The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-04-24
v =
LID TIGHT ON VICE
IN PHILADELPHIA
Police Start Exodus of I'm
derWOrld Habitues Under
Federal Orders
MANY OLD DENS ARE
I.# OFFERED FOR SALE
Captain and Lieutenants of Police,
Freed from Political Control, Act
with Decision-Plain Talk from
Their Chief.

PHILADELPHIA, April 21.-Hundreds
have fled from the city IN the past two
DAYS in an exodus OF habitues of the UNI
derworld who found that the protecting
power Of the politicians was gone, as
result of the federal supervision of the
police work in this city Working under
orders Of Acting Superintendent of Police
Mills the captains and lieutenants, who
were told that they would be held to strict
accountability for conditions in their dis
tlicts, left headquarters and damned down
the lid at once.
| Many Of the fugitives were women who
have been known here as among the
favored coterie and they admitted as they
purchased their railroad tickets that the
days of protected vice We're ended here
until after peace is declared at any rate
One Of those who fed has been estab
lished in her own property for more than
Is years, and she readily admitted that
she had closed tight and her house was
for sale to the highest bidder.
Freed from political influence and given
a free hand for the first time in years, the
Ipolice heutenants and captains knew ex-
actIy what to do They went back to
their station houses and consulted the list
OF disreputable houses on file Then orders
were issued to patrolmen to notify the
suspected places that they could shut up
or be closed up.
Twelve hours after Acting Superintend-
\. IL Il u,
tendelloin showed it to be as quiet as the
tomb Many of the houses were even
boarded up and some Of the places on the
Swift lists issued by the mayor were va
Gated.
In the exodus the panderers, cadets and
others who are a part and parcel of the
notorious syndicates which have controlled
vice affairs for several years were seen
In several cases where notorious men q
this sort talked they said "a hours hac
been given to them to get out OF the city
and stay out.
When the ftw' police chief 't66R hold 0
matters Monday he found the captain,
| and lieutenants at his office for the usua
weekly meeting To them he minced NJ
words but talked as one superior VIII,
knows the police game inside and ou
,. would talk to an equal He told then
that he demanded their cooperation anc
: that he wanted discipline in the depart
: lnent. He said:
Discipline OF the kind | demand cal
!, only be obtained by a complete severance
, OF all letters on the police, either politica
:, CT personal Get out OF politics No maj
; can serve two bosses. You cannot d
;, police work with one eye on the politician
and the other on your job, SO keep bot
eyes on your duty, for if you do not II
politician or friend can help YOU
e To emphasize my position, LET me sa
u to YOU, he continued, that in the futur
: the recommendation Of politician will
handicap rather than an aid to any pc
: liceman either seeking promotion or i
\ trouble as result Of violation of order
! And remember orders will be issue
once: there will be no reminders
+ The announcement made by Chief Mil
= has the unqualified support of Willial
Wilson. director OF public safety
l. In his first interview as head OF the p
l. lice department Mills explained many
O the battling mysteries as to exactly no
the police department had been change
since Saturday. In this connection
said:
Col Hatch and l understand eac
other. | think | know what Col Hat,
wants and Director Wilson and | al
agreed as to what Col Hatch wants. T.
director, too, has given me the nuthori
to do what Col Hatch wants