Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-05
INQUIRY IS BEGUN
|NT0POL|CE GRAFT
Mai. Pullman Starts Investiga-
ton Upon Report of Assist
ant U. S. Attorney.
PETTY BLACKMAILING
AMONG FEW OFFICERS
Mrs. Stout Said to Have Turned
Over Checks Endorsed by
Former Policeman.

Mai. Raymond W. Pullman,
superintendent OF police, this aft
ernoon began an investigation OF
the charges of graft preferred
against certain members of the
police department by Mrs. Mar
garet Stout. This announcement
was made shortly before o'clock,
following conference between
Maj. Pullman and Commissioner
Newman.
| The decision to begin an immediate
probe was reached after the receipt
| from the United States district attor-
ney of portion of the charges made
by Mrs. Stout, in which it was in
timated that petty graft among few
members of the department has been
found. 1t could not be ascertained
what part of this testimony was sent
to the District building or what officers
of the police department are impli
Gated.
Commissioner Newman said Nal
Pullman would conduct the investiga
ton, and that he did not anticipate it
would require the return to the city
OF Commissioner Brownlow. now in At
lantic City, who has supervision of the
police department.
1t is said that the statement made by
Mrs. Stout to Assistant U. S. District At
torney .Hawken does not contain
the names of many members of the de-
partment. rumor having it that only
four names were given by. her. Mrs
Stout, it is said, turned over to Mr..
Hawken a number of checks, but to
whom they. were made payable is a ques-
ton that the authorities will not discuss.
1t is further stated that some of the
checks were Endorsed by former
member of the department.. The checks
probably will play an important part
reached by the grand jury and the
alleged offenders be placed on trial.
There has not been any wholesale
graft in the police department., was the
United States Attorney S. McComas
Hawken, who had been investigating
| charges of Mrs Margaret Stout that
she paid money to certain policemen
for protection.
The graft that has existed in the
District has been of a petty charac-
ter" said Mr.. Hawken, "and has been
confined to small number of men,"
Mr.. Hawken based his statement on
I testimony given in his investigation of
the charges of Mrs. Stout.
! The charge that graft existed among
certain individuals in the police de-
partment was made Monday afternoon
by Mrs. Stout, after she had been sur
rendered in court by her bondsman.
Mrs. Stout was convicted of a charge
of keeping disorderly house and was
sentenced by Chief Justice Coveington
to two years in Occoquan. She was on
hand pending an appeal.
Immediately following her surrender
N yrc ,f0t IT,, 49,
intimating that she had paid money
for protection. 1t was then Mr.. Hawken
took up the investigation. He stated
today that until Mrs. Stout made her
statement to him Monday neither Maj.
Pullman, superintendent of police, nor
the office of the United States attorney
had received any information that any
policeman involved in her statement
had been guilty of taking graft.
Mr.. Hawken said he made the state
ment today, as he thought it only
just that the public should know that
the police department is not honey
combed' with graft