Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-23
Owner of Bar Tells the Court That He
Has the Captain
Fixed"
AFTER THE ROOSEVELT IDEA
Not Since the Days When the Presi-
dent Was a Police Commissioner
Had Gotham Been So Much
Interested.


NEW YORK, March pa nervous chill
| shook the police department today enter
ing into every precinct in the greater city,
| at the news that Charles S. Whitman, presi-
dent of the board of city magistrates, had
gone a-raiding during the early morning
| hours Not since the days of Roosevelt
| and his Haroun-al -Raschid method OF
| patrolling the policeman's beat by night
| has the force been Jared so, and the dis
turbance in the West 47th street station,
| where Whitman ordered the sergeant from
| the desk and sat in his place as magis-
| trate, while he punished offenders against
| the excise law, one after another, was
| great. 1t was a most unusual thing In It
| self for a magistrate to enter precinct
1 in that way. 1t was more unusual FOR one
/ to go along with the arrestng policeman and
| give the prisoners short shrift In the sta
| ton house. but that was not what worried
| the rank and file of the force so much.
| 1t was not that the magistrate had declared
| Il will smash this thing go out of bust
ness myself but that there was something
behind it which doomed up more dark and
ominous-the more ominous because they
could not understand what kind of move
this was how farreaching might be the
results The voice was the voice of Magfs-
trate Whitman, but the hand was the hand
of Gen. Bingham. commissioner of police.
+ In the Tenderloin.
Magistrate Whitman who was recently
elected president of the board Of magis-
trates, entered the West 47th street station
shortly before O'clock. This precinct is
| in the heart of the New Tenderloin which
many persons think has the Old Tender
loin faded to a shadow in the way Of vice.
Sergeant Bolan was at the desk. The
| magistrate was in evening attire, and the
| sergeant did not know him.
| rs the captain in?" asked the stranger.
| mo, SIR
| Are you the sergeant in charger"
| .'I am Magistrate Whitman. chairman Of
the board of city magistrates and am
going to hold court here"
The sergeant was not much impressed,
and demanded that the stranger show his
| credentials.
| IF you want to know who I am" shout
ed the magistrate. and what / am here
| for, call up Gen. Bingham. who is waiting
| for me now at his hotel. He will tell YOU"
The voices had been raised so that two or
| three plain-clothes men who were in ad-
Joining rooms heard and hurried out They
| identified Magistrate Whitman. Then the
| sergeant resigned his desk. MAGISTRATE
| whitman was all business. He took Off
mis- coat and threw it over the chair before
| he sat down. Then he turned to the ser
| geant, sternly.
Saloons in Full Blast.
Are you aware, sir" he Numbered, that
there are sixteen saloons in full blast in
this precinct at this hour.
The sergeant appeared to be deenIv
shocked. mo. SIR he replied.
We'll, there are. / have been in two of
| them. and it Is said there that they intend
TO run all night-also that they have the
captain of this precinct fixed. Bring out
| your reserves"
| There is a saloon at 10th street and 9Th
| avenue, on the southwest corner where
the excise law Is being violated. Bring In
| the barkeeper and also the plain clothes
| men stationed near there in front of n dis
| orderly house. There is saloon at the
southeast corner of 47th street and 81,
| avenue. Bring in the barkeeper of that
| place" "
The magistrate paused. wrinkled his
brows for moment, and then snapped out,
| No. I'll go along myself"
| The first place visited was at S67 9th
avenue, the saloon of McQunlan Brothers
| James McQuinlan, forty years old who
acted as the bartender. was locked I'D on
charge of violating the excise law.
Had the Captain Fixed
The next man arrested was John Nc
| Garry, fifty-six years old, bartender In a
saloon at 766 sth avenue. When MAGISTRATE
Whitman entered here. accompanied by
policeman, the bartender was on his dig
| nifty
Il am Magistrate Whitman" said his
] honor
| Il don't care - who you are. 1 don't
| care for Commissioner Bingham or any,
| body else. We have got the captain Of this
| precinct fixed"
| Don't act foolish with this gentleman.
| he's a judge said one of the policemen
! Il don't give "a
| Magistrate Whitman cut 1t short
I Take him., that's all he said
Mr.. Whitman left a list of the other
| places with the sergeant to be investigated
| and returned to the station. When they
| were all In the station the outgoing platoon
| from the sergeant preparatory to going out
| on patrol. All had their caps on. The
| magistrate told them it was q court of
| justice and ordered them to remove their
| caps.
The professional bondsmen soon put in
an appearance, but they were quickly
| chased away.
| The magistrate adjourned court and went
| home loudly denouncing conditions in the
| precinct and saying that the captain was
| protecting the saloonkeepers. Later in the
| morning Magistrate Whitman made this
| statement: II am tired of this business of
seeing prisoners arraigned In my court
| charged with violation of the excise law by
| policemen who say that they saw nothing
sold and who say that they saw no one n,
| the place. 1 have got the goods and / am
going to smash the business OF I will go to
smash myself l tasted the liquor that these
men sold me and one of them told me that
he owned the precinct and another that the
| police were fixed"
! Capt DAILY, when aske,i for a statemapt II,