New-York tribune., 1910-08-30
W|NKED At VICE mitchell
Acting Mayor Tells Why He
Made Coney Island Upheaval.
POLICE WERE COMPLACENT
Will Report to Mayor Gaynor,
and Incident Will Be Closed
Thereafter.

Coney Island is about to have its first
good cleaning out in several years, and
graft in the Police Department gets
hard blow at the same time. But vice
in other sections of the city, according
to Acting Mayor John Purroy Mitchell.
will not be interfered with just yet
When Mr.. Mitchell was explaining yes
terday the conditions that have caused
him to order Inspector John ]. O'Brien.
of the Coney Island district. reduced to
the rank of captain. while Inspector Rus
sell, who had once cleaned up Coney,
was taken from Detective Headquarters
and put in charge of the island to repeat
his former performance. he was asked:
DO the same vicious conditions pre-
vail all over New York;"
"I am not prepared to say" he replied
This particular situation was brought
to nv attention, and I set to work TO
remedy it"
Are you going TO clean up the Ten
derloin?" was next asked
No" he said "I don't expect to make
any investigation there"
Have you received any complaints
about the Tenderloin?"
Mr. Mitchell previously had explained
that he investigated Coney Island be-
cause letters had come to the Mayors
office complaining of conditions at the
seaside resort.
oI~,,,-
said about three or four places in the
Tenderlofn, and they have been turned
over to the Police Department for in
vestigation, according TO the regular
routine of the Mayors office"
Are you going to investigate the Ten
derIoin yourself. you did Coney ISL |
and?" he was asked
No" Mr. Mitchell replied II am not
going to make any investigation"
Will Report TO Mr.. Gaynor
The acting Mayor will report TO Mayor |
Gayno: at ST James in the next few
days, and with that report, he indicated. |
the incident would be closed. No |
charges had been preferred against any |
members of the Police Department. Mr.. |
Mitchell said and he had not ordered any |
preferred, though he said he was salts
fed that vice existed at Coney Island |
under police protection
What I wanted TO do he said. was
TO find out If the police were trying TO
suppress the vice at Coney Island or if
il was going on under police protection
I became satisfied that it was going on
under police protection
AS an instance, there was a uni
formed policeman standing within few
feet OF a negro woman who was openly
soliciting in the street"
What do you mean by police protec-
ton ," was asked.
I mean" Mr.. Mitchell said. that vice
ffourishes openly with the knowledge Of
the police and without any attempt by
them to suppress it,
Have YOU any evidence that protec-
ton money was being paid to the po-
lice?"
No he said. we have no evidence OF
any money being paid
Who do you consider responsible for
the conditions" he was asked.
oBrien Not Fit, Says Mitchell.
LAS to the responsibility for that con-
dition of affairs and police discipline.
that can wait" Mr.. Mitchell said. But ,
the result of my investigation he con-
tinued. was my becoming satisfied that ,
Inspector O'Brien was not a At man 10
be in charge at Coney Island. and l or
dered Commissioner Baker To reduce ;
him TO q captain and put man in
charge there who would clean the
place
did Deputy Commissioner Reynolds
in charge In Brooklyn take any steps 10
clean the island after you had called the
to his attention 90 was asked ,
II don't know" Mr.. Mitchell said. .
Are you satisfied that Reynolds did I
the best he could"
II am satisfied that proper steps were