Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-19
PROBE GRAFT CHARGE
Grand Jury Acts on Murphy's
Allegations.
SUBPOENAS FOR NOTABLES
Members of Independence League to
Testify.
STATEMENT BY PRENDERGAST
Thinks He Can Clear Up the Matter
When He Appears Next
Tuesday.
STATEMENT BY PRENDERGAsT

Special Dispatch to The Star.
| NEW YORK, October I9-Charies f.
Murphy. leader OF Tammany Hail. was ex-
| amined before the grand jury this morning
| by District Attorney Jerome and Assistant
| District Attorney Caravan as to the charges
Of blackmall he made yesterday against the
| managers Of the Independence League. AS
a result of his testimony three subpoenas
| were Immediately sent out. returnable at
1880 o'clock Tuesday. when the Investiga-
| ton, will be continued. and the charges
made by the leader Of Tammany sifted to
| the bottom.
| The subpoenas called for the appearance
| OF William Aston Chanler, secretary Of the
! Independence League finance committee
and a brother of Lewis Stuyvesant Chanler
| the Independence League democratic can
didate for lieutenant governor: Joseph Pen
| dergast. former Tammany leader of the old
| fifth district and now associate leader of
the twenty-ffth. and Joseph Golden. dem
| ocratic representative from the Bronx and
! candidate for reelection.
1t Is understood that these men were sum-
| moned as the authorities to which Murphy
referred as foundation for the charges that
| he preferred yesterday. Pendergast was at
| the hearing today but was excused from
| testifying and resubpoenaed to appear
Tuesday.
When he came out he was asked what he
| knew about the foundation Of the charges
| which Murphy made.
| Il have very little to say for publica-
tion," he said. but will say that 1 have
told Mr.. Murphy lots of things and will
gladly give any testimony 1 can before
t1,or
1t was understood that while Mr.. Muir
| ply did not give the grand jury the direct
| proof Of the alleged attempts of the In
dependence League to blackmail the Tam
many candidates. he told them where they
| could get first-hand Information to back
| up the statement that he gave out yester-
| day.
Besides Mr. Murphy, Francis E. Shober. a
| Hearst lieutenant and Tammauy and In
| dependence League candidate for Congress;
| w. C.-Rathbone, an assistant in the office
OF Clarence J. Shearn. who is Hearst's
| counsel. and Judge Otto Rosalsky were wit
nesses before the grand jury.
The local political situation In New York
| city, which has been loaded with dyna-
! mite since the day after the Buffalo con-
| vention, was touched of yesterday by
Leader Murphy. Of Tammany Hall. and
| now its all up in the air. 1t looks as IL
there might be a deadly split between
| Hearst and Murphy. and that Tammany
| may follow the lead Of the, Brooklyn de-
mocracy. and put the head OF the democratic
| ticket to the knife.
Murphy made a statement yesterday def
| nftely and uneQuivOcally charging the In
| dependence League managers with demand
ing money consideration for Withdrawing
| candidates they had placed in the field
| against Tammanys candidates. In jiffy,
| District Attorney Jerome had a subpoena
| issued for Murphy to appear before the
| grand jury today and s,ibst antiate his
charge. At the same time subpoena was
| issued for ex-Representative Shober. again
| a candidate for Congress. Hearst lieu
| tenant, who made a like charge against
| Tammany. The events created a tremen-
| dous sensation In New York politics.
Mr.. Murphy had been asked by the news
! paper reporters at Tammany Hall what
steps he would take if the league insisted
| on retaining Judge Rosalsky's name on its
| judiciary ticket. He would not say. but
| he was quoted by all the reporters ex-
| pressing in one form or another his Opin-
| ior:
what 1 think Is. that they have got his
| money.
Asked what he meant to imply. he went
| on:
! Demanded Money.
! ct charge deliberately and without quail
| f1cation that the Independence League has
| demanded money to withdraw their cam
didates for Congress. the Senate and as
| sembly in districts where they have put
| up a third candidate"
! was pointed Oul u NIL
! he was making serious charge. and
when he was asked if he would give any
names or state the amount Of money
which had been demanded he replied:
| NO but 1 will say without qualification
that men representing the Independence
| League demanded money considera-
! ton for forcing their candidates in the
| various districts to decline the nominal
lions Of the league and get out of the
race
| DO you mean that individual candi-
| dates of the league are holding up the
Tammany candidates. or that 1T is being
done by the managers Of the Independ-
ence League at the "Gilsey House?" Mr..
Murphy was asked, and his reply was:
| II mean the managers They have a lot
| of them up there and 1 don't know who
| they are. but 1 mean the managers. 1
public Is concerned and about which the
public should be informed.
| Ihmsen's Statement.
Max Ihmsen. Mr.. Hearst's political mar
ager, gave out this statement through his
press bureau:
| The statement made by Mr.. Murphy
relative to Judge RosaIsky and his nom
| nation by the independence League is
4 absolutely false. The managers of the
Independence League at the Gilsey
| House." SO called. are not holding up
candidates for cash. If any one, even re-
| motely connected with the league, has
| attempted such a thing We shall be glad
| to know the facts. doubt IL any candi-
date Of the league has as yet contributed
| one cent to the leagues campaign fund"
It wasn't long after Murphy had made
his morning statement that the interview
| was shown to District Attorney Jerome.
| who got busy looking over the law Then
| he had a long talk with Judge Rosalsky.
who was sitting in part of general ses-
sions A trial was stopped while Mr.. Je-
| rome and Judge Rosalsky talked. They
were both emphatic In their statements.
I 1t Is understood that Mr.. Jerome told Judge
| Rosalsky that he should not let such a
statement as Murphy's go unchallenged.
| Judge Rosalsky examined law books and
said that he wanted thorough investiga-
1 ton and that he had not made any con-
| tribution to any one connected with the
| Independence League or soug.-. the nomi-
! nation from the league
-a-. Four Subpoena Servers.
| At 5 o'clock four subpoena servers were
| rushed out of the building in charge Of