New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-01-18
BINGHAM RUBS 1t In.
Reardon and Wdssern,an arrested
bu Police Lieutenant.


Iar,,,e Yesterday after two of his detectives
rested by a lieutenant OF Commissioner Bing-
hams staff had been paroed TO appear in the
! Tombs police court on February 1 and Assistant
District Attorney Smyth had obtained the dis
missaI of charges against Inspector Walsh and
! Captain Farrell, who were arraigned in the
! Court of Special Sessions under the same sec
ton of the Penal Code.
The District Attorneys request that the
charge of oppression against Inspector Walsh
and Captain Farrell growing out of a raid on
: the Sharkey Athletic Club October IL be
dismissed taken as an effort to estaphsh a
truce between the District Attorneys office and
! Commissioner Bingham, although 1t was de-
clared that there no evidence OF quit
/ against the police officers. The athletic clubs
/ representatives accused the police of entering
/ the place without a warrant. Mr.. Smyth ex-
planned to Justice Wyatt that he did not care
! To give any further cognzance to the attempts
| to barass the police in their effort to prevent
| crime and that a charge had been presented
in which there did not exist prirna facle evil
! dence of the crime alleged
| Before this arraignment Lieutenant McAullne
had served warrants charging oppression on
County Detective Reardon of District Attorney
Jeron1e's staff and Sergeant Joseph Wasserman,
who was removed from the District Attorney
! office several days ago These warrants were
I
after Magistrate Crane had already set hear
| ing for similar charges and District Attorney
| Jerome had appeared to prosecute the cases
! against these two men,
This action of the Assistant District Attorney
! in dropping charges under the same section Vi
! the code against Commissioner Bingham men
| while the commissioners representatives were
| prosecuting the former attaches OF MT jerome
! office led to many rumors as to the next move
! in the breach between the Commissioner and the
! District Attorney To the rumor that the Gov
| ernor would be asked to appoint special prose-
! cutor in the cases of Sergeant Wasserman ana
I Detective Reardon Commissioner Bingham re-
| Piled
| "T have not the slightest idea of asking for
| Special prosecutor. The Police Departments
| duty is plain. Certain evidence is presented to
! me- We make the arrests, and then it Is up to
| the other people 70 carry on the case. am not
going outside of police duties. 1 showed Mr.
| Jerome the evidence 1 had, and now have the
original copies and will use them later on
| The arraignment of Sergeant Wasserman'
| who had been arrested on Thursday night ana
! County Detective Reardon who was served with
! a complaint charging oppression and extortion
! when he appeared in the Essex Market police
! court yesterday. began with a clash between
! District Attorney Jerome and Magistrate Crane
| Finally, on motion of their counsel Abraham
| Levy and with the consent of District Attorney
! Jerome and Lieutenant Morris Hanna OF the
| Police Department legal bureau. the date for
| examination was set and the prisoners were
paroled.
The complainants against the two men were
| Harry Mitchell. of No 1S9 South 1st street,
! Brooklyn: Barney Marks, of No 128 Broome
street and Ruth. Kirch, who said she lived at
| No. 159 Mermaid avenue, Brooklyn. Mitchell
alleged that Sergeant Wasserman and ten men,
! including Detective Reardon, entered pool and
billiard room where he was employed, at No.
! 313 Grand street on the afternoon of December
j 20 and took 81 from him.
Ruth Kirch charged Detective Reardon with
| entering saloon owned by her cousin, Louis
! Kirch at No 90 Willett street. November
/ I with three other men fourishing revolvers.
Marks alleges that the detective entered a cigar
! store al No. 270 Grand street on November
and arrested everybody for gambling, and that
| he struck him with a blackjack
When the detectives were served with war
| rants after their cases had already been heard
Magistrate Crane explained the situation and
permitted them to go until the time set for fur
Their examination.
Commissioner Bingham said that all the evil
dence which he had submitted TO the District
Attorney had been returned on demand and
that he had been investigating the conduct of
the men fer several weeks. Il not the
Warpath, am simply doing my duty, added
the Commissioner
District Attorney Jerome took different view
Of the charges against the detectives. He said
he was satisfied from reports entirely outside
the District Attorneys office that in no instance
did the men make a mistake in regard to the
places they entered, and that he did not think
he was justified in acting aff1davts until they
had been investigated 1t was shown that many
of the atlantis proved unworthy of belief upon
examination
One affiant according to the District Attorney
was convicted of a felony. while another gave
false name which was used by three men in |
their afidavits when they knew it to be as
sumed. Two atlantis could not be found, and |
most of them made statements which conf1icted |
materially with those contained in the affidavits |
submitted by Commissioner Bingham
Mr. Jerome then said that he would not ap- |
pear at Police Headquarters to defend Wasser- |
man. as intimated recently by Assistant District |
Attorney Smyth The intention of the District |
Attorney is to appear at the police trials. and |
with the consent of the two policemen to assist |
the Commissioner in Investigating the charges.
While in q somewhat active career, 1 have
been assaied by persons whose personal char J
acters seem to bit moth eaten, this is the
first time that have tried to help public
official on the theory that he was an honest
gentleman and have been rewarded by course
of action on his part, the direct implication of
which is that J. a sworn official, would not do |
my duty" said Mr. Jerome
Sergeant Wasserman applied at the Alexander
avenue station for his regular vacation, to start
at midnight last night. He was informed that his
application could not be granted until he had the
permission of Commissioner Bingham.