The San Francisco call., 1908-03-16

TRAPPEDIN
BIG GRAFT
Caught in Act of Taking Money
for Protection on Bar
barry Coast
Stripped of Their Stars. But
Will Claim ExtortiOn Is
No Crime
Patr0lmen Maurice Behan and
John Evatt Dismissed From
Force in Disgrace
Marked Money Passed to the
Blnecoats by Agents OF
Chief Biggy

Caught red handed in the act OF
extorting protection money from
lodging house keeper of the Barbary
coast district, two members of the
police force have been stripped oil
their stars and suspended from the
department, disgraced and with the
stigma of corruption upon them
Policemen Maurice Behan and Johr
Evatt, both old and trusted members
of the force and men of families, are
the two who have fallen first into
the net spread for the purpose Of
bringing TO an end a wholesale sys-
| tenn Of extortion now believed by Chief
of Police Bigggy to exist in the de-
partment.
Heinous as the act of these two po-
licemen must seem. however. to ths
average citizen. it is not so much the
act itself or the sacrifice Of these two
men to the cause of deceney that is
most Significant N the oecurxance. Tae
significance is threefold. and most
deeply significant of all is the fact that
lasting disgrace and public scorn hava.
become the heritage of two poor and
hitherto trusted men for the commits
sion of an act which the supreme court
of this state formally declared less
than a week ago to be no crime.
Maurice Behan and John Evatt. po-
licemen. have been dishonorably dis
charged from the police department
and have been robbed Of their means
of livelihood because they committed
on a small scale a deed exactly simi-
lar to the multifarious deeds which
the appellate and supreme courts de-
clared to be perfectly within the law
as committed by Eugene ;. Schmitz.
former mayor. wealthy man and friend
of milronaires. Behan and Evatt will
probably be called to answer before
the grand jury. and may even be in
dicted and convicted in the superior
court. Their case will then be taken
on appeal before the tribunals which
have ruled that schmitz was innocent
of crime.
HOW WILL COURTS RULEf
VIII those courts rule that such an
act when committed by two lowIy Of
hcers of the law is no crime. or will
those courts unblushingly sustain a
conviction and by 50 doing declare that
what is right for Schmitz is wrong for
Behan or for Evattg That is the ques-
ton of real signifcance in view OF ex-
isting facts. The remaining point OF
Significance Is the proof given that
since the recent action of the supreme
court grating, which has long been be-
iieved to exist in the police department.
has suddenly become more general.
open and unguarded--in fact. 50 open
as to permit of a capture which would
probably have been impossible a week
ago. The sole deduction is that mem
bers of the police force have relied
upon safety from criminal prosecution
! in the knowledge that the blackmailing
in which they have INDUCED has been
construed by the highest courts OF the
state as perfectly legitimate and legal
source of private gain.
Chief of Police Biggy declares that
complaints now in his hands and In
the hands of the police commission
show that blackmailing is being car
ried on In wholesale manner In certain
parts of the city, and that keepers OF