New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-11
First Arrest in Tenderloin in
Weeks Shows Force Is
Stirred by Tribune'S EX-
pOSure of Traffic.
WHOLESALE DRUGGISTS AID
Several Firms Order Statesmen
to Restrict Retailers to Five
Ounces of Deadly Drug at
One Time for Legal Use
Active in Kings.

stirred to action az last by the OK
rosures made by The Tribune, the po-
lice Of Manhattan yesterday began m
attack upon the illegal traffic in cocaine
in the Tenderloin section.
one prisoner was arrested OH Il
charge of having cocaine i'm his po7-
session. lie gave his name as John
Murphy" but the police do not believe
This to he his right appelation.
Detectives Cleary and Logan arrested
Murphy" in an all-night lunchroom
al No. 403 Seventh avenue. 1t was
near this place that an investigator for
The Tribune bought cocaine. The de-
,ectives arraigned Murphy in Jeffer-
SON Market Court They testified that
they found two packages OF cocaine in
his possession when they searched him
after he had passed a small package %
man in the lunchroom
Indorsed by Druggists.
The Tribune's crusade against the
practically open sale of the drug in the
streets was emphatically indorsed
Yesterday by the Kings County Phar-
maceutical Association. Several whole
sale druggists in Manhattan ana
Brooklyn co-operated i'm the fight
against the vicious traffic in an ef-
fective way. They instructed their
statesmen not TO take orders from any
retailer for more than five ounces Of
the drug at any one time. and TO CON
vince themselves. as far as possible,
that the cocaine was wanted for legiti-
mate purposes.
While these developments were tax
ipg place in the crusade against CO.
csine. a movement was started yes
lerday by those interested in the sup
preston Of ,he evil to put its prosecu-
lion back in the hands Of the Health
Department. where. it is said, there
ars better facilities for getting results.
Dr. Walter A. Bensel. sanitary
superintendent of the Health Depart
ment. who has indorsed the movement
10 put out a special cocaine squad
of one or two department inspectors
Sho would be held responsible for that
alone. pointed out yesterday that in
no other way could the responsibility
lie fixed definitely enough 20 get
results.
Police Cannot Fool Sellers.
Hattie Ross, the practical mission
ary" Of the Tenderloin. who has had
world OF experience in dealing with
cocaine fiends in all stages Of the
habit expressed the conviction that
the police were practically powerless
properly to fight the evil. because they
are generally physically unified for
the job.
"A policeman who is physically
powerful enough TO qualify for the
force is not able 10 disguise his
physique enough to bring him TO the
level where these coke-sellers would
not suspect him." she said yesterday,
and If you're going to. catch the
sellers you've got to have men to get
the evidence to whom the coke-selleTs
Will sell the drug"
DR.. Bensel did not comment upon
this point, but said he was satisfied the
Health Department could repeat its
record OF convictions and hold cocaine
selling down TO the irreducible mini
mum If it had the equipment to act.
AS a matter Of fact" he added, ut
is not so much a question Of trying to
eliminate entirely the sale Of cocaine.
because the confirmed cocaine fiend Will
Continued on eighth page, sixth column