New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-16
Whitman Obtains Evidence to
Corroborate Charges Made
Against Vice Graft Ring by
Former Keeper of Re-
sort in Harlem.
MAY DIsBAR A LAWYER
District Attorneys Inquiry Confirms
Tribune 8 Exposure of Desperate
Effort to Bribe Sipp with
$1,000 and Again Impli-
Gates Police Official.

Inc maze OIL complex 0Ouple CIOss
raft carried on by the Tammanyized
olice ring Of Harlem in handling vice.
and excise in that territory
ras Strengthened out TO a considerable
egree yesterday with the actual arrest
nd arraignment of Eugene A. Fox, tho
atrolman accused by George A. Sipp
( being one Of the systems collectors.
Out Of the complications of the Sipp-
OK case District Attorney Whitman
ad in hand after his work yesterday
summarized situation embracing sub
these facts.
Twenty eight hotels in Harlem are
and have been paying police protee.
tion at the rate Of 500 q month.
Between forty and fifty flats and
apartments in the Same territory
have been paying police protection at
the rate Of SIS month.
More than q score Of furnished
room houses have bsen paying from
$25 to $50 q month.
The ring" which has been collect.
ing this graft toll for years busted
itself last night gathering defence
fund of s25,ooo for Fox-in a last dss-
perate effort to stave off wreck from
the disclosures he might make il he
decided he had been deserted and wss
to be made the "seapsaoat"
inspectors in Fear.
sipp, as owner Of tho Baltic Hotel,
had appealed to Captain Thomas w.
Walsh on many occasions to have his
500 q month assessment reduc> d.
Sipp was told that his assessment
was part Of system" and Il was
impossible to reduce il.
Back Of Walsh, whose responsible.
ity for conditions was apparently
recognized by Commissioners Waldo
when he recently transferred him to
Staten Island, two and probably
three police inspectors are trembling
in fear Of the disclosures which they
know Sipp can make and which they
fear he has already made to tho Dis.
trict Attorney, and back Of at least
one Of those inspectors stands one Of
the highest civilian administrative
officials Of the department.
In tho same category one Of Tam
many's we'll known leaders and a
group Of his lisutenants are awaiting
the outeoming results Of the FIGHT
started by Sipp. fearing that the po-
lice officials implicated, II pushed to
tho last ditch, will reveal the political
ring behind the police ring to savs
themselves.
Apart from these specific charges OF
yraft, an outline OF which, II was be.
ieved, had already been given to the
grand jury, 1t was
earned yesterday that Mr.. Whitman
lad gathered up six witnesses who, be-
,ause of police rapacity or double
.rossing," were ready to corroborate
he startling story told by the sipps
md could also add convincing evidence
Is TO the participation in graft by po-
ice officials and Tammany politicians
lot so far publicly named by Sipp.
Whitman Explains Secrecy.
When Mr. Whitman was asked last
hight why he had not put these Wit
lesses before the grand jury that in
1icted Fox he replied that for the Fox
Indictment nothing more was needed
han the testimony Of Sipp and his son.
md that he did not purpose to permit
he names Of his additional Harlem
raft witnesses TO become public now
'or fear of police intimidation such as
the vicious attack upon
jipp.
II is known the District Attorney
low has corroborative evidence 10
prove that Captain Walsh and Sipp
md their two families were socially
intimate and that the 500 a month
graft assessment paid by Sipp was a
natter Of frequent joking conversation
between the two men.
In spite Of the heated denials from
police officials that Fox intends to
give up" il is fact that Fox. with his
Louis j. Grant, sought out
Mr.. Whitman yesterday before Fox
was arraigned. Fox wanted to talk
10 the District Attorney.
Grant did not deny that Fox was
preparing to give information to Mr..
Whitman. When the direct question
was put up to him, his only reply was:
Il don't care TO be quoted one way or
another
Bearing on the same point, and In
dicating also that the tremendous trail
Of graft by big officials of the Police
is close to the point of ex-
posure. the District Attorneys words
In court when the question Of the