Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1916-02-16
eertsch In Chicago Daily News.

" Bertsch In Chicago Daily News.
Prices for protection vary. The police
go on the theory of taking all they can
set. IN general the prices charged are:
sight. w. 7"' Wv
street walkers-sl to $40 on sight.
rap sames-sO to 500 a month.
Poker games-$oOO "a month.
SAIGON with unescorted women-s2 a
week each woman.
ShauN hotelsm$lo a room a month.
ShopllfterS-SO to so on sight.
Sialrvoyants-$lW "A month.
Big store toucheS-Ten per cent of touch
additional. ~
AS L said before. the rates in Chicago
ior pic~kpockets before the fat DAYS of this
woii" fa1i were So. 81 OF $40 to whatever
copper happened to nab them. They still
are ina moderate now in some cities. In
most of them the police have boosted thei,
prices.
Criminals That Are Outiawed.
Stlckup men. burglars. safeblowcrs and
ihe IKE are about the only ones who do
not work with the coppers. They have na
use Tor the coppers. and there isn't 4
captain who wants them in his district.
! helr work makes too much trouble fol
him.
They work alone. The copper could bs
no help to them, and they are afraid ia
let him in for fear the copper might
double cross them for the honor he would
get. That has been done. A police cap
tam also must answer for such jobs In
MS district. and much as he MAJ like
the money he can't stand for stickups OF
burslaries. They are about the only things
that come over with regularity tina tho
ponce are not in on.
Collects on His Own Hook.
Occasionally "a copper will try Il little
collecting for himself without reporting
to the captain, from a place which ought
to be paying to the front office. Usually
he doesn't get very far. 1t is soon report
ell to the captain that the place is run
ming and he sends somebody around to
see why it is not paying. 1t goes down on
his books.
The methods of making these collections
vary with different captains. A very few
40 1t themselves, boldly taking the money
right in their offices. These are usually
so stingy that they take this risk rather
than let any other policeman get a share
of it. incidentally they usually get caught
as they deserve.
Others have two or more confidential or
outside men who attend to the collecting.
These are two plain clothes men who are
supposed to be doing very mysterious de-
tective work. What they are actually do
ing is attending to their commanding Off
GERS graft collections. II it is a fat dis
trict, with a lot Of places to collect from.
two men can not do all the work. There
usually will be a couple of others who are
keeping track of how many places there
are that ought to be paying.
Sometimes It's an Outsider.
Still other officers nave an outsider do
their collecting. He is some old timer
familiar with the district and everybody
and everything in it, and what each kind
of a proposition should pay. from having
been through the mill many times himself.
He is trusted by the police on account Of
his sticking qualities. The places that are
settling every month give the money to
him, and he keeps out his share and turns
the rest over to the captain or lieutenant,
as the case may be. This is more ex-
pense for the police, and the collector Or
fiXer is allowed one-third of the total and
there is that much less for the greedy cop
pers. 1t is considered safer. There is no
chance of losing any or getting caught.
The captain is not suppose to know any
thing about collections.
In almost every instance the formula
is the same. 1t is about as regular as the
spiel for selling books. Suppose a sa-
loonkeeper wants to put in Il cabaret and
doesn't intend to do anything outside the
police or they will put him out of bust
ness. IL they can't do anything else "a
couple of t~iatfoots in harness will march
through the cafe every hour glaring at
the customers ,Intli his trade is ruined.
Then when sofne trouble does occur he is
in bad for sure. Consequently before he
starts he gets set right either through
some friend in politics or by paying.