New-York tribune., 1920-03-07
Assistant District Attor-
ney's Report on Vice
Nearly Ready; To Sub
stantiate All Charges
High Police Head
Declared Involved
Two West Side Inspec-
ton Districts Said ToBe
Implicated in Report

Assistant District Attorney Smith,
who is carrying on an investigation Of
alleged police graft and corruption in
the protection Of women Of the
streets, is nearly ready, it was said
yesterday, to present the report on
crime conditions demanded by Mayor
Hylan and Police Commissioner En-
right. 1t was said Mr. Smith would
substantiate every charge that already
has been made to the grand jury and
have evidence to spare.
Although Mr.. Smith has no force of
detectives with which to seek evidence
to support the charges already made
and has stubbornly refused to ask the
police to assist him-he has been
given the aid Of several civic bodies
that are declared to have furnished
evidence of vice in two West Side
police inspection districts. The
Rockefeller Foundation and the COM
mittee Of fourteen were credited with
providing a mass Of information that
will be embodied in the Forthcoming
report.
Mr.. Smith yesterday made an early
wa
night in the city's rapidly depopu-
lating white light district. He said he
had been rounding up important wit
nesses to be used in the trial of John
]. Gunson, plainclothes man attached
to the staff of Inspector Dominick
Henry, who Is to be rushed to trial on
a charge Of extortion.
Police Head Declared Involved
He made it known, however, that he
had unearthed more evidence that
might not be used in>this case. but
which would involve at least one COM
mandlng officer in the Police Depart
ment. Whether an Indictment would
be sought against this official at once,
he said, would depend entirely on other
evidence that is being sought.
Last night the prosecutor again made
the rounds Of places that have been
named as the haunts Of vice. He would
not hint at the new evidence being
sought, but it was admitted that finding
witnesses to-day was far more diff
cult than before it had become known
that the present investigation was on
1t was a day Of letter writing fol-
Police Commissioner Enright. He sent
two letters of inquiry, addressed to
the Committee of Fourteen and the So
ciety for the Prevention of Crime, ask
ing detailed informa tion concerning
the reported exodus Of disorderly
women from the city. He sent another
letter to District Attorney Swami, ask
ing for more detailed information as
to the addresses of such women, their
names, the dates when they opened and
when they closed their places.
The letter sent to the reform bodies
reads as follows:
AcI for &c D1ocau
"It is reported in the press that the
District Attorneys office has received
information from the representatives
great exodus Of disorderly women
from houses which have been under
suspicion, particularly in the Bor-
ough of Manhattan.
"Will you please let me have list
of any such places in any part Of the
city; the names Of the inmates Of
these places; the dates upon which
they were occupied and the date they
were vacated, so far as your record
may show, where commercialized
prostitution or vice in any form
exists, or has existed for period just
prior to March l Of this year?
locations Of any disorderly houses
suit of the present newspaper pub
licity growing out of the Indictment
of plainclothes man John J. Gunson,
of the Fourth Inspection District"
Wants Names of Occupants
In his letter to the District Attorney
he said;
"It is reported in the press that
one Of the Assistant District At
torneys has stated that since the in
dictment Of plainclothes Patrolman
John j. Gunson a large number of
prostitutes are leaving the city. Will
you please let mo have list Of the
places which they occupied, the names
Of the occupants, the dates that these
places were occupied by them and
the dates upon which they left the
city or vacated these premises?
"In view Of the fact that the po-
lice are constantly arresting prosti-
tutes in the city ana obtaining their
convictions, as well as forcing them
to leave the localities in which they
formerly lived, as is attested by
court records and the daily reports
of this department, it might be we'll
for you to indicate whether or not