The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-05-11
THEY STOLE THB CITY'S FOOD
HOSPITAL GRAFTERS SOLD ~
FOR StLOON FREE LUNCH.

IiiArEWell's Island Wslshsr and TwoC oShl
sagsssS Tassssasas - tsS..s=s - So
plies -One Ilought a tlonS "a BOOG
year Ths same Game m klaBa
Three city employees we're arrested
by Central once detectives yesterday
and two this morning. charged with
Wholesale thievsFy % the food pip-
plies Of ths Department Of Public
Charities. A cook. an assistant cook
and a weigher working IN the City Hos
pital on BlAcxWsll's Island confessed
when lined up Ia Pollos HeadquarterS.
They said they had been supplying two
saloons ia Fast Fifty-second street with
free lunch for almost . year.
Deputy Commissioner of Charities
Prank J. Goodwin got mp before daylight
one morning about three weeks ago and
took the irst boat b. Blaokwell's Island
70 So how the stewards department. Of
tho City Hospital was getting along. Hls
coming was not eXpecced. What Goodwin
saw there led Commissioner Michael J.
DrummOnd 10 employ q private dete0tiva
agency 10 investigate tho methods Of tho
stewards department In receiving and
handling its supplies
The agency reported last Saturday.
Detectives Dietch and Howry Of the
Central Ofiics were then calledin. Yestsr-
day afternoon they made three arrests.
getting the c,ilprits. 90 they assert. with
the goods The three are Frank Wrahach,
a cook; Joseph Britchgi. an assistant
cook. and william Bieran. a weighsr.
DR.. &. b. Bacon Of the City Hospital
Is the complainant.
The prisoners confessed readily and
pleaded guilty 10 a charge oi grand lar
Ceny. The exact extent Of tho losses
not being known. their valno was given
nominally a. ti.OOO.
The prOcoss Of misappropriatiOn was
simple Bieran. whose duty IL was TO
check Od the weights Of meats and eggs
and vegetables delivered TO tho hospital
by the morning boat. entered On the
hOOks less than was actually delivered
Wrabach. the coOk. took charge Of the
differences and tossed Il into cans which
were set outside with tho garbage.
hutchgi. the assistant cook. managed each
dav 10 separate the cans containing the
surplus from the others, removed the
meat and vegetables and whipped them
up in PACKAGES. which the three carried
across % Manhattan On the boat after
dark.
some Of the supplies were taken home
but a large proportion. Il IL alleged. was
sold 20 the proprietOrs % two saloons on
Fast Fifty-thiTd street for use on the
-
prOceeds Of these sales would mount up
into the thousands u anything like the
real value Of the stolen goods was OBJ
tanned Wrahach. who draws only 500
year, recently bought a house in l.ynd-
hurst. y. J.. paying Tor ". the detectives
say. ont Of the profits u his graft IN the
City Hospital.
The game worked 10 well on Blaclgwell's
Island that Others who knew about IL
decided 10 try Il elsewhere. Accordingly
two ~ the insiders went across the river
and got jobs in the Kings County Hospi-
tai. Investigation 81 the City Hospitals
Affairs brought out evidence against thess
two before they had had an opportunity
10 start ths system working extensively.
and the losses across the river are not
large
u Was planned 10 make two arrests IN
the Kings County Hospital az the same
moment a. tho Blackwell's Island arrests.
dat detectives from the Brooklyn OfIics
found when they reached the hospital
that the men thew we're after were ON the
night shift and would not be on duty until
midnight
4 few minutes after midnight the
detectives arrested James Smith. head
cook q the kings County Hospital. and
John Schoke. his helper. They left the
BlRrSwell's Island institution last No
vember. The charge preferred against
them IL grand larceny in concert with the
three employees Of the CITY Hospital