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. ote —mnclteelD sn. 2 Hy mete nn ne oo — wok . rs amen fa ne ree meee me 302 U. S§. A. CONFIDENTIAL the settlement-lhouse bunch, was an old slum-codlling companion of Fiorello’s, He had her undercover support duri 1g his campaign, which showed professional Democrats—including; FDR—that she was the Boss Tweed of the party. The Roosevelts and La Guardia set about to t:.ke the Negroes, traditional Lincoln Republicans, into the fold. La Guardia not only set up the rule that no Negro was to be arrested for anything —but that police patrolling Harlem could not carry night sticks. (That special pandering to colored criminals is still with us. While these pages were being typed, the polic: commissioner, on the representation of Negro groups, w'thdrew half the mounted police stationed in Harlem and proin.sed to take the rest out soon, Horse-cops are a common sight all over midtown New York where they are not only welcome, but considered by citizens one of the labels of our city. But colored! jeaders said they frightened Negroes, made them think of cossacks ) (The reason Harlem wants no mounted cops is simple. Foot patrolmen refuse to work there, except in pairs; even then they goldbrick and remain in the precinct houses [with approval of higher-ups] because their lives aren't safe. Motor zed cops aren't much better off, because to be effective in breaking up riots or making pinches they must get out of their cars. B at mounties are - dreams for this kind of work. Educated police horses can go wherever a man can go. They can charge into sidewalk crowds, pursue fugitives up alleys, etc. And the man on tie horse always has control of the situation.) So Harlem became the big town’s first nightl fe Mecca after Repeal. Your authors remember trips to smok«-filled cabarets that did not open their doors until after 4 A.m., and ran until noon or as late as a chump could take it. Police crs were parked outside of brightly lighted clubs which were defyir g all the codes. One of the best known at the time was Dickey W lls, in a cellar, patronized by the theatrical elite. Dickey is deai now, but he recently got some posthumous fame in the trial of Tallulah Bank- head's ex-maid, when she testified that Dickey sold dope for her former mistress. Everyone liked Wells, though he was known ever in the thirties asa junk pusher. He sold it openly in his cafe. Ancl Fioretlo’s flat- feet took payoffs, most of which went up along tic line, oe i ee er ee ee * me ee ee conte all during the reign of La Guardia, who pr 94 -4aSYb-o8 : NEW YORK CONFIDENTIAL-ACT 11 run by Julic\Yodedl, who was a Costcilo boy ¢ knew it Bud La G fet it roll though its § 4 4M. Another midtown faw-breaker was Ds Room on 54th Street, ten fect from Broadwa of a building owned by the late Big Bill D leggers. Dwycr's offices were right above it. dough for the deadfall and La Guardia’s mi couldn't shut, couldn't shake. Down in the Village Jimmy Kelly's fame and it still is. Kelly is dead now, a great loss life, and his assigns close promptly at the leg an Italian, was a Tammany district leader an many's scourge, he was allowed to go all nig to obey the law only when a Democrat came It was at this time that the nucleus of syndicate was being conceived in New York left Prohibition behind with billions; now t new enterprises and investments, LaGuardia bitter enemy of gangsters, but under his prot encouragement the Mob was allowed to gro come the Great Crime Cartel. Before 1932, crime was loca}. Save for Chicz gangs were subservient to older, non-Italian acted as torpedoes. LaGuardia was elected in 1933; he officiat tello is no subsequent creation of the past six mob had cleaned up all opposition by the la rub-out of “Dutch” Schultz, who was the last Prohibitiom kings still active. All this happeneg was orating every Sunday on the radio about * horns out’—mcaning Costello and Erickson with Costello every Thursday night in the ba 46th Strece spaghetti house, The broadcasts a licized arrests of big shots (always discharged i window-dressing and kept LaGuardia in offic during which the city was taken over by the ur Parts of Harlem and Fase Plarler were 4