The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-03-23
GAME PLANTED ON POLICE
INSPECTOR OCONNOR REDUCED
TO A CAPTAINCY

Following an all night inquiry at Police
Headquarters into charges that police in
the Tenderloin have been taking protection
money from gamblers, Inspector John W.
0'Connor was reduced to the rank Of cap
tain yesterday morning and sent from ths
command Of the Third Inspection district
10 the Amity street station in Brooklyn.
At the same time Capt. Max Steinbruck Of
the Amity street station was promoted to
an in~spectorship and put in charge Of the
important district which O'Connor let.
Commissioner Bingham gave no reason for
the changes.
Other reductions and transfers will prob
ably be made to-day, Il is expected that
at least ten plain clothes men in Tenderloin
precincts will be sent out in uniform 10
enjoy spring in the country lanes, and Il is
likely that two or three captains will follow
them.
The trouble has come about through a
plant gambling house established and
conducted for six days by employees Of n
morning newspaper with the knowledge of
the Police Commissioners and the District At
torney The -proprietors' Of the gambling
house charge that they paid protection
money through third persons 10 4 member
Of Inspector 0'Connor's stad and TO a ward
man attached TO the new Tenderloln sta
ton. which is in command Of Capt. Young.
The third persons named deny this, ana
the charges rest almost entirely on the state
ment Of William Rose, who was a private
detective for Police Commissioner MeAdoo
and who managed the gambling house plant.
The charges also involve in an indefinite
way a member Of Third Depaty Commits
sioner Hanson's stan, the allegation Of the
men behind the game being that they we're
given 10 understand that IL was necessary
to 6x things not only in the precinct and
with the man from the inspectors stan
but with the Headquarters representative
as well, According to the allegations $3.50
was appropriated for the inspectors ward
man, $50 for the plain clothes mar from
the precinct station house and $50 for Head
quarters, This was supposed to be the
price Of protection for n month for a
roulette wheel, but no faro.
The charges were placed before Commits
sioner Bingham on Saturday night and he
ordered an investigation. The beginning
Of the inquiry wa recorded in yesterdays
sun, but il lasted until $40 O'Clock in the
morning. II was probably the most ner-
vous night the Headquarters force has seen
IN years. The Commissioner himself was
on hand until after midnight, A special
squad Of policemen had been stationed at
the entrance TO Headquarters with orders
10 let no one out Of the building without a
written permit from one Of the Deputy
Commissioners and the telephone switch
board was watched. The witnesses when
they arrived at Headquarters were kept
in separate rooms. Here is a full list Of
the men who were examined:
Patrolman John Lyons and Lieut.. John
J. Eaton Of Inspector O'Connor's stah;
Plain Clothes Man Decantillion and another
wardman from the West Twentieth stDes.
station, Capt. Young's command; Daniel
Sullivan and Arthur Carmick, plain clothes
men attached TO the West Thirty-seventh
street station, under Capt. Stephen O'Brien;
acting Captain Bernard Keleher. formerly
in charge Of the West Thirtieth streSS
station and now at West SiNty-eighth
street, and his two wardmen. Thomas j.
Moore and Bonser; Plain Clothes Ms1
Koran and Mueller OF the "5s, Th!-:i5,a
street station, now in charge Of Cap,
Farrell; Patrolman John A. Hughes, whJ
is attached TO Deputy Commissioner Han
son'gstah, William Rose, who arranged ths
plant; Samuel Samuels, a barber with a
shop on Sixth avenue between Thir. p
first and Thirty-second street; a SALON
keeper known rs French Max and a wai5Nr
from Shauley's Siyth'avenue restaurant
Commissioner Bingham issued tho orie'
for the reduction and transfer OF Inspector
O'Connor about an hour after the inquiry
had been closed That was at $50 in the
morning, and it went into effect at s o'clock.
Rose in his fake gambling house liant had
associated with him two or three hangers
on around gambling houses, some Of whom
knew Of the purpose Of the plant and sons
Of whom didn't, They started up first in
a house in West Thirty.fourth street, after
LuNdlu llNANuuklNt a ObNANl VI bVb
Mcknight, who was formerly head OF
Commissioner Bingham's vice squad, had
represented that he had fixed things with
one OF Inspector 0'Connor's men at the
rate OF 500 a week.
The gambling outfit, consisting OF a
roulette table, chips and such things, cost
the undertakers t27l. They started up on
February II That very day Capt. Keleher
had been shifted 10 the West Thirtieth
street station in place Of Capt. Young, One
Of his men ~telephoned 10 him that a sus-
picious looking outfit had been moved into
the West Thirty-fourth street house and the
captain and his two detectives. Bonser and
Moore, raided the place. They found the
outfit all right and arrested three persons
in the place who gave their names as William
Ray, Alexander Woods and Edward A.
Clark. Ray was charged with maintaining
a gambling place and the two others with
being common gamblers. Ray was Rose
and Clark was Mcknight.
Capt. Keleher knew Rose, and Rose says
that the captain wanted TO know why he
hadn't let him know he was going 10 start up
in business, Then be wouldn't have been
bothered. Capt. Kelehsr denies that he
said any such thing. Anyway, Rose and
his two pals were arrested, and being I'M
able to get bail without giving themselves
away they spent the night in the pen, They
are now under $1,000 bail each pending a
hearing In General Sessions,
Afterward they started up a house in
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