New-York tribune., 1920-04-08
DIR. StratOn
lnterrogated
By U. S. Jury

Continued from page ons)
the best essay on the mental, moral,
physical and economic cost of the
liquor traffic" His paper on this sub
ject was entitled "Thc Deadly Upas
Tree He also is the author of papers
entitled The Happy Highway and
Hail Columbia
Resents hirshfield's Tone
DR.. Straton is said to have resented
the facetous tone of the letter he re-
ceivcd from Commissioner llirshtield,
in which the latter requested him to
call at his Office to testify in the vice
investigation being made by the Com
missioner for Mayor Hylan. The Com
missioner said yesterday that he did
not credit the reports that DR.. Straton
had declined to accept his invitation to
NN' "1 's should "'ni think tha DR.. straton
would welcome the opportunity to tell
his story to me, because in the investi-
cation which l am conducting the evil
dence he might give would not be con-
t'ned to the four walls Of the grand
Jury room and be known only to the
jurors and Jim Smith, but would be
public would be given the benefit of
the doctors information and knowl-
edge"
/ Commissioner Hirshficld's investiga-
ton got under way yesterday and one
OF the witnesses called was George c.
Grundy,. proprietor of the ST. Nicholas
Dance Hall. This is the place men
he said, he saw hundreds of couples
dancing the ''hoochi-koochi," the "shim-
my-shake" and the "cheek-to- cheek"
In tire defense of his resort, Mr..
Grundy took occasion to deny that
former Deputy Police Commissioners
Porter had assisted him in obtaining
his license.
Smith was Informed Of Grundy's as
sertion he quickly produced copies of
the testimony taken at the hearing
before License Commissioner Sexton
on Grundy's application for permit
This testimony" said Mr.. Smith.
"shows that Porter did appear at that
hearing and did approve of the grant
ing of the license. He was acting at
that time as an individual. however,
and not in his official capacity.'
Mrs. Humiston May Testify
Mr.: Smith announced that Mrs. Grace
Humston, lawyer, social worker and
free lance Investigator, who gained
prominence three. years ago when she
ui"soNS1eu Iiie pouv OF mOr0ered Ruth
Cruger, would probably go before the
grand jury to-day when that body has
finished with Dr.. Straton.
Mrs. Humiston Ready
AT her Office last night Mrs. Humis-
ton said she had made extensive in
vestigations in the 4th Inspection Dis
ttrict, and said she could tell of a num-
Der of places not mentioned by DR..
Straton where the law is openly vio-
lated. In the case of at least one of
these places, she said, the po'ic had
been notified and had taken no action.
She does not agree with the statements
made by Mrs. Mary Garrett Hay and
Mrs. John Francis Yaweer concerning
conditions at the ST. Nicholas dance
hall.
From their statements,' said Mrs.
Humiston, at would appear that
neither Of these women knows how to
| investigate vice conditions, and lack
ing experience in this work, I do not
! think they should try to discredit the
statements Of DR.. Straton. Mrs. Yaw-
gers daughter has a position under
Deputy Police Commissioner Ellen
! O'Grady, and it is part of her duty
to investigate dance halls. She draws
salary from the city
Mrs. Humiston said she had investi-
gated Peters restaurant on West
Ninety-seventh Street, which was
raided on Monday night.
My visit to Peters was after pro.
hbition had become law said Mrs
Humiston. 1.-TWO women accompanied
me and we sat there for more than
an hour. When VIC entered the place
we saw a young woman on the front
stoop who was SO drunk that she was
reelng. Inside we found another
girl who was so intoxicated that one
of my party had to help her to the
ladies' room.
II shall furnish the grand jury with
the names of three places not men
toned by DR.. Straton. All of them are
in Inspector Dominick Henry's district
One of them is dance hall
There is a saloon in the 4th In
spcction District selling liquor openly
had the proprietor of this place in my
office because he was running the home
of fine woman. Other saloonkeepers
had long ago refused to sell her hus-
band liquor. This woman notified the
police Of what was going on but moth
ing was ever done about it,