New-York tribune., 1916-07-26
Witness, Recovering from
Beating, Needed to
ClinCh Indictments.
HALL CALLED GRAFT
CLEARING HOUSE
Politician Must Testify-Sw Swami
Tells of Methods Used by
Collectors.


before the grand jury prevented fur
ther indictments in the police graft
scandal yesterday. The witness who
is the only one needed to complete the
District Attorneys case is in Sullivan
County. y. Y, recovering from a beat
ing which she is said TO have received
from policeman
SO many witnesses were examined at
the District Attorneys Office yesterday
that it was necessary 20 turn three
rooms over TO Assistant District Attor-
ney James +. Smith who is in charge
Of the investigation. Among them was
Charles Rendsberg. manager Of the Ar
lington Hall. % st. Marks Place, where
the ball which has figured prominently
in the investigation was held on April
10, 1915.
Rendsberg identified Harry Sussman,
who was chairman Of arrangements for
the ball; "Red" Levine and Nathan Sci
Ter. who were doorkeepers. and an in
former named Max Terkowitz, now in
the Tombs on an extortion charge.
Graft Headquarters at Hall.
From Rendsberg it was learned that
William J. Enright and David J. Foley,
recently indicted on charges of bribery.
maintained headquarters at Arlington
Hall, which they occupied from II
o'clock to 4 o'clock each day, returning
again in the evening, and where they
met residents of the district in which
the collections from disorderly flats are
said TO have been made.
Frank A. Lord. Second Deputy Police
Commissioner, said yesterday that he
had never heard that Enright and Foley
had an Office in Arlington Hall.
Further evidence Of Enrights ac-
ouaintancc with Arlington Hall was
shown by the fact that many of his
nav checks from the city were indorsed
bv A. Hollander, proprietor OF the
place.
II was announced yesterday that two
Brooklyn policemen detailed TO the IN
yestigation of vice had been in the
habit of crossing to Manhattan and
collecting money from the proprietors
Of disorderly flats in the Third lnspec-
ton District. One of these men within
the last ten days is alleged 10 have Wis
tied many of the houses in the district
and to have threatened the women oc-
cupying them unless they held their
tongues. The officer in question has
been transferred.
Another witness. questioned by Mr..
Smith yesterday, was prominent East
Side politician, who will. probably 20
before the grand jury on Thursday.
The woman said to have been beaten
and two other witnesses who were
threatened by officers will appear IN
court on the same day.
Woods Is Cleaning Up.
Police Commissioner Woods said yes
terday the present investigation was
part of the cleaning up Of the force
which has been going on ever since he
took Office.
"Thc force is gradually clearing It.
self Of dishonest men," he said. "As
long as there are eleven thousand men
on the force there will be some dis
honest ones. Plainclothes men, who
receive no more pay than patrolmen
and who do more work, are constantly
being subjected to temptation, ana
sometimes they give in to 1t. Since /
have been in Office thirteen men have
been dismissed for dishonesty on cvi-
dence furnished by other policemen.
Men on the force used to hesitate about
reporting on another officer, but grad
uallv the realization that crook Is
crook. whether he wears a Uniform or
not. has grown in the department.
OF the thirteen men dismissed, three
of them are now serving sentences.
In the same period more than one
hundred plainclothes men, who aroused
the suspicious Of their commanding OIL
fcer but against whom the evidence
was not conclusive, have been remand
ed to patrol duty, where the chance Ior
dishonesty is not so great.
District Attorney Swami announced
that collections from women IN dlsor-
derly flats had been made systematical-
" since December, 1914.
No Chance to Escape.
"Tbe methods Of collection were most
ingenious" he said. IN a great many
cases women were framed up and ar
rested. One woman was framed up al,
ter she had paid $500 in protection
money. If they we're able to pay, the
case against them would be purposeiy
weakened in court. If not, they would
be sent to prison"
"Tbe toll cxacted from the keepers
of djsorderly houses ranged from $500
10 $500 In no case did the collectors
nool their gains. Their motto seems TO
/ have been Every one for himself
"One Of tho most prolific means OF