run out Of town as soon
as they showed their faces
Devery grapped with the kdna ppers and
Black Hand crowd OF his time and laid
them low. Men and women were safe ON
the streets and in their beds. A great
many hfgh-grade citizens Of New York
men who have no liking for Deveryism and
all that 1t stands for, would at the present
hour welcome the return of Devery to the
command OF the New York police force.
even with a renewal of the old police graft
ing system. If that had to be. for the public
order and safety that Devery so we'll knew
how to maintain.
AS showing the state of decentralization of
the New York police at the present time
that disgraceful bicycle race at Madison
Square Garden last week a fine object
lesson. l heard an old headquarters detec-
| tive estimate that no less than 1000
crooks, fellows whose pictures are in the
rogues gallery. were camped in Madison
Square Garden during the entire week OF
that fake race plying their various games.
A Veritable Crooks Carnival
1t was veritable crooks carnival. Men
and women by the score who were unwise
enough, in the face of all warnings, to at
| tend that miserable affair. were robbed
without a chance of redress. The garden
f! was literally cluttered with strong-arm
| men, pickpockets. damond-biters. pocket
book-snatchers. workers of the knockout
drops and ''friskers' of sleeping men. They
worked the knockout drops right in the
garden by getting into collision with the
walters who served drinks, and inserting
the stuff into the drinks of men picked out
for victims. Several men were actually
''necked' and robbed in the garden by
strong-arm men, and their complaints to
the police were disbelieved or disregarded.
The crooks committing these crimes didn't
even make any attempt to leave the garden.
They camped there throughout the entire
week. getting their meals there.
1t has been good many years since the
old-time shell game has been worked right
in the heart of New York without police
interference. One found it difficult to be-
lieve his eyes when he saw no less than
a score of the shel-game grafters working
the old, old game right in the middle OF
Madison Square Garden during the week of
the bicycle race. Not only was it being
worked, but the wise New Workers. who
suppose themselves to be the smoothest
people in the world, were falling for 1t
for the size of their bank rolls at all hours
Of the day and night. The visitors at a
county fair in the middle of Illinois or In
diana don't surrender their coin to that
kind OF game any more. but here We're
the profoundly knowing New Workers
chucking their good money to the manipu-
lators of the pea game with all the Reuben
fsh simplicity In life! No wonder the cops
detailed at the garden simply looked on and
laughed. But, even supposng that the
New Workers of Devery's day were foolish
enough to go up against the shell game
and there is reason to suppose that they
werent-it is impossible to imagine that
the Devery regime would have stood for
anything as raw as that carried on any
where within the confines of Greater New
York, much less under the strong electric
lights Of the main floor space of Madison
Square Garden during bicycle race!
No Roundup of Crooks.
If the police had been so minded-if they
had not been plunged in an almost
believable nstlessness-they could have
pulled of a mighty profitable and cleansing
roundup Of crooks during that memorable
week-long fiesta of the powers that prey.
Nothing of the sort, however, seems to
have been even considered. When 1t was
all over Gen. Bingham came out with
mild sort of a statement to the general
effect that, in view of the general criticism,
he would allow more siX-day bicycle
races at the garden during his regime.
But there are other affairs held at the
garden that will prove pretty nigh as profit
able to the crooks the bicycle races.
When they find, they seem to have
found, that the new York police are going
to allow them to have absolutely their own
way, 1t will be interesting to watch the
kind of picnic that they will have at the
next horse show, the next dog show and
the next automobile show.
Chicago isn't so bad. after al. Out there
the police at least make some attempt to
throw out the impression that the con-
ditons are irremediable. Here, the whole
kaleidoscope Of crime is going right
under the eyes of the police. and scarcely
a move is made to stop the carnival of
deviltry. 1t is a spectacle of police cal
lousness that has tendency to make even
the Predetermined thoughtful.
CLARENCE L. CULLEN.
Obstacles.
I,ra, p,,oi-