Monday, Dec. 29, 1930

Scandals of New York (Cont.)

One judge resigned, two removed, one jailed, one missing--such was the 1930 mortality of New York City's judiciary up to last week, with investigations still going on. To the record last week came additions: one more judge indicted, one more resigned. The indictment was for George F. Ewald, the resigned magistrate, original target of the inquiry which Governor Roosevelt was forced to order some months ago when his political foes (Republican) aroused public suspicion that New York City judgeships were being sold for cash by Tammany Hall. Two county juries came to no decision on Judge Ewald's case, though a Federal jury indicted him on a mail fraud charge. It was with suddenness, after hearing another suspected judge testify secretly, that a special county jury indicted Mr. Ewald, including also his wife as the person who allegedly passed $10,000 to Tammany's agent. The judgeship resigned was that of Francis Xavier McQuade, whose part-ownership of and executive position with the New York "Giants" (baseball team) was considered prejudicial. Fresh on the inquisitorial pan, with hot fires of publicity making them hop, were three more judges--Amedeo A. Bertini, Louis B. Brodsky, Abraham Rosenbluth-- all suspected of contaminating Justice with Money. Prosecutors. First man to bring public attention to New York's unsavory judiciary conditions was Republican U. S. Attorney Charles H. Tuttle, who wanted to be governor (TIME, Aug. 25). When Charles T. Grain, New York County's district attorney and a Tammany man, failed to get an indictment in the Ewald case, public opinion demanded that Governor Roosevelt start an inquiry of his own. So an investigation got under way headed by Republican Attorney General Hamilton Ward of Buffalo, who also wanted to be governor. He named Hiram C. Todd as his special prosecutor. Prosecutor Todd wished to widen his inquiry so that it would cover all New York court officers but found that the State treasury would issue appropriation only for the Ewald case. To assist in the broader investigation, the Citizen's Union raised $13,000. By last week this fund had been virtually exhausted. And Attorney General Ward goes out of office Jan. 1. Nevertheless, Prosecutor Todd announced he would continue his work under Attorney General-elect John J. Bennett Jr., a Democrat. Also begun by Governor Roosevelt to silence critics of Tammany corruption was an investigation of the lower courts of Manhattan & The Bronx by the Appellate Division of the State Supreme Court. Appointed as referee was Justice Samuel Seabury, longtime Tammany foe. Referee Seabury named small, Austrian-born Isidor Jacob Kresel, 52, to be special counsel for this inquiry. Lawyer Kresel has had ample experience in dealing with unsavory situations. Graduated from Columbia in 1900, he has been assistant district attorney for New York County, helped impeach Governor William Sulzer (1913), has probed insurance irregularities, meat packers, ambulance chasers for State and city investigations. He is counsel for Bank of United States which crashed last fortnight. Policemen. First puddle Counsel Kresel dipped his hand into was the Women's Court. Month ago he held a three-day hearing, piled up an ugly heap of evidence against crooked policemen, their parasites and prey. Last week at a departmental investigation of 18 plainclothesmen, Counsel Kresel's star witness was a onetime stool pigeon of the police vice squad--a loose-lipped little South American called Chile Mapocha Acuna La-tore, onetime waiter at Washington's Congressional Country Club. Lounging in the witness chair, this individual made a series of rank revelations about his services to the police department.* Informer Latore said he had participated in several hundred "frame-up" and "shake-down" arrests of women. The method: he would seek out and compromise a woman, wait for the police to arrive. If she were willing to bribe the officers, Latore got a split of $5 or $10. If she would not pay, at least the police got credit for an arrest, plus rake-off from bondsmen and lawyers to whom they recommended the case. Sample of the many tales with which Witness Latore made Manhattan gasp: "I went back to the hotel and [Plain-clothesman John J.] Stiglin gave me something like $40 or $50 . . . because this girl was supposed to be high-priced. ... It was very hot that day and we went into this room, this girl and I, after paying for the room, and I wanted to take a shower. I came back to the room and I was talking to her when somebody knocked on the door and there was Stiglin. Stiglin says, 'What are you doing here?' I said, 'This lady is my wife.' "They make believe they slap me and finally Stiglin took me out in the hall. He said, 'You fool, why didn't you admit it right away?' I said, 'Well, I don't want to get in bad.' He said, 'Well, never mind. We have got a clear case. Just go ahead and make the admission in front of the girl.' " Another hold-up game practiced by members of the New York Police Department: arresting men on charges of "annoying women in the subway"; hustling them to jail; introducing them to certain bondsmen and "lawyers" who, for fat cash fees, hold "conversations" with the night court judges, get the cases dismissed, keep the victims' names out of the newspapers.

To get to the bottom of the police scandal, Counsel Kresel subpenaed the records of 1,800 banks and brokerages, also 159 persons, most of them policemen but also including Christopher D. Sullivan, New York Congressman.

* To woo back public confidence in the police force, fortnight ago the Patrolmen's Benefit Association spent $30,000 publishing full-page spreads in 55 metropolitan and upstate papers, pleading that the entire department be not judged by the accused vice squad officers, "who still have their day in court."

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