New-York tribune., 1921-01-20
Business Houses, Instead
of Crooks andCamblers.
Forced to Pay for Pro-
lection, Prosecutor Saws
$4,000 Reported
Levied in Strike
Du Bois Accused of Ac-
cepting Illegal Fees; 5
Detectives Under Fire

DOtCCtlVCS OuktcT lTtc
Police graft to-day is worse and
more Widespread than in the days of
Lieutenant Becker, but the victim
now is not the criminal of the
Becker regime. He is the legitimate
business man confronted by a pro-
longed strike"
Charles S. Whitman, former Gov
ernor and now special Assistant
District Attorney, assigned to con-
duct the grand jury investigation of
the Hylan administration, made the
foregoing charge yesterday.
Developments of the investigation
yesterday included the following:
Captain Percy M. Du Bois, COM
mander of the Atlantic Avenue sta
tlon, Brooklyn, was indicted, arrest
ed and then released in $1,000 bail
on a charge of illegally accepting
fee of 800. from Ralph /. Bartholo-
new, an employee of the Publishers
Printing Company. during the print
erS' strike last September.
Five Detectives Linked With Graft
One Of the two witnesses booked
as evadlng the grand jury subpenas
lssuedsas result of Governor Whit
mans conference with Meier Stein
brink, investigating city contracts for
the Board of Estimate, appeared at
the Criminal Courts Building with
counsel, but again disappeared be-
fore the arrival of Mr.. Whitman's
assistant, Arthur NJ. King.
Startling evidence of irregulari-
ties by at least five detectives as
signed to the work of recovering
stolen automobiles has been uncov-
cred, it was learned unoficially.
Captain Du Bois was indicted by the
grand jury after several witnesses had
been called. All were members of the
Publishers Printing Company, of 90?
West Twenty-fifth Street, which prints,
among Numerous other magazines, The
Literary Digest.
According to the indictment, Dubois
was captain of the West Twentieth
Street station during the job printers
strike, which lasted for eleven weeks
beginning September 6. 1920. He is
specifically accused of having "unlaw-
fully and corruptly" accepted on Sep
tember gratuity of $10O from Ralph
|. Bartholomew, representative of the
company, to furnish police protection,
which he was duty sworn to provide.
Besides officials and employees Of
the Publishers Printing Company. the
grand jury heard Leo Gambardelli. 4
private detective, who had been dis
missed from the Police Department.
he had been engaged, Mr.. Whitman
said, to protect certain publishing
houses during last falls strike. He
denied that he had ever used New York
policemen for this work or had paid
policemen any money.
Dubois Appears Nervous
Captain Dubois appeared in the
Criminal Courts Building at 2:45
o'clock and surrendered to Detective
Sergeant Raynes, who held the war
rant He was accompanied by former
detective Lieutenant Dom mic Riley,
now private detective; his counsel.
Terence j. McManus, and Harold Nor
rls, surety company representative.
DuBo S vas striking contrast to
Captain William A. Bailey. arrested
last week. Bailey was exceedingly we'll
groomed and exh;b ted little emotion.
Dubois appeared in a soft collar. un
pressed ovcrccat and clothes, and was
noticeably nervous. He refused to talk
to even those who knew him, and at
tempted to hide mis- six feet beh nd his
much shorter counsel while on the way
to appear before Judge Grain in Part
|. General Sessions.
Bail Fixed at $4,000
The proceedings before Judge Grain
were short. The indictment = a. READ to
Captain Dubois. The police official
turned to his counsel, Mr.. McManus
who made the usual plea of not guilty
and asked for ten days in which to
change the plea or to file other motions.
The application was granted and bail
fixed at $4,000, which was Immediately
furnished by the surety company repre-
sentative.
Captain Dubois is innocent ard will
have no difficulty in proving it," was
the only comment Mr.. McManus would
make. Captain Dubois would not talk.
Captain Dubois had applied for and
had had approved his application for
retirement, to take effect Tuesday at
midnight. Mr.. Whitman. learning of
the plan, made demand upon Police
Commissioner Enright that the retire
ment be held up. The commissioner
promptly rescinded his approval of the
retirement application.
1t was learned yesterday that Mr..
McManus will carry to the Supreme
Court the fight to compel Commissioners
Enright to retire Captain Dubois, as
he had approved the application before
the Indictment had been voted.
More Indictments Promised
In his conference with newspaper
men last night Mr.. Whitman said:
I'VE may be able to go before the
grand jury again on Friday. l don't
expect to do so tomorrow. We are at
work on matters which ! think will;
justify presentation to the grand jury
in the near future"
Mr.. Whitman, in answer to a number
of questions, added that the evidence
so far developed indicated that the re-
cent printers strike cost the employers
shout $4,000, and a good deal of that
went toward protection. He
would not say what amount he thought
'V"nt TO the police.
Nj. Whitman WAS asked if he
thought that his investigation dis.
closed craft conditions an.