On the sidewalk outside Manhattan's general sessions court, Hulan Jack dazedly spoke to newsmen: "I say to all of you that I am fully convinced of my innocence." A few moments earlier, an all-white jury had reported itself as totally unconvinced of Jack's innocence. Hulan Jack, borough president of Manhattan for seven years, faced a possible three years in prison, $1,500 in fines—and the end of a remarkable political career.
Specifically, the jury found Hulan Jack guilty of 1) permitting one Sidney J. Ungar, a tenement tycoon and real estate speculator, to foot the $4,400 bill for decorating Jack's Harlem...