tangents

news & views

by dal mcintire

BALTIMORE, Aug. 1st: Robert Buffmyre, age 29, found dead after roommate, John Styles, told police he'd "strangled his lover" in quarrel over men Buffmyre brought home.

Oct. 2nd: Police raid Pepper Hill Club on Gay St., arresting 162. Police cars and wagons made 24 trips to station less than block away. Those refusing or unable to post $26.45 (costs for disorderly conduct booking) spent the night. 23 failing to appear next day forfeited collateral.

Police had trouble controlling crowd in court and Magistrate Cardin threatened contempt action. Vice Squad Sgt. Goldstein, who led raid, said, "These people seem to regard this whole incident as a great big joke." Said he'd gone to club, after discussing conditions with superiors, found it overcrowded and uncontrolled by management, and found evidence of homosexuality-at which point he'd called for help and arrested everyone in sight. Five persons convicted, fined $50 each, disorderly conduct. Charges against all others, including owners, dismissed. Goldstein complained of dismissals. Added most of those arrested were from Washington, D. C., where cops were making it hot, causing homosexuals to "glide into Baltimore." Fireman Zorn threatened fines against Pepper Hill.

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Acting police head Lusby questioned mass arrest, as against policy. Legislator Jerome Robinson, who has dealt with mental health problems, criticized Goldstein, decried mass raids and urged other means to deal with homosexuals in public.

Pepper Hili mentioned next day in Styles-Buffmyre murder trial, as place they'd met, and where Buffmyre met other men. Judge Moser, sentencing Styles to 10 years, commented on hopelessness of such cases, but knowing no other way to protect majority, said he was not suggesting law be changed.

What prompted the raid? Police Commissioner Hepbron and Chief Inspector Ford were out of town, and Lusby seemed taken by surprise. Did Goldstein pull it on his own? October was a rough month for Baltimore cops, with both city and county grand juries breathing down their necks and Hepbron (newly appointed by GOP Governor in Democratic city) also investigating and shaking up department, to annoyance of other officials. Hepbron abolished vice squad, later transferred many ex-vicers to uniform division, imported agents, gave warning to police who "had not discovered what they reasonably should have discovered." Jurors questioned former vice-cop about payoffs from gamblers and indicted 3 officers for