The New York herald., 1920-12-24
CRIMINAL JUDGES
SEND 70 TO TOMBS;
VOD$15O,OOOBAIL
Enright AbOlishes Special
Soft Details Jan. / to
Put 600 More Men on
Patrol Duty.
COPS BATTLE CROOKS
Bullets Fly in Street and
Roof Chases That Net Cap
tives in Manhattan
and Brooklyn.
GRAND JURIES SPEED UP
Automobile Bandits Have New
Flat Tire Trick-Caught by
Flying Police Patrol Soon
After Holdup.
GRAND JURIES SPEED UP

The spectacular machinery set In
motion by Richard z. Enright, Police
Commissioner, TO rid New York OF
criminals seems to have had little or
no effect on the lawless element. Indi-
cations yesterday were that they still
are plying their crafts, for holdups and
robberies occurred in the five bor-
oughs. and 1t became known during
the day that house and loft burglars
have been exceedingly active since
Saturday when the big roundup began.
While the police apparently had
made no great headway in the fight
against criminals the courts meted out
some very heavy sentences in crimes
of violence and increased the bail Of
persons held for such charges to tho
point where they were compelled to go
the Tombs.
Seventy men found it impossible to
obtain the bail required by the Judges
in General Sessions and joined in the
parade across the Bridge of Sighs."
The bail of fifty or sixty who had
failed to answer the order of the court
for appearance at once was forfeited.
The total of these forfeited bonds was
| said to exceed s150,000.
speciaI Details Cancelled.
| Commissioner Enright. by a sweeps
ing order effective January /, abol-
! ished a multitude of specitl details.
which. IL was estimated. would re-
lease 500 men for patrol duty and
thief chasing. The order does away
with the soft berths," which Lieut..
Floyd Horton, who was killed by an
automobile bandit. gave as one OF the
numerous reasons for the demoraliza-
ton OF the department.
The order stated that all temporary
assignments. with the exception OF
those in the detective division, office
Of the Police Commissioner. Deputy
Commissioner and Telegraph Bureau
would be discontinued at one minute
before Midnight, January l.
Comm iding officers requiring ex-
tension o uch assignments" the order
said, "' submit new applications
after Ja ary /, stating the necessity
for deta n each case. together with
date Of original assignment. This will
not affecj temporary assignments TO
raided premises or disorderly hotels
One Of the first arrests made by de-
tectives assigned by Commissioner En-
right to establish the uptown barred
zone against thieves and gunmen was
that yesterday afternoon OF Harry
| Spann. 35 years old. a chauffeur Of
512 West Forty-seventh street, on q
charge of burglary. Spann was ac-
cused Of attempting to rob the apart
ment Of II. N. Gals. at II West Fifty
seventh street. and was chased to
Madison avenue and Fifty eighth street
before he was captured. Half dozen
shots were fired during the chase.
stolen Property Recovered.
Detectives Jones and Hooker ques-
toned spann and they say he made
statement which resulted in the ar
rest of Kasper Firman, 80 years old.
proprietor of q women's garment store
at 103 West Forty-seventh street. on
a charge of receiving stolen goods
The entire contents Of Firman's store.
valued AZ more than $4,000. was con-
nscated by the police. Several articles
OF clothing taken from the store later
were identified. the police say, by Mrs.
George Thomas Of 81 East Fifty-fourth
street as property she lost when her
home was robbed several weeks ago.
/ 4 chest Of silver valued at $500 and
I .tsuw
identified by Mrs. Frederick Knight Of .
/ 73i Lexington avenue. Miss Lucille
Grunning OF i2s East Fifty-seventh
street recognized several articles of
clothing that were stolen from her homo
recently.
| Grand Juries in both Manhattan and
| Brooklyn were busy all day grinding
out indictments against men who have
been in the city prisons for days, II not
weeks.
! The demand OF the Judges That persons
out on bail for crimes OF violence should
appear in the courts at once resulted in
Ili3 being arraigned before Judges John
f. Mcintyre and Otto Rosalsky. The
bail in eighty-fve Of the cases had been
/ fixed bv the magistrates at $4,000 or
s2.50O and these amounts we're Increased
by the judges to $4,000 and $4,000.
| sixteen Of the prisoners pleaded not
guilty to the charges against them and
| their cases were assigned TO the various
parts OF General Sessions for Immediate
trial.
Twelve Of the men arraigned before
Judge Rosalslky we're accused Of bur-
giary In the first degree or OF carrying
concealed weapons. In tho burglary
cases $4,000 bail was demanded and
/