THEATRE WRECKED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 20 May 1907, Page 4

THEATRE WRECKED.

RIOT BY AX IXRTiIATEI) AUDiGXCK. Paris, March The municipal theatre at St. Denis was wrecked last night by the audience, who were infuriated at the stoppage of the performance, ami the refusal of the man agcimnj to return tle ir money. During an entr'acte bailiffs entered and too possession of the evening's taking' in satisfaction of a debt. Tin. actors immediately demanded their saleries. and as there was no money to pay them they refused to work. When the manager announced the stoppage of the play the audience loudly demanded the return of their money, and ;is this was impossible, tbev smashed the seats in the house, broke the electric lamps, and deslroved everything breakable. The sieUery was torn to pieces, and the entire interior was completely •wrecked before a sudicieut force of police could be summoned to restrain the rioters.

POLICE BLACKMAILERS ROUTED. Xw York March 21. Police blackmailing, which is known here, under the gambler term of "police protection,*" received a terrible set-back in the small hours of yesterday morning by the action of Chief .Magistrate Whitman, the head of the New York Board of Magistrates. Mr Whitman was on his way home at two o'clock in tiie morning. He saw i\ large number of saloons open, though the closing hour is one o'clock. He entered a brilliantly-lighted establishment, filled with men standing in the bars, tie ordered whiskey, and engaged a barman in conversation. The barman told him that the place was under "protection," and that the police would not dream of "pulling" it. At a second saloon, equally filled with customers, the magistrate was told a similar story. He counted sixteen saloons in the course of a half-mile walk, all open. At the door of one he encountered a detective, by whom he was not recognised. He talked to the detective, who said:

"Those places are all right. They lnive fixed us—the police." i\IY Whitman went to the Forty-sev-enth street station, where he made himself known after some difficulty. He ordered the astonished captain to call out the reserves and make arrests of all law-breakers irrespective of position or influence. A court was established in the station, and within half an hour it was filled with a motley crew of "protected" saloon-keeprs. gamblers, thieves, and women, all of whom protested vigorously against having been betrayed by the police, who are in their pay. The magistrate refused bail iu every case, and soon the cells were crowded, while the police, officers and men, stood by with white faces. The whole police force is affected by this corrupt practice, from chief inspectors down to ordinary, policemen. The money is collected by the latter, and is then sent on to the "man higher up," each iu turn taking his share.

General Bingham, tho Police Commissioner, who is one of President llooseve;l's men, has been trying to break up the "protection" scandal by securing power to remove high police officials when charges against them have been proved, but owing to a defect in the law this course has been ineffective. In most cases oflicers so dismissed have appealed to the Supreme Court, which lw? reinstated them with back pay. The Commissioner has now had a Bill brought before the State Legislature which would give him the power he seeks, but here, too, he is met with the antagonism of his own officials. Th»» inspectors have collected a sum of .C43,*)00 wilii which to fight him at Albany. Th? !,nwt*r l!ou=e ],:rs passed the Bill, blithe Stats: Ecna'v. which is uibjert to all the ccrrupt inf'nences. has threatcmvl tr tVov: it oil'.

'.'tiliii:- nj.iiiitm is aroused, however. an. l if. is believed that the Senators are so frightened at yesterday's exposure that 1-iicy wiil not (huv to reject the nien-