Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-04-14
Judge Corrigan
Fails to Impress
Police Commissioner

A>tN ACINs fApIil Io.-NoiIlHllSS
of Accounts Hirshfield, directed by
Mayor Hylan to investigate charges
| that the police were in league with rum
sellers, today quizzed Magistrate Jo-
Seph T.. CorriSon for several hours to
learn the basis of his assertions from
| the bench that half of the cops are
bootleggers."
At the close of the magistrates ex-
| animation the commissioner. in ad-
Journing the hearing without setting
| 4 date for the next session, told the
witness bluntly: II am frank TO say
that am disappointed with your tcsti-
mony. l regret to say it, but the fact
is that | am now of the opinion that
your statements from the bench arc
actuated first, by your political ambi-
tons; second, to get a headline in tho
| newspapers. and you know you can al
, ways get that by attacking the police.
l am sorry, but you Have given me no
| testimony which would bear out your
| accusations against the police
The hearing at, which Magistrate
| Corrigan appeared was part of the dual
investigation ordered by the mayor of
.. charges against the police hurled by
the jurist and Asscmblyman Louis ~
| Cuvillier at Albany.
| Corrigan said that he had complained
to both Mayor Hylan and Police Com
F., missioner Enright about policemen
drinking liquor and acting as bootleg
gers. but that nothing had come of the
complaints.
| He said from figures he presented
that if the police could make no better
| showing in liquor convictions that they
| were either utterly inefficient or abom-
| inably corrupt.
| OF $1,000 arrests in Manhattan in a
year and a half only .D32 per cent of
| convictions We're obtained, he asserted.
Now. Mr.. Magistrate. what | want
is specific instances in substantiation
of whatever charges YOU have to make,
| not generalities," the commissioner
| said. Can you tell me OF any specific
case of sale of liquor by d policeman 90
| mo. l never saw policeman Soil
/ Liquor; but i can give you an instance
which ] think bears out my charges"
Mr.. Corrigan consulted a little red
book from his pocket and then said ::
| II recall Il raid on an Italian res
, taurant owned by Il man named
Luigi Cordi. or Caradi. at NO. 1876
| West Houston street, some three or
| four months ago. The police searched
this place and could not find anything
| and then they broke into the place
| next door and seized stocks worth
about 100000. There were % police
men in the raid and | am told that
| they drank about 10 bottles of liquor,
| breaking off the tops of the bottles.
| am also told that three or four
| hours later some Of this liquor was
| being sold in the neighborhood."
The commissioner then asked the
| magistrate whether he got Luigi to
make a complaint about the raid.
| The magistrate said the raid was not
in his district.
i Did you believe that story" asked
| Commissioner lIcrShticld.
L certainly did" replied the magis-
| trate.
"Bull' rejoined Commissioner
| Hershfield, you as a city magistrate
have jurisdiction all over the city and
| you could have entered q complaint.
Il am not a policeman" the maeis-
trate replied.
Several times the commissioner
criticized the nature of the witness
testimony and finally he said:
IF anyone would attempt to give
| testimony of that kind before your
sitting as magistrate. YOU would
| commit him for contempt of court. 1t
does not come with good grace from
| a magistrate to make little insinua-
tions that arc based on nothing, and
are, no doubt, made solely for the
purpose of having them printed in
the newspapers. to convey the idea of
some people that there is really some
thing wrong with the police when, as
a matter of fact. you have nothing tc
base your statements on"