New-York tribune., 1905-01-30
LOCKED UP.
Alleged to Haze Confessed Part an
iSnoso RemoUal Fraud.

Frank G. Fletcher, a patrolnan attached to
| the Macdougai-st. station arrested by
| County Detective Reardon, of District Attorney
Jeromes force. yesterday. and locked up In uni
form at the station. accused of being implicated
| in a plan to swindle Bradley s. Co. the con-
tractors for snow removal lie partly admitted
guilt. It is alleged. and pleaded with Reardon
not to arrest him when he was told that he had
been caught.
The arrest Of the policeman was due TO clever
work on the part of Reardon in investigating
the stealing of nine hundred tickets. which are
given to drivers of snow carts. Each ticket rep
resents load of snow. gathered and dumped
and is worth 1914 cents 10 the driver who cashes
1t at the office of Bradley & Co The tickets are
given to the drivers at the places where loads
are dumped.
On Friday evening Julius F.. Bendt
ploye of Bradley Co, left the Office, at No. 154
East 24th-st.. with hundred tickets be
delivered at the dumping places He returned in
about an hour and said that while he had been
on his way TO the river he had been held up and
robbed by two men. who took the tickets as
we'll as all the money he had. He seemed to be
unable TO give descriptions of the he said
had robbed him. On Saturday night another
employe Of Bradley & Co. ramed Walsh. was
approached by policeman in uniform and an
other man in a saloon at Avenue C and 19th-st
and asked if he wanted to buy nine hundred
snow tickets. worth $500, for $50. The police
man and his companion showed some of the
tickets which they took from their pockets.
The policeman told Walsh the tickets had been
stolen. Walsh said the officer ought to return
them TO Mr. Bradley. The policeman said he
had to report at his station in Macdougal-st
but would Walsh later that evening or last
evening.
Walsh reported what had happened to Mr..
Bradley, and Mr.. Bradley told Reardon, who
was already investigating the case Bendt had
been called to the District Attorneys Office and
had been examined. He was arrested because
he had told conflicting stories about the alleged
hold-up. and yesterday he was taken to a police
court and held for examination on suspicion of
being in conspiracy to swindle his employer
After talks with Bendt and Walsh, Reardon
went to the police station and talked with
Captain Hughes. The result Of the conference
was that Fletcher was called to the station from
his post and asked about the nine hundred snow
tickets He admitted that he had talked with
Walsh about returning the tickete. but denied
admitting that he knew the tickets were stolen.
Then he told where the tickets could be found
saying he had left them at a cigar store with
a friend. Reardon and Captain Hughes accom-
panied him to the cigar store and recovered the
tickets
Fletcher pleaded hard, but Reardon insisted
on having him locked up He was allowed TO
search Fletcher in the station before the patrol
man was sent to cell. Reardon told that
Fletcher appointed in 1896 and that while
he had been policeman he had been tried at
headquarters on twenty complaints In that
time. too he had been shot in the hand by
negro, who said the policeman tried to hold him
up and rob him
Fletcher will be arraigned this morning at
the Jefferson Market court In view of his ar
rest and the recovery of the stolen tickets, it is
probable that Bendt will be discharged and
used as a witness against the patroman. Mean
while the police have been directed to search
for the man who with Fletcher at the
time of the offer to sell the tickets TO Walsh.
1t is believed that Bendl may be able to rec
ognize Fletcher Of the men who held
him up and stole the tickets. He is prisoner
in the Yorkville prison, not having been able
TO give bail for examination