The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-07
INVESTIGATING CRIME.

WHAT THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY SAYS ABOUT THE
ALLEGED ABUSES IN HIS oF1cE--AIL ABOUT
Tur suorU-rrr CASE AND THE SUPPRESSION
or INDECENT LITERATURE.
The damaging disclosures regarding tho District At
,ornevs once which have been made before the Com
nittee on Crime have produced ripple Of popular
cite,nent Thus far however, only side Of tho case
has been heard and IL is the HERALD's custom al
WAYS TO give both sides fair hearing, opportunity
was afforded yesterday District Attorney Phelps and
some Of his assistants explain the charges made
against them BY Miss Shotwen or Mrs Roddy ana by
Mr. Comstock the special agent Of tho Post clce for
ahe suppression Of obscene literature
Mr. Phelps said that he had not read the testimony
very carefully bat he nevertheless able to stigma
tie Miss shotwels testimony as tissue Of fasehoods
Her greatest grievance against the District Attorneys
ONCE was the noe prosequl entered in the against
Everett and Brooks whom she had indicted for con-
spiracy TO rob her Of a bond The fact that this
bond was stolen by her from Mr. Roddy, her alleged
husband. Roddy went TO Europe, left it in his trunk,
and he alleges that she stole 1t during his absence
Granted that Everett did break open her trunk
she alleged and steal the bond would the jury convict
him II it were shown that she herself mad stolen
IL? As far as Brooks concerned all the
evidence against him was that he received package
from Everett and, without opening it, carried IT to the
superintendent Of Police, in whose custody he left IL
This package she alleged, contained the bond but
that enough to convict BrooksY Mr.. Phelps affirmed
that impartial officer he had positively alterna
tive but to abandon the prosecution against them.
sHoTwELIs' CHARACTER
The District Attorney went on to say that Miss shot
wei was woman Of very bad character and that no
dependence could be placed upon word she said before
the committee. During year and half OF his ac-
quanance with her she had claimed TO be Rod
dy's wife, but the contrary, had freely and I'M
bushingly acknowledged herself to be his mistress
strong proof that she never was ms WE ~ Mr
Phelps opinion that she had previously sued Roddy
for this bond before was stolen from her anda Wle
cannot sue her husband The case was compromised
for $1,000 Roddy retaining the bond and putting INTO
his trunk which, IL charged, she distracted
IT. Mr. Phelps felt convinced that no injustice had been
done to her He was asked why she was kept IN the
Tombs after her acqutal OF the charge OF larceny ana
he said that other cha were preferred against her
time be allowed to the District Attorney to hives
tigate them be she ever so innocent MT russell ne
thought showed commendable promptness in releasing
her and entering nole prosequ in the other cases
against her.
MR. coMsrocKis COMPLAINTS.
In regard the complaints OF Mr. Comstock, that
the District Attorneys Office had DISTRACTED prose-
cution OF vendors Of indecent books and prints, Mr.
Phelps expressed great surprise, saying that he
thought Mr. Comstock was the last man TO make such
complaints, he the District Attorney had always
sympathized with his efforts suppress indecent liter
aure and had done his utmost to bring the offenders
TO trial. However, most OF the cases mentioned in Mr.
Comstocks testimony came during ms predecessors
of office. 1t true that quite number OF in
dctments still untred but that was unavoidable
from the pressure of other and more important
business Murderers, burglars, highway robbers and
thieves had TO be tried as well AS dealers IN
obscene books Concerning the statement that on
application to the District Attorney in certain case he
said Assistant District Attorney Nolan had fixed II
Mr. Phelps declared that he did not remember ever
having made such a statement AT any rate neither
that nor any other "dxcd'' in the usual
meaning of the term.
ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY RUSSELL,
regarding whom Miss Shotwell also made damaging
statements, characterized them as Infamous lies. He
thought she slightly wrong in her head and in
stead of abusing her she had stated he had always
treated her with the utmost kindness and first, be-
fore he ascertaned how untruthfu she was with sym
patty. As to Mr.. Suliyan's statement that he Rus-
SELL had substantially admitted that he had disapproved
of the prosecution OF Miss Showel and believed her 70
be innocent, Mr. Russell said that 1t
a perversion of what he did say, and which
that he objected 10 the District Attorneys
office being used for washing the dirty linen of all these
parties The woman, he felt assured, only wanted to
have Everett and Brooks tried order to drag Roddys
before the public and he also convinced that
they could be convicted He had investigated her
past career and Of such character utterly
dscredt her. She had claimed to him to be
Roddys WIFE but simply TO be his mistress, and had
openly based herself in her words on the footing
Of Abelard and Heloise.
ANOTHER DENIAL
Mr. Clark the chief clerk OF the District Attorney,
Indignantly denied that he ever tried induce Mr..
Comstock to compromise the case for $4,000 He de-
nouneed him IAN infamous ar' and "a fanatic
like Henry Bergh who thought only his particular class
Of offenders we're worth trying