Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-06
$4,000 YEAR PAID
BY COCAINE KING
Eugene HUSTON Tells Chicago
Investigators What Pro-
lection Costs.
POLICE GET THE MONEY
But Negro Refuses to Reveal Names
of Those to Whom He
Paid Tribute.

Chicago, Jan. 6.-Charles HUSTON,
the negro cocaine and opium den
operator, took the witness stand in
the notice civil service investigation
and swore that for years he had paid
more than $1,000 annually for police
protection for his Illicit business.
HUSTON, whose dive is located at
2511 South Dearborn street, testified
in the case of Inspector Wheeler, Cap
tain Harding and Lieutenants En-
right. Keleher and Prim, but denied
that he ever had paid the five accused
officials or any one of them. Unw1ll-
ing to mention a single name Of any
policeman to whom he had paid
money the negro insisted to Special
Prosecutor w. w. Wheelock that he
had paid tribute regularly.
81 gave my word never to tell who
I paid" he asserted. II won't do It,"
"You told me you paid $3.50 a month
for one official, $50 month to an
other and $50 to each Of four others.
did you not?" Attorney Wheelock read
from a statement made by the negro
in his Office.
That is right" the witness said.
ADMITS PAYING $1,000 A YEAR.
"And you also insisted you had paid
out in small amounts-several dollars
at a time-suffcient to make up an
other 800 a month
Eyes, sir; that's right"
I'm all you paid about 5000 a year.
Is that correct?"
That's about the amount; yes, sir
I guess ] paid more than any one in
Chicago"
ct have taken in as much as $4,000
a year selling COKE" continued the
witness. 81 don't know how much
made last year. I don't keep books.
l bought the coke in $1,000 lots in
five-ounce cans"
BUYS COCAINE In NEW YORK.
The witness said he bought most OF
his cocaine in New York and quite an
amount Of it in Milwaukee. He ad
mitted getting some in Chicago and
that one wholesale druggist sold his
entire stock to him.
Montgomery, the druggist al
Twenty-sixth and State streets, has
been keeping three peddlers out al
the time selling coke for him. he
asserted.
your wife said you put up $4,000
or $4,000 last month";"
THAT is about right" the witness
replied.
did you put up some of it to the
police?"
yes, most Of it."
you won't name the officers tha
got that money or any other that you
paid for police protection?"
mo, sir; l won't"
NEVER PAID ACCUSED MEN.
; do you think you have had thu
amount of protection you paid for?
mo, sir, don't, but l won't Civ,
) the names"
In response to other questions tn,
' negro denied any one had threatene'
t him if he testified and insisted tn,
only reason he declined to give name
I was because he had given his wor
: not to name the men he had paid.
, Attorney Miles ]. Devine on eros
examination asked the negro If h
) knew any one of his three clients
Captain Harding, Lieutenant Enrigh
: Or Lieutenant Keleher. The negr
said he knew none of them.
did you ever pay any of thes
three men or any one Of them l cen
D police protection" the attorney asked
3 mo, sir; / did not" the witness n
I piled.
On cross examination by George "
Il Miller, attorney for Inspecto
y Wheeler, the negro said he had see
l. the official, but never had paid a ceI
tribute to the inspector.