Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-06

Court in the case Of jim Fuzzy Moy,
chinese doctor, of Pittsburgh 1t declared
Unconstitutional section Of the act there
by ripping out the most efficient weapon o
Government agents against the dope ring
Because of this decision it was necessary
90 release many who had been sent q
prison. II was no longer a crime to hav'
drugs in ones possession unless IL wa
proved that the defendant was a dealer II
them.
"FIENDs" WIN AGAIN
But a worse blow was soon to fall. A
few days later Judge Thompson. Of the
United States District Court. In disposne
of the case of Thomas Rowan and Bob
Martin, accused OF being dealers in NOR.
phine and heron ruled that mere posses
sion was not even presumptive evidence OF
crime. This destroyed almost the last
weapon Of internal officers and the police
against the dope syndicate" 1t placed
them in the position that in order TO OBJ
tain convictions they would have to pro.
duce in court actual evidence of sales. And
It Is very difficult to prove a clandcstihe
sale.
In the case Of Rowan and Martin more
than fifteer hundred dollars worth Of drugs
and drug outfits were exhibited before the
court.
District Attorney Kane argued that such
large amount Of drugs as was found I'M a
room maintained by Rowan and Martin
was presumptive evidence that the de-
AtHuhtlNS were uealerS. IN TnllnE that pos
session was not even presumptve proof Of
crime Judge Thompson pointed out that
no evidence of sales had been presented i'm
the case. On these grounds he instructed
the jury 70 bring in verdict Of not guilty.
Under this ruling. Mr.. Kane was COM
PEELED to Immediately nolle PROSE- more than
forty cases, several OF which were similar to
that of the Rowan and Martin case The
ruling Of the United States District Court
caused ripple Of unholy Joy TO run through
the Tenderloin
Since these court decisions police officials
have informed the writer. crime has in.
creased to an alarming extent In this city
Some of the hold-ups and robberles of the
most daring character have been traced to
hends.' The spread of the drug evil among
the sailors at the navy yard has been so
alarming that II has been made the sub
Ject or an investigation by Federal inspect.
ors from Washington. The Gripping OF the
law has made the work of mission workers
IN retaining unfortunates OF both sexes
treby hard
The GRIPPING Of the Harrison act" said
Captain Tate, of the city Hall Detective
Bureau, was one of the worst things that
could have happened to Philadelphia.
Drugs are manufacturers OF criminals An
increase in crime could only be cXpected
aiter the decisions limiting the efficiency
OK tne Harrison act The most honest man
IN the world would become crook and a
mend under the influence OF narcotic drugs"
Lieutenant Of Detectives Wood said:
or men we arrest for crimes are done
users. Hold-up men, snea<thieves pick
pockets and shoplfters are all usi1s the
stun. Narcotic drugs give them false
nerve and they take shot before they
commit a crime"
Detective O'Connor said that fully so per
oent OF the Grim nails arrested in this city
were dope fiends.
Formerly criminals stole so that they
could spend few weeks of sporting life |
with wine and women Now they steal SO |
that they can keep supplied with narcotic
drugs"
Warden McKenty, of the Eastern Peni-
tentary said:
I'VE receive criminals here from 35 conn |
yes and | have noticed of late that drugs |
was responsible for the departure of many |
Of them into life of crime"
ASK CLERGY TO ACT
Such wave of crime has followed wide
spread heroin and cocaine usage among
young men in South Philadelphia that the
Madonna Roman Catholic Club of ST. Paul's
catholic Church, Tenth and Christian
streets has decided to call n conference of
clergymen of all denominations in an effort
to stamp out the dope" evil In that section
of the city.
=. D. Springer merchant at 1926 Tasker
street said that the dope" scourEe had be-
come menace to South Philadelphia. I'm
scrupulous physicians in this section are
writing thousands of prescriptions for young
cope fends and unscrupuous druggists are
filling them"
Lieutenant Noon, of the Fifteenth street
and Snyder avenue station. showed the
writer drawer full of drugs and drug out
nts whlch his detectives and policemen had
contlscated from young dope" fends
me only way 1 can get at the problem"
ne SAID is 10 arrest them as dsordeTly |
persons, This l am doing. [ have in
stfucted my men to pull them in from the
street corners. We arrested five yesterday |
an, anu sent them away, This is all we can do,
Ihe courts have ruled that IL is NOT a crime |
10 nave drugs in ones possession"
since July Of last year three saiIors al |
taehed to the United States naval station
al League Island have perished from mar
cotc drug overdosing. The deaths brought
the battleships stationed at League Island
were drug addiets, and had picked up the
naplt IN philadelphia Tenderloin
IN the last eight weeks the places of six
"hoiesale drug concerns have been entered
ana narcotic drugs valued at several thou.
'ahd dollars stolen. Internal revenue off,
,ers and the police say that they are CON
ident that the robberies We're perpetrated
~ young dope" hends. one Of the places
oobed was that of the wholesale drug store
u AscheRbach & Miller 400 North Third
treet In this place the thieves got away
With more than $1,000 worth Of drugs in
luding 81 ounces Of morphine, 23 of CO.
aine, 26 OF herotn and one-half pound of
owdered opium.
TomorToi0's article toHI deal With the re-
ldTkdble 0roi0th Of the drllO-sHlug1Iing or
dnizdtioB IN Philadelphia, narcotic drugs
zen being smuggled INTO the TeHderloiH ia
oGiAs supposed 10 contain bodies, and tgith
he wholesale degradation Of girls by the
dope syndicate" !
DR.. EDWARDL. DUER,
AGED PHYSICIAN, DIES