The sun., 1919-06-21

William S. Devery, BEST Chief
Injunction which never was dissolved.
That was in 1896, when the Roosevelt
Police Board brought charges against
him in connection with his handling OF
\ the Eleventh precinct and on the basis
OF his indictment on charges of accent
ing bride from F. w. Seagrist for per
mission to tear down a building.
Accused of Accepting Tribute.
From 1891 to March. 1898. Deyery
was In command as captain of the
lTwenty-second precinct. In which he was
| accused during the Lexow Investigation
OF permitting gambling and disorderly
houses to operate. He was then trans
| ferred to the Eleventh precinct, east of
! the Bowery. and was charged with hay-
ing accepted tribute right and left from
disorderly and gambling house keepers
Of that district. 1t was while Deyery
was in charge Of this district that he
issued his famous set OF instructions to
| his policemen anent the silk stockinRs."
This was during the elections of 1898.
He Is said to have called the patrolmen
who were to 20 on duty at the polls and
said to them:
There's going to be lot of silk stock
inss from uptown down here to day to
watch the polls. Don't let 'em get fresh
with you. They amt got no business
down here and IL they try to interfere
you stand them on their heads"
From captain Deyery went on up the
ladder Of police fame He became an
ers. who said he was undoing all of their
work. and then he was made Assistant
Chief During this part of his career he
was greatly aided by the influence Of
Richard Croker. the Tammany Hall
leader. who was a personal friend Of
Devery for many years and who always
looked out for him In a political way.
Devery and Charles F. Murphy, however,
were not such good friends. and when
Devery went into politics after he left
the force he and Murphy locked horns
great deal. with final honors going to
the Tammany chief.
All OF Devery's entanglements with tho
law came while he was a sergeant and a
captain. He was made a captain on
December 90. 1891, and not long after
ward was indicted at the instance OF the
Society for the Prevention Of Crime, the
society organized and operated by the
Rev. Charles Fl. Parkhurst, for failing
to close d'sorderly houses in Eidr1dge
and Forsyth streets He was tried on
one OF the four indictments and was
dictments were dismissed.
Appointed Chief June 30, 1898.
The charge OF accepting brides In the
Eleventh precinct was made against him
in 1894. and in August OF that year he
was tried by the Tammany Police Board
He was convicted and dism 'ssed from
the force. The General Term OF the
Supreme Court reversed the verdict and
Devery was reinstated. On February
IL. 1898. he was made Deputy Chief Of
Police under Chief McCullagh. with the
statement that he would succeed the
latter. This he did three months later.
In May. when he was made Acting Chief.
He was made Chief on June 30, 1898.
Devery was chief 'of the New York
Police Department just about four years.
He was removed from once by the &C.
ton OF the Legislature in enacting new
police laws. passed over the Mayors
veto. on February 20. 1901, and on that
same day was made Deputy Police Com
missioner by Commissioner Murphy. He
was again arrested In September OF that
year on a warrant issued by Justice Je-
rome. charged with oppression and neg
lect OF duty. but was acquitted Decem-
Der rs, 1901.
But big Bill" didn't remain with the
Police Department very long after that
He developed political ambitions. and,
although Tammany claimed that his rec
ord had defeated the Tammany ticket
that year and virtually read him out OF
the organization. Devery went to the
political mat with Charles F. Murphy
and in 1902 was elected leader of the
old Ninth Assembly district, one OF the
most important districts OF tho city at
that time. Devery then organized the
Devery Club and the Bugs. with head
quarters In sos West Twenty-eighth
street. near the house in which Devery
lived at the time.
Once BOwery Bartender.
These organizations were Devery's
campaign clubs In the campaign for
Mayor which he made in 1908, with the
avowed intention OF getting the scalp of
Charles r. Murphy. The emblem OF the
club was big green bug climbing up
the side OF pump. The pump stood for
the old pump at Twenty eighth street
and Eighth avenue, where Devery held
court. Devery's platform included all
manner of reforms. all directed against
the privileges and opportunities then In
the hands of Tammany. He was not
elected. but he and his Bugs and the In |
Vulnerable picnics he gave and the man
ner In which he spent money gave Tam |
many many an uneasy moment because |
there never had been a time when Dew |
cry couldn't muster n very respectable |
following.
Devery was rough and ready man in !
every sense Of the word. Little 10 known |
about. him prior to the time when he |
became n patrolman. but II Is known |
that he had been a bartender on the |
Bowery in the days when the name of J
tho Bowery was synonymous with wick |
edness, and II was there that he found |
and developed the gift OF repartee and !
the knack Of using and originating slang !
expressions that always made II easy for |
him to answer anybody or anything |
The first address OF his that came to the |
public notice was in Tenth street. where |
he lived for some years after he Joined |
the force. Later he moved to $40 West |
Twenty eighth street, about which there |
was considerable scandal during an In |