Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-12

for a couple Of hundred dollars the raid
Ing officer will give him an opportunity to
make a copy of it. With this, the pool
room player can confront the players with
the actual wagers made by them.
y X
This is a fruitful source of graft. Becker
made the most of 1t. On one OCCASION
though, he was buncoed by man he hao
raided, and it was through this incident
that 1 came to know Becker. Inc man
raided. who was a close friend Of mine at
that time, got permission to copy the
sheet. promising to pay Becker $500. AFTER
he had obtained the copy and settled with
his customers he made the alarming ols-
covery that he didn't have enough LOT
Becker. He made an appointment TO meet
Becker with it the next morning. lie
gave Becker a stand-up. Becker vowed
VENGEANCE When the opportunity came
for Becker to pay off old scores, was
asked by my friend to intercede. In the
negotiations which followed Becker de,
cded that / was just the man ne Wanteo
for collector and got the berth
Ny knowledge of the underworld mace
me a valuable collector. 1t was simple
matter for me to inform every one whom
the information would do the most good
that I was the man to see for Becker.
Among these people-gamblers. shoplift-
ers, pickpockets, thieves, gangsters, poll
ticians, disorderly house keepers and the
like-it was my function to sound the
praises of the boss and to spread tales
of his power. Becker helped it along with
an occasional object lesson for the dls-
believers in the shape of RAID pnlleo
off at a given hour.
But now for the class Of grafters which
/ have referred to as individual graft
ers." AS 1 have said. money paid for
protection in this way is twice as much
as that collected Systematically, although
its exact amount cannot even be guessed
at It Is paid in various amounts, from
the one dollar Wrung from the pushcart
peddler to the thousands OF dollars ex.
torted from the wiretapper, the fence.
the frenzied f1nancier or the dip or
pickpocket who makes the big touches.
A law recently passed makes the pick
pocket an easy prey for the police graft
err This law permits detectives to arrest
known pickpockets In any public place
He can be dragged before magistrate
charged with 'jostling" and sent to the
workhouse for thirty or sixty days.
Not long ago there were three detect
ives attached to the central office who
were assigned to work chiefly among the
inhabitants Of that part Of the under
world of which some OF I'd avenue Is q
mart. They soon earned the nichudlHe VI
the three guardsmen" because they
stuck together so well. They were per-
hans the biggest grafters the depart
ment ever knew Of this type. They were
mast masters in the art of grating and
framing the successful dip. They easily
esta blished the reputation for being able
to send any dip to the workhouse for six
months on a framed-up charge Of jost-
ling. With that reputation graft collect
Their usual plan was as follows:
Guardsman No. 1 would arrest a dip on
suspicion of jostling. On the way to
headquarters they would accidentally run
into Guardsman No. or j.
what have you got?" Guardsman No.
Q would ask Of Guardsman No l.
"Only a gum Caught him jostling."
"Why, 1 know that kid. Bill. He's a
decent kid. Stand for stake from him,
RiIl and turn him loose"
The interview would end by the dip
handing over whatever he had on him to
the guardsmen to save himself from a
workhouse sentence. If the amount he
had didn't come up to the amount de-
manded, he was given a certain time
within which to make good.
And say, kid" the detective would
add. 'mind you come across tonight I'll
keep my eye on you, too"
That night the dip would work over
time. Hopping on and of cars. it might
take him a couple of hours before he
would get enough to pay the graft de-