New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-09-09
Peddler' s(.Ilar,g.e
T alse, Captain
Gray Declares
Brooklyn Police Official De-
mics Ever Having Taken
Penny From Pusheari
Vendors; Warns Accusers
Grand Jury Hears Case
Observation-Disclosures
District Atty Ruston Has
SpoiledWh Proceedings

srand Jury yesterday to have placed on
the record their side of the stories of
alleged irregularities in Brooklyn mar
kets given to Commissioners of Accounts
hirshfield by man named Isidor
Moskowitz.
before being questioned by the grand
jury, Nathan Finkelstein, president of
the United Citizen Peddlers' Associa-
ton of Brooklyn, and Captain Richard
tray, Of the Stage Street police station,
both of whom had been mentioned in
Moskowitz's testimony. branded the
statements of Moskowit5 as fakes ,,
"trumped-up" end false in every par
ticular."
Moskowitz had said that Finkelstein
had collected large sums of money
from the peddlers and that much of
TINS found its way into the pockets of
the police. He named Captain Gray as
oeing IN some manner involved in the
matter.
ITS an outrage that my clean record
OF twenty-seven years in the Police
department should have been marred
by this fictitious, faxed, trumped-u up
and irresponsible testimony of this
man Moskowitz," said Captain Gray.
OF course, there wasn't grain of
truth in any thing he said relating
to me. except that I did once attend
a meeting of peddlers in BROOKLYN, but
the only thing l said to them at the
time was that they should be calm and
obey the orders of the Commissioner
of Markets.
Gray Warns Accusers
ITS a pity that must even deny
sucn silly statements. ] have never
received penny from peddler in nv
life nor from any alleged go-betwe en-.
and, in fact, don't know three ped
diers in all Brooklyn. / only know this
man Moskowitz from the fact that a
few weeks ago I ordered him and
twelve other peddlers out of Siegel
Street, because the street was q Are
street and had to be kept clear. I want
to warn persons of Moskowitz's stamp
that any trifling with my name and
reputation will be held strictly ac-
countable before the law"
With respect to Finkelstein, Mosko-
WITT has said that he did paper bag
business of S150,000 year and that
most of this money was obtained from
peddlers under compulsion.
Such a statement is ridiculous -
said Finkelstein. II have been in the
paper business for years and no ped
dler is compelled to buy from me. NV
total business for last year amounted
to S3o 900, so | cannot see where q
profit of $4,000 could have been made.
The association, of which am
president, has charter and has a
secretary, a financial officer and q col
lectoT. We have about eighty paying
members and collect from them is
cents week. This is TO pay our meet
ing hall and other expenses and to aid
our members II they should be sum
monsed and fined. Every dollar we
ever collected has been recorded in our
books. We are more responsible in
this respect than the supervisors were.
Moskowitz Is Attacked
"This man Moskowitz was a member
in our organization, but is not active
now. He paid our association only 80
cents from May % to July 80. He once
offered our organization $50 if we
would procure for him a more advan-
tageous spot for his stand in the
market.
II want to say that have never had
anything to do with Captain Gray out
side of notifying him if there were any
violations in the markets.
"Our old system of running the mar
kets was vastly superior to the present
way of using supervisors by the city
We have to pay the supervisors 81 a
week, and this means that the prices
of the merchandise must be raised to
meet this charge. Regarding the meet
ing before Commissioner Hirshfield
when the latter was cheered by some
npHGlorc hol;o1,o q
held by picked peddlers. Out of a
market which has hundreds of peddlers
he only selected handful. Then, too
the peddiers were afraid of the super
visors.n
Hirshfield Criticizes Ruston
Others subpnnaed before the grand
jury yesterday were Abraham Barach
secretary of the Brooklyn peddlers' as
ISOLATION; Samuel Rudinsky, another
association officer, and l. Moskowitz
missioner Hirshfield. There were about
ten other witnesses on hand. The probe
was in charge of Assistant District At
torney Edward G. O'Neill.
Commission of Accounts Hirshfeld
made another attack upon District At
torney Ruston, asserting that the lat
ter was acting in dad faith" He said
the District Attorney was making a
farce out of the city's inquiry into the
market situation by calling Finkelstein
as a witness before the grand jury.
He added that Mr.. Ruston should
have had the decency to wait until he,
the Commissioner, had completed his
inquiry and submitted to the District
Attorney the testimony gathered. ain
stead of that" says Commissioner
Hirshfield che hutted in and snniled