The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-16
HARMLESS BOUTS
BETWEEN ENRIGHT
AND SWANN'S AIDS
In Lahey-Smith- Owens Case
Something Almost Hap
pens, but Does Not.
PUBLIC DISAPPOINTED
Skirmishes Between Prose
cutor and Police Like Cen
trail American RevOlts.

District Attorney Swami and the
Police Department often have come to
what appeared at the time to be final
lmpasse. Time and time again 1t has
appeared that the District Attorney
has severed diplomatic relations with
the Police Commissioner, and on each
occasion the seeming break has been
signalized by some outburst from MI
Swann-outburst of various sorts
ranging from direct charges of irreSu-
larities against individual policemen 10
fiat arraignments of the entire Police
Department.
But always the Tammany diplomatic
service gets in its subtle work, and
day or later unity, peace ana concord
are coaxed back to Centre street Inc
expectant public, licking its chops III
anticipation of the feast of scandal that
must eventuate in an open and honest
scrap between a Police Commissioner
and a District Attorney collects another
disappointment, and the next thing you
know the newspapers publish laudatory
statements about the police system
voiced by the prosecutor. and the Police
Commissioner has a lot of nice things
10 saw about ''the best District Attorney
this city ever saw
But every once in a while Mr.. Swami
utters a brief, shrill blast against the
police and the Police Department. 1t Is
not a newly acquired habit. From the
Bench the present prosecutor used Ia
let ii be known that he didn't love all
policemen always. But even then he
did no follow up work. Mr.. Swami
would deliver himself of a few well
chosen remarks apropos the unpleasant
things the Police Department reminded
him of. The Police Department would
take to the dugouts for few hours,
and Just as soon as the barrage was lift
ed emerge and tell the world what nice,
agreeable District Attorney New York
county had That ended the skirmish
1t was like a Central American revolu-
compromising. but reproductive.
Observe Costigan's Case.
Witness, for instance, the case of
''Honest Dan" Costigan. To be sure,
Mr.. Swami was with Costigan in this
instance and against Commissioner En-
right Here certainly there was ample
reason to believe that Swami and En-
right were quits of each other for all
time. Back in 1918 the District Attor-
ney let 1t be known that he had come
TO the decision to divorce Manhattan
and gambling for all time. He added
that the cleanup was to include sundFy
houses of mirth where gambling was
but incidental.
Capt. Costigan and a squad of able
bodied detectives were assigned to MI
Swans office for participation in tn
Swami programme and to the Captain
was "given a free hand" With thi
free hand" he smashed a few portals
of alleged gambling helle and before
anything very serious came to pass h,
was withdrawn from the District AT
torney's Office and sent to a nice que
berth in the First Inspection District
Members Of his squad were returned L
their home districts. Mr.. SWAIN wal
wrot.r Nobody had asked him abou
this recall of Costigan. Nobody hat
taken the trouble to find out whether 4
was convenient to him or not III
had been ignored and his determination
fouted. He'd see about It
The District Attorney went to thu
City Hall about fright over the gray
head of Mr. Enright They say that Mr.
Swami was fearfully angry at first AMI
that Mayor Hylan had terrible time
pacifying him. But somehow or other
Il came out all right--as IL always did
Mr. Swami emerged with the corners OF
his mouth upturned instead OF dropping
He was going TO see Dick Enright
about It. and he and the Commissioned
would thrash out this Costigan matter
together in a nice orderly manner.
That ended IL. Nothing happened.
Obviously Mr.. Swami was satisfied with
what Mr.. Enright said. and the latter lie.
It be known that he considered Mr..
Swami a type Of man of whom New
York should feel proud.