The sun., 1919-10-23
straight" Protection, Tips
Of Raids and Quashing
of Evidence.
FOUR PRISONERS TAKEN
Chief Flynn Raids Head
quarters in Commodore
Others Sought.
VICTIMS TELL STORIES
Trick Phones and Dictagraphs
Recorded Deals of the
Grafters.

William ). Flynn, cnfef OF the IN
vsstigation Division Of the Depart
partment Of Justice and a large person
with great powers of concealment, has
discovered why New York has been
a wide open booze town In spite of
war time prohibition and why 30 many
persons have been paying indecent
prices for very inferior booze. The
reason is that q clique of Department
of Justice agents, working busily with
q former agent and another young
man Of talent, have. been protecting
every restaurant keeper and. saloon
keeper who would pay them graft
Four Of the five were arrested yes
terday, after all five had been indicted
by the Federal Grand Jury, and were
held by Judge Learned Hand on a
charge preferred by Special Assistant
Federal Attorney John A. Minton Of
conspiracy to frustrate the wartime
prohibition act. The four are William
]. Polling and Pasqualo Pignuola,
agents Of the Department of Justice:
Richard Yancey. a former agent. and
Morton P. Allen, a we'll connected
young man who makes his home in
the Hotel Commodore. The fifth man
accused is Charles r. McCarver, now
an agent OF the Department, who had
left New York. 1t was said. to go to
Nashville, Tenn, to serve a warrant.
In addition to these men, specifically
named as grafters on a big scale, others
are implicated, including a Republican
politician, an official of the Office of the
United States District Attorney and two
former officials. Moreover. Minton and
Flynn, by the shrewd use OF the dicto-
graph and by tapping telephones. have
The names OF a number of restaurant
and saloon proprietors who allowed
themselves to be separated from large
sums in cash. The investigation Is
merely beginning. The Federal Grand
Jury, intensely interested in the evidence
already brought out. intends to clean
up the whole business.
Big Case Even for Flynn
Chief Flynn in his years Of crook hunt
ing has uncovered a good deal of SEN
sational grating. but he never pene-
trated to the heart Of a neater and more
richly profitable scheme than the one
devised and operated by some Of his own
trusted men in cooperation with out
siders to enrich themselves while making
a laughing stock of the law.
Holy Moses!" said Flynn, roosting
briefly last evening upon the window sin
OF his secret aerie near the roof OF a tall
downtown Office building. These fell
lows were simply cleaning up the town.
They were expanding their operations
every day. covering all the Ave boroughs
and part Of Jersey. We don't know yet
within thousands how much the ring
pried loose from liquor sellers willing to
break the law, but It was no piker's
game. 1t was a big proposition. with
many OF the biggest restaurant and ga
!oon men in the city benefting by pro-
lection and by warnings OF intended
raids
In one case alone a Republican poll
tician paid $1,000, presumably a weeks
tribute. TO the ring on behalf OF a chain
Of places enjoying protection. When one
remembers that this graft has been
tourishing for two months at such
scale OF prices II isn't tso much to as
sumo that the liquor sellers have paid
hundreds OF thousands OF dollars. And
they took 1t out of the public. of course"
They took 1t out of the public,
chief Flynn discovered, by such cute
little devices as charging t25 for a quart
OF sauterne cup. this being the custom
n celebrated Broadway restaurant,
and by mulcting the thirsty out OF any
where from 76 cents TO 81 a highball.
outside OF the first important purpose of
eonyicting the grafters the Grand Jury
and the Department OF Justice Is mostly
Interested in putting an end to this booze
prohteering, of ending for once and all
the cheap and greedy game OF robbing
nen who feel that a little drink now
and then doesn't do anybody any harm.
Lhe hint is plainly disseminated from
the Federal Attorneys office that liquor
sellers familiar with the graft opera
uons have little to fear II they will
eome before the Grand Jury and tell
that they know, no matter who is hurt
z they don't they are apt to get into
trouble for giving bribes
Flynn starts Reasoning.