New-York tribune., 1922-02-02
Graft at Door
OF Courts Laid
To Dry Agents
Sumnlonses Served OH Nio-
lators Who We're Permit
ted to Settle OH Reaching
Federal Building Corridor
As Much as $500 Charged
Hayward Has Report Made
by Mccoy. His Assistant,
and Disn,issals May Result

Peter J. Mccoy, the Assistant United
States Attorney recently assigned to
the Office of Ralph A. Day, prohibition
director. was sent there. il was learned
yesterday, to eliminate blackmailing
which has been carried on by prohib-
tion enforcement agents just outside
the doors of the United States District
courts. ir the Federal Building.
with the return of Mr.. Mccoy to the
Office Of the Federal prosecutor il was
learned that he has finished his work
at Director Days office snd made re
port TO William Hayward, United States
Attorney, concerning the practices of
tho hlackinailers and the method he
took to foil them
Some of those whom Mr.. Mccoy
found collecting from their victims at
The courtroom doors already have been
dismissed from the service. The dis
missal Of others is said to be recon
rerded in the report which Mr. Hay
ward Is holding, and it is believed that
a complete reorganization of Director
Days staff may result from the in
veatisation.
Hoing Gu for Weeks
Nr. Mccoy found that for weeks
conducting their extortion business in
the third floor corridors Of the Federal
Building. Their practices were so we'll
known IL the underworld that pick
pockets used to gather IN the same cor.
ridors with them to watch which pocket
the victim put his hand into when he
met the blackmailer and seek an early
opportunity of taking from that pocket
whatever might b. left III it.
The careless way III which sum.
r,onsee were issued to enforcement
agents Us said TO have been AT The bot
tom Of the scandal They did not have
to account FOR the summonses they re.
ce'yed, and the result WAS that those
who We're unscrupulous used them for
their own advantage.
eunrons would be filed out hy
the agent and served or the man Sc
lected a his victim, with instructions
to meet him at an appointed hour IN
the third floor corridor of the Federal
Building. The victim was told that if
he came provided with sufficient money
the whole affair could be settled out Of
court.
"settlement' ranged from $50 to $500,
according to the means of the victim
and the avsrce OF the agent If nc
brought the money and paid it. the agent
never reported the summons at all, ard
a there was no chech on the blanks
issued to him, the method of procedure
was fairly safe. If the money was re
fused. the agent generally was IL a
position to arraign the man summoned
and so through with the case.
Mccoy Dcvises Cure
The principal step taken by Mr. Nc
Coy to eliminate the practice is The
issuance of su1nmonses to agents in
books which contain stub for each one
served. just as do the books issued 20
policemen. When the agents turn IN
their books to get new ones, it will be
possible to check up on their activities.
MIR. Mccoy would not confirm the
story of these backmailng practices,
but he admitted that he had devised
a new method of issuing summonses TO
agents.
"While | was at prohibition Offices,
he said, II worked to systematize the
gathering of evidence and its presen,ta, :,
ton to the court. | devised a method
which is yet to be put into effect under
which all prohibition agents will be
forced to write their summonses on
a blank form attached to stub and
each agent will be forced to account
for ali stubs"
Director Day went to Washington
yesterday to consult with Roy A.
Haynes, prohibition commissioner.
Harvey Rosa. Of 547 West 14cd
Street. a former patrolman and until
recently a prohibition enforcement
agent. was locked up in the West 154th
Street police station last night on a
charge of extortion.
Detectives of the West 154th Street
station late Tuesday night received
a call to stop a fight in an apartme mt
at 547 West 142d Street The call is
said to have come from Rosa, who was
host at poker party. When the police
arrived all of Rossa's guests had fled
and there was nothing but a wrecked
apartment After being informed by
Rossa that he did not wish to prefer
any charges the detectives left.
At the police station the lieutenant
in making record of the call noticed
the simila rity between Rossa's name
and that which had appeared in a re
cent alarm asking for the arrest of a
former prohibition agent alleged to
have received $500 from Valentine
Titzpatrick~ Of %5T West 12sth Street