New-York tribune., 1917-12-03
Finds Open Diues
Run for Soldiers
In NeU Rochelle
Marshal Mccarthy Blames
Politicians for Deplorable
Conditions Near Fort

Thomas u. Mccarthy. United States
Marshal. who raided saloons Of New
Rochelle Saturday night, at the re-
/ quest Of the military authorities at
! Fort SlocUm, yesterday characterized
conditions In that town as the worst
he ever mas known. He added that he
I did not believe there was com
munity anywhere whose body polite
was more rotten, and referred to the
fashionable suburb as a hell hole" -
The marshal's raid, made to protect
American soldiers and sailors from
the organized system of vice which he
alleges exists in New Rochelle. will
not end with the arraignment of the
proprietors of six resorts before
United States Commissioner Hitch
cock on a charge of selling intoxi-
cants to soldiers to-day. The govern
ment intends to 90 after politicians
who made these conditions possible.
81 found every evidence of an organ
lied system of vice in New Rochelle" :"
said the marshal. at is the meanest
sort Of system that ever cursed vice
infested town. for its purpose is to de-
bauch our sailors and soldiers"
Marshal Mccarthy charged the police
of New Rochelle with tipping off" the
keepers of saloons and dance halls
which the Department OF Justice had
been Investigating for nearly fort
night.
IL found that a policeman watched
me take off the sign showing the car
was that of an official of the United
States government. That same police
man was i'm front of one of the dives
when We got around TO 1t. ten minutes
later. That was one of the places
where we found no soldiers and sailors
drinking behind the bars. OF the
twenty odd saloons, dance halls and
resorts visited. We found eight out of
every ten soldiers were being served
openly with liquor. Our investigation
showed that fully 20 per cent Of the
saloons sold whiskey. gin and beer
over the bar to soldiers and sailors"
"In Germania Hall, which Is less than
one hundred feet from New Rochelle s
Town Hall. we saw disgraceful scenes.
In that place, run by man with Ger.
man name-Jacob Grab--and managed
by his son Herman, there were upward
Of hundred girls in tights and mems
clothes dancing with our soldiers and
sailors. None of these girls seemed
/ more than sixteen. Soldiers and sail
ors were served drinks in front of our
eyes. =,
an another saloon with dance hall
attached, the Cafe Concord, al 40 Law
/ ton Street, less than seventy-fve feet
from a police station, negroes and white
/ women. as we'll as soldiers and sailors,
were dancing and drinking
THE proprietor of another place put
up fight, but we put it out Of him.
But saloons were not the only
( places where liquor was sold to sol
/ diers and sailors. We have proof tntt
BARRIERS. tailors and cheap restaurant
keepers engaged in the same work.
"The most amazing thing CT all was
when we brought the prisoners. includ'
ing soldiers and sailors. to Police
Headouarters. Politicians swarmed
/ into the place. One was an eX-po,lce
Judge. another chairman of one of the
CITY commissions, and another local
boss. Two and half hours after
arrested the Grabs ! found that Jacob,
the father, had not been locked IN p
cell. Immediately ordered him treat
ed like the other prisoners.
"And when left New Rochelle this
morning at o'clock decided to bring
both of them with me to New York.
They were up in the West l25th Street
police station.
"This you cannot emphasize too
strongly-that in New Rochelle an or
ganized system of vice protection EXISTS,
and that il is doing what German bul.
lets cannot do-ruining the health and
morals of our soldiers and sailors"
Saturday nights raid was made after
military authorities at Fort Slocum had
complained to Marshal Mccarthy that
thev could not get the local officials to
take action.
Mayor Edward Stetson Griffing, Of
New Rochelle, last night character
izeI Marshal McCathy's charges as
utterly absurd"
"There is no protection of vice here,
he declared. "There is no vice. To
sav that there is anything in New
Rochelle to which the term vice could
nronerlv be applied is utterly absurd.