The sun., 1919-04-02
MONK EASTMAN
TOLEAVE ARMY
TODAY AS HERO
Old Gangster Will Get Hon.
orable Discharge From
9th Division.
APPEAL TO GOV. SMITH
Effort to Be Made to. Have
Rights Of Citizenship Re-
stored to Soldier.

k1eridf Despdfch' 10 THE Sun. To- -
CAN'T UProN, April Back in the old
days. when New York was wide open
and the lower East Side was infested
with tribute levying gangs, Monk" East
man was probably the most accom-
plished and the most skilful gangster OF
the district. A dozen years ago East
man was in command OF band Of
thugs that terrorized the East Side
and Monk" Eastman himself was an
opium addict, a burglar, a gunman and
the leader OF gunner to whose skill with
the revolver the police traced many a
murder mystery.
During the time that he was virtually
the undisputed king OF East Side gang
dom, Monk Eastman and members of his
gang were arrested for committing al
would take contracts to DO anything
from actual murder to opium smuggling.
But no murders were ever proved against
Eastman, and the many terms he served
In prison were for lesser crimes, such as
burglary and smuggling opium and CO.
caine, disposing of stolen goods. assault
and things like that. Then there was a
period Of law and order. when Monk"
Eastman was moro or less ouiesccnt-
his gang dispersed by the police and
Monk himself vanished from his old
haunts.
. Enlfsts I'm Army.
He didn't appear again In New York,
1T least on the police records. until 1918,
when he was arrested, convicted and
In Nyusn N,An tr, Nr.R
burglary. to which he pleaded guilty.
Time of for good behavior got Monk
out Of jail late In 1917, and In October
OF that year, after the United States en-
tered the war against Germany. East
man walked into an army recruiting
station in Brooklyn and was sworn In
as an American soldier. with no aue,-
tons asked.
In the course OF time Monk became a
doughboy In one Of the companies Of
the 10Sth Infantry OF the Twenty sew
enth Division and went to France with
his regiment. He fought all through the
long and bloody battles in Flanders and
northern France and came back homo
=. with the rest Of the division. And to-
morrow Monk Eastman will leave Camp
Upton with an honorable discharge from
the United States Army In hts pocket.
with an env!abls record as soldier,
can citizenship. because he lost his cit
fxenship when he was convicted OF a
felony and sent to prison.
But within tina NEXT few davs .Just.ce
Joseph Morschauser, OF the supreme
Court will present TO Gov. AIRED 70
Smith petition asking that Eastmans
rixhts of CITIZENSHIP be restored 10 Rim
This petition will 4e signed by Col.
Franklin Ward. commander of the rest-
ment: Cant. James G., Conroy and Lieut..
Joseph A. Kerrixan. Eastman.s company
and platoon Commanders, many other
ofTicers of the regiment and every non
Commissioned officer and private OF
Eastman.s company. who knew the for
mer eansster as good soldier IN
franco. Accommodating the petition will
be a statement from Major Larsen. reg.
fmentaI medical of3csr Of tbe 10sth IN
which somethinx will be told OF Monk,
military record.
a.
bravery OF Eastman.
MAJOR larsen VIII tell the governor
now MONK Volunteered 10 stay IN tne
nne as s,reteher bearer curing the
na,oest kno or hshens ar.er ms out,