POLICE CORRUPTION IN NEW YORK.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2745, 1 December 1894, Page 4

POLICE CORRUPTION IN NEW YORK.

The lot of the IS ew York policeman, is apparently, a happy and profitable one—until he is brought before an investigating committee. Such a committee has been at work on Hie New York police during the past few months. The corruption it has brought to light is sufficiently well proved by the riddance from the force of several systematic blackmailers. Mr Franklin Matthews, in Leslie’s Weekly, gives a summary of the evidence submitted to the Hon. Lawrence Lexow, the chairman of the committee. UNIVERSAL BACKSHEESH.

From this summary it appears that the investigation has "brought out the following conclusions which, in the opinion of Leslie’s Weekly, may be set down as facts: “It costs 300dols to become a policeman in New York, and the money goes somewhere; it coats about lOOOdol to become a roundsman, and the money also goes somewhere; it costs from 10,000 to 12,000d015. to become a captain, and that money goes somewhere. The police commissioners appoint and promote these policemen, and these policemen have to pay someone for all such favors. It is a mistake, however, to suppose that the police really have to pay for them. Oh, no. Protected vice or levied blackmail pays for them. That means, as the investigation showed, to run a disorderly house it costs SOdols a mouth, SOOdols annual fees, and 600dols * initiation fees ’ whenever a new captain comes into the district—and it is significant that the commissioners made frequent changes until recently ‘ for the good of the serviceit costs from 20dols to 40dols a month to sell liquor without a license ; it costs about 50dols a year to store some of your goods on the sidewalk if you are in the fruit or produce business; you have to pay the policems.u on the beat from lOdols. to 20dols. a month for sidewalk rent if you are a dry goods merchant; you have to pay the policeman assigned to duty on your steamship pier from lOdols. to 20dols. a month if you own a steamship I’ne, and the ‘ envelope gang’ thereby employed is one of the ‘ soft snaps ’on the force; if you are a builder it would be well to pay 20dols. occasionally and save your men from arrest for blocking the street; if you are are a bootblack it would be well for you to pay sdols. a month to the policeman on your beat and shine bis boots gratis if you would be free from his annoyances; if you are a street fakir, give some of your wares to a policeman occasionally and you will not be disturbed until it is time to make another presentif you keep a fruit stand you must let the policeman on your beat nibble at your stock until his appetite is satiated, and pay him about sdols. a month tribute, and you will then be allowed to sell without interference ; if you have a push cart and a license from the city to sell your wares, you must remember to see that the police get a small revenue each month or you be compelled to ‘ meve on,’ and even if you do pay you must expect to be hustled away from the kerb occasionally for the sake of appearances; you must expect all these charges regularly; but if a new captain comes into the district you must be prepared to pay for his assessment, and that will probably amount to a good sum, for did not one reputable merchant testify that the ‘ward man ’ came round and raised his sidewalk rent, saying, ‘The captain needs fifteen thousand dollars to pay for his promotion.’ ’’ BRIBES FOB DISORDERLY HOUSES. There were no fewer than one police commississioner, two iuspctprs,,and sixteen captains out of thirty-seven in the department, accused of blackmail and other grave crimes. “ Wardmen,” otherwise known as precinct detective, were accused by the score, and it was proved that you can secure a protection for any dind of vice and crime, except those against person and property, if you will only “arrange” for it with the police. For example : Rhoda Sanford swore that she paid 500dol initiation fee for protection, and 50dol a month, and also gave 500dol to a political organisation but which one she did not say. She was finally driven out of business. Kate Schubert swore that she paid 500dol to Captains Cross and M’Laughliu personally, and in small bills. Then came Agusta Thorow and her dealings with Roesch, then a senator. She saw Roesch in his office and complained that the police were dipping too heavily into her profits, and she said that Roesch said he would call off,the police for 100 dol. Her husband took the money to a Tammany club, to which both men belonged, and paid it there to Roesch, The ward men bothered her less after that, but she was arrested often,and by paying the sergeant secured false bail for herself and her girls. She was finally driven out because her gfrjs solicited a captain' from the street, and because she could not raise lOOOdol to Efor this offence. Mrs Tfiorow’s band corroborated nil she said, ajid then Roesch demanded to be heard in vindication. He got filicll a vindication as he never dreamed of. Mr Goff, the relentless prosecutor of the committee, simply tortured him, and Roesch, the Tammany leader and civil justice, went away badly smirched. It was shown that he was counsel for a whole row of disorderly houses, aud that for the lOOdol ho received from Mrs Thorow for legal services, as he explained it, he had never done a single service as a lawyer, not even drawing a pinglo paper. Rotsch went away a badly' discredited man in the community.”