me to do the same. I replied that I had $500 in a pocket book attached to my neck, and therefore was in no position to show it to them, whereupon, they argued and tried to induce me to go into a saloon and there undress, which I declined to do.

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By this time we arrived at Fourth avenue and 15th street. Marius Frances entered the "American Hotel" requesting us to wait for him on the corner. During his absence Brenn and "No. 2" tried to induce me to show the money to Frances" o on his return, which I declined to do. Finally they proposed that if we could get the confidence of Frances we could lure him into a saloon or other place, rob him of the $20,000 and then divide the money equally.

A few minutes later Frances returned and said that he had all the money with him and that the baggage had been sent to the steamer.

As I did not have $500 to show to them and as there was no police officer in sight, I maneuvered to get them to 4th avenue and 14th street where I knew a traffic officer could be found on duty. On our way to 14th street "No. 2" stated that he had some business to attend to and would meet us later on the steamer. At 14th street I called for the assistance of the traffic officer, who immediately placed them under arrest on my complaint.

When searched in the station house the bogus packages of money mentioned previously were found in their possession. The first district detective division was notified and Detectives Raftis and Dalton came to the station house and took charge of the prisoners. Detective Bottie identified the two men as confidence men arrested and convicted many times before, and they were arraigned before Magistrate Freschi in the Jefferson Market on a charge of disorderly conduct preferred by me. They asked for an adjournment and they were held under $1,000 bail, each for a hearing on November 25th.

On searching them we found on Conrad Brenn passenger tickets in the name of "Brenn Conrad," S. S. "Mexico," destination Vera Cruz, dated September 4, 1914, and Edwin Brem, S. S. "Sant' Anna" of the Fabre Line, dated July 7, 1914. It seems that these may belong to passengers defrauded by them through a similar trick. I will investigate further.

The "game" that these men were trying to play is known as the "handkerchief game." If they could have learned the amount of money in the possession of the supposed emigrant, they would then have induced him to place his money together with theirs in a handkerchief for the purpose of defrauding the pseudo heir, would then have entered a saloon or other place under the pretense of getting rid of the heir, and would have given the emigrant the handkerchief with the money to hold. The handkerchief, however, would have been changed in the meantime. They would not have returned and when he opened the handkerchief he would have found that it contained nothing but newspapers and other trash.

Two of them were sentenced to three months in the workhouse, after pleading guilty.

It may be added that convictions in similar cases are exceedingly rare, owing to the fact that the complainant has cleverly been induced to become a party to the crime, inasmuch as he himself has

entered into a conspiracy to swindle the alleged "heir" who was one of the confidence men.

GENERAL CO-OPERATION OF PUBLIC DEPARTMENTS

Through the cordial co-operation accorded by the collector of port, the surveyor of the port, the commissioner of licenses, and the police department, the activities of all of the aforementioned ticket agents, baggage agents, runners, expressmen, confidence men, etc., have been curtailed to an extent heretofore unknown.

The surveyor of the port has ruled that each applicant for an annual custom house pass is required to obtain a runner's police license before his request for an application blank is granted; upon receiving this application he is required to appear in person at this Bureau for identification and endorsement before his annual pass will be issued.

The police department has likewise required all applicants for a runner's license to obtain the approval of this Bureau and to appear in person for identification before a license will be issued by the commissioneer.

The commissioner of licenses has ordered all applications for licenses for public porters, hackdrivers and expressmen to be submitted to this Bureau for approval* and identification before licenses are issued, and also that notification of revocation of all licenses be furnished for our files.

The commissioner of licenses has under consideration a new city ordinance drafted by this Bureau that will confer entire jurtsdiction of licensed runners, porters and kindred regulated occupations upon his department; the provisions of this ordinance when in operation will so clearly define, and so strictly regulate the activities of these persons, that their control will be greatly simplified. The only existing ordinance regulating the activities of these persons was enacted 70 years ago and provides for transportation of baggage only by wheelbarrow or handcart. There are upwards of 75 public porters operating in the vicinity of the Grand Central station at the present time. Imagine the spectacle, if the law were to be technically enforced, of 75 porters with 75 wheelbarrows arrayed in front of this terminal!

*A total of 633 such licenses were approved by the Bureau in the present report year.

Therefore, under the jurisdiction of the surveyor of the port, the police department, the commissioner of licenses, and the Bureau of Industries and Immigration, all classes of persons who formerly were under the jurisdiction of but one of these departments, now find themselves under a multiple surveillance, and conditions at all docks, ferries and terminals are immeasurably improved and will continue to improve, for the reason that any infraction causing the revocation of either a license or a custom's pass will render the offender utterly useless to his employer, whether he be working for a hotel, express company or railroad. The revocation of one privilege automatically renders the possession of the others useless.

Consequently, these men, who for years have violated the law with impunity, now face upon conviction of any charge the certain loss of their means of livelihood.

BOGUS MEDICAL "INSTITUTES" IN NEW YORK

Cases on file in this office disclose the fact that certain physical ans not only resort to unethical advertising methods, but also employ fraudulent schemes whereby they are enabled to extort large sums of money from unsuspecting immigrants and aliens. It is deemed advisable to give a general outline of these methods, and also a brief history of several cases on record in this Bureau, which will fully explain the system employed by these supposedly reputable physicians.

A sumptuous office is usually fitted up and an imposing trade name is adopted. Advertisements in the foreign language press, and circulars in all languages, distributed throughout the immigrant sections of the city call attention to the "wonders" that the institute has accomplished in the medical world. Moreover, the circulars are so worded as to create the impression that the institute is a charitable organization and that the fee, if any, is nominal. It announces broadly the fact that advice and consultation is absolutely free," the only charge being for medicine, or for examination and treatment, with medicine included. The following is a partly quoted circular, typical of the one circulated by such institutes or doctors:

Dr.

and Dr.

*

*

*

returned after years of practice in the medical clinics, hospitals and universities where they practiced with the best known professors, specialists in Europe, viz: Vienna, Berlin, London, Rome, Budapest, etc. This great specialist will give advice free to all men, women and children. Come and see, free of charge, the greatest medical office and the best and most wonderful electrical and magnetic machines for the cure of the sick and the newest invention in the world. We accept only the sick who, after a thorough examination, can be, in our opinion, cured. We immediately tell incurable patients not to spend any money in any attempt to cure themselves as it would only be a waste of money. That is why we give consultation and advice free. In this manner we have established an honest reputation and an extensive practice *. First class professors, physicians and specialists in the city have opened this splendid office for the cure of wealthy and poor by newly invented machines never yet used anywhere else Our magnetic machines cure diseases of women without the necessity of operation, thereby saving thousands of women from the surgeon's knife Physicians having patients whom they are unable to cure, should apply to us for advice and consultation, for which no charges will be made Do not waste your time, money and health with any doctor who cannot understand your disease, but come to our celebrated professors, who will cure you Hundreds of suffering men and women are coming from every part of the State to be examined free of charge by the greatest X-Ray machine in America.

*

*.

*

These circulars induce many unsuspecting immigrants who are ill to appear at the office for "free" consultation and advice. What happens there is most interesting and illustrates one of the greatest frauds perpetrated on ignorant humanity.

The applicant is ushered into a private office. To comply with the law a registered physician, under whose name the institute operates and who is very often only an instrument in the employ of an unregistered financial backer, in addition to two or three interpreters, all representing themselves as physicians, take the patient in hand. He is placed before a large machine of complex appearance that conveys the impression to the ignorant immigrant of being costly and almost miraculous, and is examined by the two or more interpreters, who dramatically and with apparent emotion inform the patient that he is suffering from some dreadful disease, which if longer neglected, will result in death. The patient becomes alarmed and agrees to pay any price for a cure, which is guaranteed. A large sum is at first requested as part payment, but any amount that the patient has or can obtain is accepted. It is unnecessary to state that the so-called examination and later "treat

ment" are aboslutely without merit, and that unregistered assistants are acting as physicians and "treating" the patient. No prescriptions are given, as the so-called "institute" provides all medicines and medicinal appliances.

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Another method of medical advertising for the purpose of gaining the confidence of the immigrant public is as follows: A museum" is fitted up in a prominent section of the city with an extensive display of physiological exhibits. Upon entering the lobby where the exhibts are "Open and free to all men," the visitor is approached by a person who distributes literature so worded as to make the immigrant suspect that he has the symptoms of some fatal disease, and he is thus induced to consult the “specialist” in charge of the museum, who has his office in the building. Some person in the employ of the "museum" will then attempt to engage the immigrant in conversation, and finally persuade him to believe that he is suffering from a disease requiring immediate treatment. He is then taken to an elaborately furnished office and another person, presumably a physician, interviews him. Here he is invariably informed that he is in the last stages of some serious disease.

Some" institutes " publish newspapers and books that are extensively distributed, describing the marvelous cures accomplished. These papers are distributed in public places free of charge.

It is not uncommon for these "physicians" to resort to forgery, trickery, or any other device in order to obtain the savings of their unfortunate victims. They have been known to take bank books and withdraw entire deposits on such orders. Persons convicted in various states for similar practices are now operating in New York City.

Several examples of cases on file in this Bureau will explain the methods pursued, and illustrate how healthy individuals are made to believe that they are suffering from horrible diseases and are compelled to pay out large sums of money for fictitious "medical aid" and medicines.

C. D., a Greek laborer, 25 years of age, two years in the United States received a circular in the Greek language, issued by one of the so-called "medical institutes." Feeling somewhat ill, called at said institute for "free" consultation and advice. He was examined and told that he was