The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-24
100 GOFF INDICTMENTS, / GOOD
LEXOw RESULTS BY can INVES-
TIGATOR VINO INVESTIGATES"

From Conviction or Had the Indictment
Dismissed on Application to the Courts.
One OF Mr.. Hcarst's newspapers 10 adj
vising its readers to vote for Recorder
John W. Goa, who was put on the Murphy
Hearst ticket for Supreme Court at the de-
mand Of Mr.. Hearst, on the ground that he
Ia IAN investigator who investigates. He
was the brains and energy Of the Lexow
investigation committee. That investiga-
ton put people into jail. IL didn't merely
shake down a few companies 20 put them
upon a par with the Ryan company
The records Of the Supreme Court and the
Court OF General Sessions do not seem to
bear out these assertions Az a matter Of
fact people > were not sent to Jail or il
they were they were not kept there. Out
Of over a hundred indictments that were
found as the result oft Lexow investigation
only n was found effective in the end.
That vas in the case Of Edward Carpenter,
a member Of the police force who pleaded
guilty to the crime Of bribery on May II.
1893, and was fined 81 500 and sent to the
penitentiary for three months by Justice
Keogh.
All the others were either acquitted or
got new trials ard sent free when they
were tried again or the indictments were
dismissed.
In the meantime the cases which were
framed from the evidence adduced by Mr..
COT before the investigating oommitte e
had cost the county of New York tens Of
thousands Of dollars without any tan gible
results IN any but the one case mentioned
above. This is the true record Of the
Lexow Investigations results as decribed
by the records Of the courts.
Inspector, then Captain William McLsugh-
lin, who was indicted for bribery and ex-
~tortion, was tried on May II, 1895, and
the jury disagreed. He was tried again in
the following month, convicted and SEN
fenced by Justice Barrett OF the Supreme
Court on June 10, 1895, to two years and six
months in Sing Sing. A new trial was
granted by the Court OF Appeals and
finally the five indictments against him we're
dismissed by Judge Newburger on April
%, 1897.
The indictments against Police Captains
Siebert, James X. Price. Michael Murphy
and John j. Donohue for bribery or extor-
ton we're also dismissed and Capt. William
=. DeVery, who was tried twice on bribery
charges, was acquitted both times. The
three remaining indictments hanging over
Devery were dismissed by Justice Keogh
on May 81, 1893.
Capt. John 7. Stephenson of the Leonard
street station, who was tried for bribery,
was convicted on December -, 1894 His
was the first Of the criminal cases growing
out Of the Lexow investigation. He was
accused OF having received four baskets
Of peaches from a merchant for allowing
him to block the street in front OF his store.
He was sentenced to three years and nine
months in prison and a fine of 81 1000 The
case was appealed and the verdict was
reversed by the General Term of the Supreme
Court. Three of the remaining Indictments
against Stephenson were dismissed by Judge
Mcmahon in 1897 and the rest by Judge
Newburger in the same year.
Capt, Thomas killilea was acquitted in
May, 1895, on the charge OF bribery, and the
indictment against Captain, now Inspector,
Schmittberger was dismissed by Justice
KeOgh in the same year.
The jury disagreed in the case of Capt.
Michael DoheTty, but the two Indictments
against him were dismissed in 1895 by Justice
lngraham.
Indictments for bribery and extortion
against Eddie Glennon, who was Devery's
wardman, and Henry Shill, who held a
similar place under Capt. Price, were also
dismissed.
Among the others who were indicted az
the result Of the investigation were the
members Of a former Park Boaru, Nathan
Straus, George c. Clausen and Abram Il.
RHh NV "tAN Vi OAaNA
the law by letting out work costing over
81 900 without publicly inviting bids. They
were never trieo md the indictments were
dismissed in June. 1896, by Justice InRraham.
Still another who was indicted was
Thomas J Brady who had been Superin-
tendent of the Building Department. He
was accused Of having received d piano
as a present from a builder. The ndict-
ment was dismissed in June, 1905.
And so 1t il all down the entire list OF
police officials, wardmen and Others zach
Of whom was either acquitted on trial or
freed OF the indictment by the courts.
There was a great clamor against the police
al that time and it was mainly upon clamor
that these men were indicted, law yers
say, otherwise more Of the accused per-
sons would have been sent to Sing Sing.
This is the sun OF the laboTs of Mr.. Gof.
Among others against whom Lexow
indictments were found and dismissed
were Kearin }. Larkin, Augustus J .Thome,
George F. Sheridan, Charles W. H. Ficken.
samuel Campbell, George Smith, John
Hook, a wardman, Bernard Meehan, Henry
Ressmyer, Michael Cannon, William r..
Frck, William O'TOcle, Hugh Clark, George
{. Liebers. James W. Jordan, Charles A.
Parkerson, Felix McKenna, Bernard Dunn,
Bernard Murphy. Jeremiah s. Levy, James
Burns, Hugh Cassidy, Edward F. Miley,
John H.. Thrall and Michael A. Downs.
Edward Grinnon and job H.. Hurley were
%acuuitted.