New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-03-30

was one Of his right-hant men and
was placed in charge OF the special
vice squad. He was given the widest
latitude and was permitted to operate
in any part Of che city which needed
the squads attention. At that time
he was responsible to no superior ex-
cept the Police Commissioner.
Costigan Loses Power
Shortly after Enright became Police
Commissioner Costigan was stripped
of most of his power, and toward the
latter part of 1918 his vice squad was
demobilized and its members assigned
to outlying precincts. Many Of them
were put back on patrol duty. COST
gan was for time put in charge Of
the LIST Inspection District, but sub
sequently was denoted to the rank
of captain and transferred to the
Westchester precinct In the Bronx.
In statement supplementing one
given out early in the day District
Attorney Swami last night connected
Costigan's transfer and demotion and
tho ACKNOWLEDGMENT of the vice squad
with raids which the then inspector
had made on" "Beansy" Rosenfeld's
gambling house and one kept by
Thomas L. Reynolds in West Sixty
eighth Street.
In this supplementary statement Mr..
Swami took occasion to say that mo
one is more sincere in his desire to
cleanse the city of vice and gambling
than Mayor Hylan. But he, like the
District Attorney, has got to get his
evidence through the police: The same
stupid persons in the Police Depart
ment who have attempted to attack
Mr.. Smith and Dan Costigan have mis-
informed Mayor Hylan."
In linking up Costigan's demotion
with the gambling raids, Mr.. Swami
said:
"The raid on Thomas L. Reynolds's
gambling house, at IS West Sixty-eighth
Street. was made by Costigan in April.
1913. Reynolds was tried. convicted
and sentenced in the following June as
a common gambler.
"This was in Inspector Henry's own
district. With characteristic stupidity
they proceeded without delay to dis
member Dan Costigan's vice squad that
had conducted the raids on Reynolds's
and 'Beansy' RosenfelG's gambling
houses.
Costigan Men Denoted
"Bob" Hickson, one of Costigan's
out of plain clothes, put on patrol duty
and assigned to Brooklyn, which was
entirely out of the way of any further
harm. Floyd Horton, another of COST
gan's men who aided in the raids and
who testified against the gamblers, was
taken out Of plain clothes and also put
in an out-of- thc-way position in Brook
lyn; 49,.
"Finally, with monumental stupidity,
i \
of the special vice squad, transferred
to another part of the city and subse-
quently denoted"
In his earlier statement Mr.. Swami
! indicated plainly his intention to sup
port Mr.. Smith IN the latter's vice in
vestigation. He also pointed out the
manner in which the dates Of the action
taken against "Beansy" Rosenfelds
gambling houses and the making Of the
Henry affidavits synchronize. The Aft
davits, Mr. Swami asserts, were made
with the intention of discrediting Mr..
Smith, who conducted the prosecution
of the gamblers.
Smith Will Testify
1t was said last night that Mr.. Smith
would go before the jury as volun-
first whose testimony is heard to-day
The original aim of the Almirall jury,
which was to investigate charges
against Assistant District Attorneys
Smith, Dooling and Kilroe, probably
will be temporarily sidetracked in or
der to take up the charges that have
been flying back and forth between the
District Attorneys Office and Police
Headquarters.
Mayor Hylan returned yesterday
from Atlantic City, where he had been
C.. .,,.A r
Commissioner Hirshfield, Grover
Whalen and number of prominent
members Of Tammany Hall The
Mayor was beaming when he entered
City Hall and appeared to be in
highly atfable mood. He refused, how
ever, to discuss the police situation
and would not admit that the topic
had been brought up at Atlantic City.
Politicians close to the city admin
istration are convinced that Mr.
Murphy had a great deal to say about
the superheated crisis which finds two
of the most important departments in
the city at swords points
With Deputy Police Commissioner
battle still going strong, Democratic
leaders are Of the opinion that Mr.
Murphy found it necessary to throw
some oil on the troubled waters if the
upheaval was to be checked before i,
got entirely beyond control.
Mr.. Swami also said yesterday to
newspaper men that he had advised
Mr.. Smith to "stop talking and get to
work"
Hendrick Quits Porter
In statement in ,hich he attacked
the District Attorneys Office and said
that he was in ''violent disagreement"
with his client, Frank Hendrick, at
torrey for former Deputy Police Com
missioner Porter, announced last night
| that he had withdrawn as counsel for
the defense of the indicted police Off
cia.
my client and are in violent disa-
greement on the question of the proper
attitude toward the prosecution against
him instituted by Assistant District
Attorney Smith," Mr. Hendrick stated
My client insists upon an immediate
trial, while / insist upon resistance
by every expedient afforded by the
courts, 10 to the Supreme Court of the
United States, to the proposition that
man may be brought into court and
compelled to undergo the ordeal of a
trial upon pretended indictment
which does not set forth any offense
known to the law or any otfense what
ever.
THE encroachment upon the rights
OF the citizen in this county by the
District Attorney has been so steady
progressive and deliberate that an ire
sponslble subordinate in the District
Attorneys cffico may now say, without
exciting public Indignation, Il am goine