The Phoenix index., 1940-05-18
Says He
Was Chief
MiddIenlan
Tells How He
Collected "Hush"
Money for Mayor
By ROBERT A. CRUMP

D E T R O | T-(ANP)---
useless Boykins" and ''Do-
nothing Dick,' as they were
commonly referred to when
speaking of the former May
or Richard w. Reading and
his runner, Ulysses Boykins,
came to a severe parting of
the ways here in the court
room of Judge Homer Fur
gerson, sitting as a one man
grand jury investigating the
wealthy racket business in
this city.
Boykins simply let down his hair,
went to town and made front page
headlines when he told the court
that he. had been the middle man
in the racket protection between
the mayor said the racketeers
carrying the pay off money to his
boss, the mayor. Boykins went far
enough to Say that Reading, then
Mayor, llad-a racket squad" Great
ed in the police department to
protect the rackets, rather than
to arrest them. This was done. he
said, so that other officers In other
departments could not moleSt the
operators.
HAD BIG OFFICE
Boykins was appointed to some
job by The mayor soon as he was
elected but no one had known just
what his job was. He was not
listed On the city's payroll. He
had elaborate offices, assistants,
office girls and every type of busi-
ness equipment there, and for a
lcng time it was a question as to
what the office was maintained for.
It began to leak out, however,
when the youngster was seen ali too
frequently in the company of
Watson and other big names in the
racket. Frequent trips to New
York by plane. wining and dining
with the big shots on a $25 per
week job did not seem to make
sense. Boykirs, just kid, was
considered small fray as he receiv-
ed, according to his testimony, only
$50 a week fer looking after the
money for the mayor which
amounted to $4,000 a month.
Young Boykins was promised
immunity by the grand jury if he
testified for the state. Others
have done likewise but the ques-
tioin here is now will. they fare
with their revenue department as
to income tax invasion?
WATSON STILL SILENT
Thus far Eevret Watson, known
as the day man in the racket pay
off and operator of the biggest
numbers game in the city, reput-
edly the Wealtniest Negro in these
parts, has refused to talk. but the
testimony Of Boykins gave the
lovdown On Watson saying that
the money ne received for the
mayor was given him by Watson
Who is supposed to have collected
equal shares of the payoff money
from the others in the same busi-
ness. He mentioned John Rox-
borough as one of the men who
contributed for protection.
Previous to Boykins' testimony
a former police lieutenant, now un-
der indictment by the grand jury,
had testified that he had been
the payoff man to the major after
BoykinS was eliminated and that
he gave to Reading mere than
$4,000 in protection money over
a period of time. Boykins' testi-
money substantiated the police
mans statement. t|
The youth, who is well known in
society here coming from good
family and a ikeable chap, is said
to have gotten in wrong through
his associations with a former
defunct number baron. Frank
Owen is the name frequently used
in the court room. Owen was at
one time Watson'S chief aide.
When he was ousted by the Watson
outfit ne tried the game alone