New-York tribune., 1922-08-30
l)'Malley Calls 100 Peddlers
For Mysterious Hearing, Then
LeaUes Them " arming Chairs
Poor Mem Told 10 Return
Sept. Z After Losing a
Days Pay; Tribune's In
former Abused; Police
Tickes Rejecter Arrested
BY NJ. Jay Racusin

II
The one hundred pushcart peddlers
from Manhattan and Brooklyn who had
been ordered by their supervisors to
appear before Commissioner Of Mar
kets Edwin ], O'Malley at 10 o'clock
yesterday morning for purpose not
officially disclosed got only as far as
the Commissioners door.
Some of the venders had informed
The Tribune that they expected to be
requested to sign documents or make
statements praising the Commissioner
and expressing satisfaction with the
present supervisory system of conduct
ing the street markets. They expressed
the belief last night that the disclos-
ure in yesterdays Tribune Of this poss
sibility caused the Commissioner to
change his mind.
At any rate, the peddlers, after be-
ing turned back at Mr.. O'Malley's door,
were conducted to the chambers of
Commissioner of Accounts David
Hirshfeld. After sitting about in a
room there for while the hucksters
were told to return Thursday. Septem-
Der z.
Know No Reason for Call
Asked why he had been called to
Commissioner O'Malley's office, one
peddler said he didn't know.
"Who asked you to come down 2" he
was asked.
"The supervisors" he replied.
"Did you see Commissioner O'Mal-
ley?"
"No."
"Why were you brought over to
Commissioners Hirshfeld's Officer
II don't know"
Say" another peddler interrupted,
don't fool yourself; we're here on a
matter of politics and point Of
order"
Anyhow" returned the first peddler,
we've lost q days profits. Besides,
we're poor and we can't afford il, and
for what is it all, anyhow"
Up to late hour last night Mayor
Hylan had made no reply to the sug-
gestion of the League of Citizen Ped
dlers of Greater New York, embodied
in letter to The Tribune, that he
call public meeting to give the huck-
sters full opportunity to state their
cases, which they declare is being de-
MED them by Commissioner Hirshfeld.
Tribune Informant ABUSED
Peddlers along Stanton Street were
repeating story yesterday Of how a
little. red-bearded pushcart hawker,
simply known as Sheeya, was abused
and roughly handled by policeman
Friday, following the appearance some
days earlier of his name in a series of
articles in The Tribune on market con-
ditions. Sheeya had complained of the
i'll treatment suffered by the vendors
at the hands of thes supervisors
About noon time on Friday, accord
ing to neighbors, while the peddler
was transferring his cart from the
| north side of Stanton Strees to the
south side, policeman approached and
began showing him roughly about. The
peddler protested, but the policeman
became more abusive, finally overturn-
ing the cart and spilling the peddler's
fruit into the street.
ID. Rosenbluth, clothier, of SO Stan
ton Street, in front of whose shop
Sheeya has his cart, came out of his
place and pleaded with the policeman
not to harm the old man, that he had
done no wrong. According to those
who saw the incident the policeman
followed Rosenbluth into his store and
pulling out his pistol threatened to
"fll him full of lead"
Policeman Apologies
| Rosenbluth protested to Captain Nc
and Delancey streets, about the mat
ter, but the affair was dropped when
| the policeman returned to the clothier
and apologized,
Another instance of alleged oppres-
| sion is told in the case of Jake Ongen,
small fruit dealer who has all his
wares spread out on II cellar door in
front of. the bakery OF S. Cohn, 85
! Stanton Street. Ongen pays $25 a
month for the privilege to the baker
| and has been permitted to carry on his
business for many years without any
| molestation. He says his profits are
not much more than So day, although
he has a family to keep.
Last week, he complained, police
man asked him to take some tickets
for the Police Department held days
on September and 16. He took one.
Yesterday Policeman Tracy, of the
18th Precinct, also approached Ongen
with request that he buy some
tickets. Ongen said he already had
one and couldn't afford to put out a
dollar for another.
Ongen Is Arrested
The policeman left with a scowl, but
came back in an hour or two with a
summons, requiring Ongen's appear
ance in the Sd District Magistrate g
Court, Second Avenue and Second
Street, at o'clock this morning for
some alleged infraction of the law.
Investigation was resumed yester-
into the conduct Of the public markets
to discover just how the 100000 said
to have been collected by coterie of
supervisors has been disposed Of No
part of this money, it appears, had
been turned into the city treasury up
to within about month ago. The in
vestigation is in charge Of District
Attorney Ruston.