Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-12
5TH WARD RUMPUS
AN OFT-TOLD TALE
Not All Citizens of That
Noted battle-ground Fac
tional Followers
INDEPENDENTS INCENSED

Not every citizen Of the Fifth wards
1900 residents is a supporter OF either
one or the other Of the two political factions
In the ward. There are some who do not
give the proverbial tlnker's dam which side
wins.
1t is the opinion OF such citizens that
must be relied upon to obtain a just view
uf the factonai broil in the Fifth Ward that
has alternately amused and disguised the
public for the last several days. Their COM
ment affords a blrd's-eye view Of the situa-
ton so enightening, observers say, that II
ought to arouse the people Of the Fifth Ward
Immediately to form an independent organ
ization consecrated to the utter demolition
of both factions.
Some superficial facts in the present elec-
tion are these:
Isaac DeutsCh, n dealer In meats with
booth in the South Second street market
and meat market at 305 South street
over which he lives, and who has been
a member of Common Council from the
Fifth Ward for three terms. is candi-
date for reelection this year lie is
supported by the Wares.
\ young man named Cohen. known
generally as Battling Abe" who was
Il newsboy and "a scrapper.' and who
now conducts cigar stand and pool
room at Sixth and Pine streets. around
the corner from Deutsch's political club
was raided by the police last week and
knocked unconscious by their blackjacks
Deutschs brother Max denounces
Cohens place as a rendezvous for gam
blers. procurers and dope fiends
Cohens place has been raided on two
previous occasions. The latest raid was
conducted by Lieutenant David Bennett,
OF the Third and De Lancey streets police
station with two DoliCeman aasistipy bIn,
Bennett and the two policemen were
brought promptly before Magistrate John
j. IIarrigan and held under bail for
court, accused of assault and battery
with attempt to kill. Their prosecution is
being urged on by James A. Carey
ex-magistrate and ex-police lieutenant
who has been known as the McNichol
boss" of the Fifth Ward. Ex-Judge
James Gay Gordon, attorney for the
prosecution of the policemen spoke for
the Carey faction and denounced the
raid an instance of the use of the
police in politics when he limited that
the police were merely obeying the or
ders of higher city officials State Sem
ator lsadore Stern, also a friend of the
Carey faction, has urged that the police
men cases be hurried by the Grand Jury,
so that they may be tried before the pri-
mary election on September 49, in the
hope that a conviction "on the eve OF
on degenerate police department"
Such are the claims of outraged civic
righteousness put forth by the Carey fac.
tion. Now. listen to what is said by Harris
Conner, business man who formerly lived
in the Fifth Ward and for twenty years
as a member of the School Board, city
committeeman and leader of the indepen
dent campaigns in that ward, a sturdy and
unprejudiced fighter for ward decency:
Exactly the same howl that is now
raised by the Carey faction against the
use of police in politics was justly directed
against Carey years ago. Merchants in the
community were threatened with persecu
ton IL they did not support Carey, just
as the Deutsch faction is threatening today
We independents never went TO the regis
tration booths or the polls without facing
assault. Our watchers were jostled by
thugs until there was n pretext for Carey'
police, waiting for the opportunity, to rusf
in and hustle off our men.
II remember when David dwell one o.
our watchers, who lives at $40 South Law
renee street. a few steps away from thu
Eleventh Division headquarters, betweei
Fourth and Fifth street, then known al
"Hel's Kitchen" was attacked in this wa.
and spirited away by the police. lie wal
taken to the Third and De Lancey streets
station. but we were refused knowledge
of his whereabouts. and | remember how
we hunted all over the city until dawi
DelOTt VIC lOuIu MN. III more lHdi
case our bail was refused. We wer,
obliged to supply our watchers with card
| which they might slip into the hands o
| some bystander after they were seized b,
| the police so that we might hav2 I clu
| to their whereabouts. / have seen isador
| Stern himself, who now coil"" ms of po
| lice interference, standing in t. crowd
| outside a polling place and u"~ir:; on tn
| police to arrest our watchers instead o
| the thugs who molcsted them in their du
ties
when one independent voter, an intel
| ligent colored man named Boyd entered
| the booth to vote, an organization thus
| shouldered his way in alongside of Boyl
| and attempted to mark Boyds ballot fo
| him. When Boyd protested he was heater
up by the police and hustled away II
| secret custody. T. Henry Walnut. VIII,
was of great assistance to us at that time
| found him at last, late at night afte
hours Of search.
'T do not remember that Carey ever ha,
| any occupation beside that of being
| McNicho henchman. 1t was common re
| port that Ike Deutsch sat in Carey's bacl
office and directed all his decisions.
There is no hope for better days In tn
| Fifth Ward until IL is freed from rule b
| either of these factions For a time
| seemed as II the community was gettn
cleaner, so that it was place in which law
| abiding citizens could live without molesta
tion, but apparently 1t is going through
| revival Of the old days"