New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-07-29
Red-Faced Aid of Lahey
Slugs Men and Attacks
Women and Children in
Two-Hour Terror Reign
Herds Them Into
Back Room of Bar
Police Brutality Rebuked
in Night Court and ALI
of Prisoners Released

A big, red-faced detecrive of Chief
Inspector Lahey's staff terrcrized the
vicinity of Forty-third Street and
Ninth Avenue, sometimes known as
Paddy's Market, for two hours yes-
terday afternoon. He blackjacked men.
some of them fellow policemen who
attempted to expostulate at his con-
duct; he dragged women screaming
through the street, half tearing their
clothes from their bodies; he held
thirty or more men, women and chill
dren prisoners in the back room of a
former saloon for almost two hours.
All of his prisoners were taken to the
West Forty-seventh Street police sta
ton, and against twenty-tour men who
bore no visible signs of the treatment
they had received charges of disor-
derby conduct were made. The others,
some of them bruised and cut, were
told to "beat it," The red-faced de-
tective did not appear in Night Court
against his prisoners, and all were dis
charged by Magistrate Nolan, who ex-
pressed indignation at their arrest.
Seizes Every One He Meets
From p. m. until 5 p. m. the de-
tective was seyzing every one he came
across, dragging drivers from the
seats of trucks, children from the
sidewalks and women from the stoops
of their homes and hurting them into
the backroom. In that period, it is
said, that at least three telephone calls
for help were sent to the West Forty
seventh Street police station.
at enc Of two priests who were in
the neighborhood is said to have armed
himself with an enormous autom mobile
wrench for self-protection when he
Jailed to get any response to telephone
ca's to the West Forty seventh Street
police station for assistance. Captain
lnomas Donohue, of that station, was
as invisible as the red-faced detective
last night.
The latter. with two other detectives,
one OF whom is said TO be Milton Kauf-
man, sauntered through West Forty
third Street about o'clock. On reach
ing Patrick Coen's restaurant at the
southeast corner of Ninth Avenue,
characteristics of saloon, although
converted into restaurant, the rod
faced detective pulled his two com
panions inside
I'm going to clean this place up,"
he is said to have remarked.
Starts With Old Man
The cleanup started with vener-
able man who was eating bean soup in
the back room.
What the hell are you doing?" de-
manded the redfaced detective of the
aged soup eater.
Eating SOUP" replied the old man.
Bean soup"
1t failed to turn the wrath Of the
red-faced detective. In fact, something
about the bean soup appeared to enrage
him. From that moment he was ber-
serk. He knocked the old man out of
mis- chair with a blow of blackjack,
seized the plate of soup and dashed it
to the floor.
"Hey, lay off!" one of the other two
detectives admonished him. "Be easy,
be easy!"
Bq way of reply, the cleaner-up is
said to have struck mis- fellow detective
with the blackjack. Then he went
into what used to be the barroom
There we're four men there besides the
bartender. The four were gathered
about a ticker. The big detective
shouldered them roughly aside, plucked
up the ticker by the roots and flung it
oli us sue.
"I'm cleaning up this place" he an
nounced. Get in there!"
Throws Victims In
He motioned toward the backroom,
where an amazed and mildly indignant
old man was picking himself up on a
floor that was slippery with bean soup.
Those who hesitated in obeying the
>.*der were seized by the collar and
slung into the back room.
Leaving one of his companions to
guard the prisoners, the redfaced de-
tective went outside to seek more. He
strobe belligerently through Forty
third Street, hourishing a blackjack
and all upon whom he looked with
disfavor. speedily found themselves in
the back room.
Two OF the first prisoners he made
on the street were women. They were
dragged through the street with such
violence that their waists were torn
from their shoulders. After them
James Heffernan, Of 664 Ninth Avenue.
and Robert Hastings, of SIG West Fif-
neth Street, were sent tumbling into
the lmpromptu prison.
On the next excursion the detective
CONTINUED on page six)