Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-03-13
BECKER MONEY
WAS |NSENTIVE
Gamblers Were Compelled to
Pay Heavier Tribute.

New York. March 13.-Herman MI
chaels, for years king bee" of Harlem
poolroom men. tod District Attorney
Whitman and the grand july that
three Harlem police inspectors at vari-
ous times looked in on his busy gam
bling places, that he never was modest.
ed as long as he paid graft and that
the police turned out court cases II he
paid his delayed assessment.
He said the police had been money
mao for the last year. repeating Mary
Goodies assertion that the Becker
bank roll" expose had intiamed their
cupidity.
Assistant district attorneys estimat-
ed that from July. 1911. to July. 1912.
Harlem. the Sixth inspection district.
was so wide open that S250,000 graft
was collected exclusive OF excise trib
ute. James z. Wren collected $4,000
of this, while Fox and others collected
the remainder.
The grand jury heard testimony
against Anna Gray. for years proprie-
tor of a prosperous underworld resort.
and Robert Ullner. her husband. for
merry a policeman aud now a lawyer.
Ullner had promised the district at
tOrney that Anna Gray would return
from Atlantic City and testify as to
conditions she knew of In the upper
west side. She sent word she was Ill.
Detectives Of the district attorneys
staff discovered this was not true. II
was evident the same sinister infiD
ences were at work as were exerted
to keep George A. Sipp out OF New
York.
Herman Mlchaels. sixty years old.
gray haired. Of quiet appearance. told
the prosecutor that he had lex a
gambler all Of his adult life. He had
been In the Sixth district. Harlem. for
six years. maintaining poolrooms. crap
games and other gambling resorts.
He said that In 1910 he had n pool
o near Eighth avenue and West
One Hundred and F~orty-6fth street.
for which he paid Policeman Wren
5000 a month protection. In 1909 and
1910 he had a place at Eighth avenre
and One Hundred and Thirty-sixth
street. paying $500 a month for pro
lection to Wren In 1912 he had a
gambling place at Eighth avenue and
West One Hundred and Tbirty-ffth
street, paying 500 a month to Ser
geant Peter ] Duffey. he said.
Police Grow "Morey Mad"
He said tina originally he had kept a
handbook in Harlem. He was arrested
repeatedly until he agreed to pay $40 a
month. Then the arrests ceased. e1-
cept on occasions when his payments
were not made. Sometimes the bank
roll was hit hard and he could not pay
Arrest would follow. He always es-
capped by getting the delayed payment
together or giving promise to pay az
soon IA he made a winning. The cases
would be turned out In court
The police became money mad" dur.
ing the past year, he said. The stories
of Lieutenant Charles Becker's big
graft drove the other grafters to
insistent extortion They often went
around for collections semiweekly. MI.
chaeis said he could not pay $120 a
month rent and high police protection
as well as other big expenses.
In answer to questions he said he al
ways understood be was paying to he
allowed TO maintain u gambling house
without police interference. in that dis
trict only, however. He never vas
moIested when be paid. ne said.
On occasions. he Said. inspectors
Sweeney. EIussey and Thompson had
looked into his places when gambling
was going on actively.
Michaels did not want to tell his sto-
~ and said he hhd been lodging the
district attorneys subpoena servers for
two weeks. He had no desire to go u
prison to save others and with the pO-
lice squeezing him dry determined NOT
10 sacrifice himself.