The New York herald., 1922-09-08
DRUG Ring LEADERS
TAKEN in HOTEL RAID
Nine Men and Much Dope Fall
to U. s. and City Force
in the Longacre.
WOMAN SLEUTH AIDED
Morphine, Cocaine and Heroin
Put on Guests Bills as
Taxi Hire
WOMAN sLEUTH AIDED

&. A dozen detectives of Inspector
James s. Bolan's staff under command
Of Sergeant Peter Cahill, and twenty
eight Government agents headed by
Chief Ralph Oyler Of the Narcotic
Division Of the Department of Justice,
made raid last night on the Long
acre Hotel at 157 West Forty-seventh
street. They arrested nine men. break
ing up what the detectives and the
Government said was a gang of dope
peddlers that had been using the Long
acre as distributing center for illegal
drug selling operations in the Broad
way district for more than two years.
One Of the prisoners is Charles Rogert,
who gave the hotel as his home and
who was said by Agent Ray Connolly
to be "the king pin dope seller of the
Tenderloin.r
Oyler Sergeant Cahill and their
agents and detectives, holding search
warrants issued by United States
Commissioner Hitchcock, took entire
charge of the hotel, putting detective
at the telephone switchboard. another
detective behind the desk and de-
tectives running the elevators. They
went through the hotel and searched
every one of the ESQ rooms finding in
some Of them. they said. hypodermic
needles and envelopes that contained
traces of morphine, cocaine and heroin.
In corner Of the Office behind a
desk they found two one ounce bottles
of morphine. which, the agents de-
clared, had been thrown there by Ed
street. clerk of the hotel. Travers was
one of the men arrested.
Crowds Startled by Raids.
The hotel is in the heart of the
Broadway theatrical and restaurant
district, and on West Forty-seventh
street are many other small hotels. The
street is always crowded, and when
the noise of the raid began to reach the
streets and word OF 1t spread about
such a large crowd gathered that the
street was jammed from Sixth to Sew
enth avenue and to Broadway. The
reserves from the West Forty-seventh
street station were called to keep the
crowd back.
Several men sitting in the lobby OF
the hotel tried to fight when Oylcr and
Cahill entered at the head of the squad
of agents and detectives. but they were
quickly subdued. Those that the authori-
ties had obtained evidence against were
placed under arrest
The hotel was under the control OF
the Government agents and the detec
tives for about two hours. During that
tir.e the detectives took care of the
work OF the place the one at the OPP
orators desk answering all telephone
calls and those who had taken the places
Of the bellboys performing the work Of
these Jobs.
No one was permitted to leave the
building until the detectives and agents
had completed the search. Eight of the
prisoners were sent to Police Head
quarters and locked up charged with
violating the Harrison law. while the
ninth, who said he was Michael Oble. a
salesman. was locked up charged with
violating the Sullivan law. The police
said that i'm his room they found As
caliber automatic pistol. for which he
had no permit.
Raid said TO he Important.
Chief Oylcr and Sergeant Cahll said
that the raid was one of the most i'm
portant that they had made In recent
years. The Longacre. they added had
for two years been the headquarters OF a
gang of dope sellers who use the STAFF OF
the house to peddle morphine, cocaine
and heroin. The last named, they said,
sold to the hotels customers for $45 an
ounce. while morphine brought $40 and
cocaine s35. The agents tried for months
to collect evidence against the place and
the men concerned In the selling, but
the spoilers Of the gangs knew the Gov
ernment men and they were not success
full.
At length Oyler sent to Seattle for a
woman agent. and to Salt Lake City and
Denver for two men. These registered
at the hotel and. according to the Gov
ernment, succeeded In buying dope from
Continued on Page Two.