New-York tribune., 1918-01-30
"Miserable Charges" Took
Up Time of Staff, Says
District Attorney
No Reflection
On Woods
Expects "John Doe" Methods
to Produce Evidence Po-
lice Failed to Get

District Attorney Edward Swami yes
terday placed part OF the blame for
gambling in New York on the City
Club, which, he explained, had, by %ts
miserable charges in the Breckinridge-
Delahanty case, taken up seven months
time Of the District Attorney and FIVE
or six Of his assistants"
This and the amount of time taken
up by the Rockaway land inquiry, the
milk investigation, the Republican pri-
mary prosecution, the war charities
graft inquiry and the Fusion campaign
fund, together with the ordinary work
Of the office, involving $4,000 cases. he
said, has made it impossible for him to
attack a situation which he asserted
had become acute last November
"Thc hue and cry raised about a
wide open town under Tammany has
nothing to do with the action now
being taken" he said
"Elow long has this gambling been
going on?" the prosecutor was asked.
"Tho present situation began to de-
velop about two years ago." he replied.
at was never 50. acutely called to my
attention as it was last fall"
Inquiry Takes Time
"Why was it not attacked then -
"For the reason that this Office did
not have the time. There has been 4
list OF gambling places in this Office for
six months. The police have also had
n list. But you must remember that
beginning IN January Of last year the
time Of the District Attorney and five
or six of his assistants WAS taken up
by the miserable charges of tho City
Club well into August. Then there was
the Rockaway land investigation. the
war charities graft, the milk. inquiry,
the Republican primary scandal, the
Fusion slush fund, not to mention the
$4,000 ordinary cases that come to this
office i'll a year. making it impossible to
care for many things We would like to
have cared for.'
Your action now is taken in some
quarters as u reflection on Commits
sioNer Woods handling of the police"
Mr.. Swami was told.
"Absolutcly nothing 10 that he re
piled. "Therc is no reflection intended
on Mr.. Woods, but it must be rcmem-
bcred that he was Il civilian and, COM
ing from civil life, had not the same
facility. regardless OF natural ability,
TO handle such q matter as a real police
head has.
"The gamblers. BY changing their
tactics, have made it extremely diff
cult, if not impossible, for the police
to get the necessary evidence. This.
think, We can get by John Doe meth
DDS"
A report that we'll known gambler
had collected a protection fund of $500
coo was called to Nr Swann's atten.
ton.
81 know no more about that than
you do he replied. But will thank
you for any leads you may have that
may give us an opportunity 10 locate
that Or any other fund of the kind
Gambling List Added 70
Deputy Police Commissioner Leach
called on the District Attorney during
the afternoon. Another caller was In
spector ("IIoncsJ Dan'D Costigan, who
in the past has specialized in gambling
raids and who Is credited with having
provided much Of the evidence Nh
Swami now has. Another caller WAS a
writer we'll known in the Tcnderloin
who presented a list OF gambling places
Many of the names on this list were
Implications Of the list already in the
District Attorneys possession. On both
We're the names OF many who have
figured in every gambling crusade since
the days when William Travcrs Jerome
rs magistrate was leading raiding
parties. Some Of the best known names
are those Of men who figured promi-
nentlV in the ROserthal case