Omaha daily bee., 1919-01-19
CHARGES
OF CRAFT.
BY.
RI N &c R.
Head of Police Department In
tervieWS Wilma Rice; Re-
fuses to Give Result of
Investigation.

Police Commissioner Ringer yes
terday afternoon began a thorough
probe of alleged graft in the police
department in connection with the
vice traffic. Wilma Rice, former
trained nurse and now an inmate
of the women's Detention hospital,
who charged that she had given
policemen money to keep from go
ing to jail, was brought to his Of
hce in the city hall by Miss Berger,
superintendent of the hospital.
Chief Of Police Eberstein and a
number of police officers who have
been on guard at the hospital were
also present at the investigation
which took place behind closed
doors in Commissioner Ringers
private Office.
Mr.. Ringer refused absolutely to
give out any information as to
what was disclosed.
Affair Not Closed.
1.-THE affair has not been finished
yet by any means" he said. IF |
gave out anything now fear it
might defeat the ends for which we
are working. We are going to get
the truth OF this thing"
"Will you state whether or not
Wilma Rice divulged the names Of
the FIVE policemen who. she, says,
took hush money from herS he
was asked.
mo, ! don't want to say" he re-
piled.
Miss Rice said In her interview
with The Bee last Thursday "A
will give Police Commissioners
Ringer the names Of FIVE policemen
to whom ] personally gave hush
money several nights a week."
She added that "the police are op-
posed to this home because they
want Us out so they can graft on
US"
Mr.. Ringer, Mr.. Eberstein and
Miss Berger were in conference in
the police commissioners Office for
more than an hour while Miss Rice
was kept in the custody of several
detectives in the Office of the chief
Of police. Miss Rice was then
brought in and the investigation
proceeded into the charges which
she has made against some Of the
personnel Of the police department.
The statement by Mayor Smith
that "he was going to the bottom
of these charges" was mentioned to
Mr.. Ringer.
'Let him CO." he replied. "Tm
going to the bottom of it myself.
The mayor and | are in full accord
on this proposition. If we can get
any proof that anybody in this de-
partment has taken money from
women of the street we will Ger.
tainly deal with such person with
out gloves"
Mr. Ringer said the investiga-
tion would not be finished for sew
eral days.
In an interview yesterday morn
ing Mayor Smith declared that he
would issue orders Immediately re-
voking the authority OF physicians
to commit women to prison.
i do not believe this is proper,
and never have thought So" said
the mayor. 'Tn the future when
patients are committed to the home
they will be duly charged in police
court with a specific crime before
they will be denied their liberty"
Writes to Mrs. Hayes.
Mayor Smith also declared that
he had written to Mrs. E. w.
Hayes, former president Of the Wo.
mans club, inviting her to come tc
his office and substantiate the
charges of Miss Rice, declaring that
she had paid "hush" money to a
number Of the policemen on the
Omaha force. The Rice girl told
the same story to a Bee reporter
and declared she was ready to fur.
nish the names Of policemen who
had taken money from prostitutes
provided she was protected by the
! police authorities.
1T is my understanding that Mrs
] Continued on Page Five, Column Four