New-York tribune., 1921-07-07
High Officials Unable to
Tell Meyer Inquiry
What Became of 1913
Receipts From Games
To Headquarters,
Then a Mystery
Gamblers and Saloons Re-
ported Shaken Down;
May Question Enright


has become of more than 100000 for
she police games in l9is?"N
This question has been put to al
most every high police official in the
city By the joint legislative investigat-
.ng committee, and, according to SEN
a.or Schuyler NJ. Meyer, chairman, in
every instance the subordinate of
Police Commissioner Enright has re-
plied he did not know.
Each witness we have examined y
said Senator Meyer yesterday, "has
passed the buck to some one else. The
committee has had every police captain
in the city before it, but not single
one In charge of large precinct has
produced record to show how much
money had been taken in. And no
records showing where the money went
can be found by the committee"
Information received by the commit
Zee, it was said by member of the
committee last night, is to the effect
that the records have been destroyed.
Captain after captain of police, when
sworn, testified that he had received
the tickets from headquarters and had
sold them and returned the money to
Police Headquarters, but no record of
the money received can be found.
sl,500,000 Believed Taken In
Police officials above the rank of cap.
tain have given similar testimony.
1t is estimated that since Police
Commissioner Enright was raised from
the rank of lieutenant to Police Com
missioner. by Mayor Hylan close to
Sl,5G0,o00 has been taken from the pub.
lie OF the City of New York for tickets
10 the police games.
The committee has not yet gone into
the 1919 and 1920 police games. So
far they have confined their investipa-
ton into this phase of the departments 8
activities to 1918, when it was admitted
that upward of 100000 was taken in
in the sale of tickets at 81 each. s.s
At that time the cry went up that
me money was needed to buy uniforms
for the Police Reserves, which 1t was
planned were TO consist of $1,000 uni /.
formed men who would serve without
pay for war emergency
Gamblers Reported Blackmaiied
In 'ormation received by the commit
tee is that there was systematic
blacklnailing of gamblers and saloon
keepers by some OF the police ticket
sellers.
Gamblers were compelled to buy
1000 tickets at 81 each, it was said at
the headquarters of the committee yes
to-day. Saloosukeepers, according to
Tie information in the possession of
Senator Meyer and his associates, were
assessed from $50 up for tickets.
Some of the gamblers and saloon
keepers paid the assessment and re-
turned the tickets to the police, it was
sad at the headquarters of the COM
mittee, and these tickets, already
bought and paid for, were resold.
Certain hotelkeepers and other
business men were also forced to pur-
chase large blocks of tickets, it is all
legged
The method employed in disbursing
the tickets, according to the testimony
OF the police officials who have testi-
fed before the legislative committee,
was as follows: A block of tickets,
BOO, 1000, or even considerably more,
would be sent to each precinct ad-
dressed to the captain in charge. The
captain in turn would apportion them
among the patrolmen and sergeants.
Who would dispose of them, and they in
turn would turn over the proceeds to
the captain.
Few Captains Kept Record
with but rare exceptions the police
captains testified that they did not
Keep any record whatever of the tickets
received or sold. The few who. kept
records were commanders of small pre-
encts, where only small number of
tickets were sold
N the larger and more prosperous
precincts, where thousands of tickets
were sold said Senator Meyer, "no
records Whatever we're kept"
Inc probeys are planning to sub
sor sIaa Follce Commissioner Enright to
Wi what he knows of the hundreds of
thousands of dollars taken in for
NcKets to the 1918 police games, as
well as for the equally large sums
gwen by the public, the gamblers and
games
=. senator Meyer said last night that
~ aeclsion had yet been reached re-
ssssoing request to Governor Miller
.I.S Il SS0hyoke the Court of Appeals in spe-
IA, na' term TO hear the committees ap-
gHsai from the decision of the Appellate
'Ins.;l IIas.sioh ~, sustaining Supreme Court
Tempt case. ' '"