The sun., 1908-12-29
POLICE LAWYER ARRESTED
ACCUSED or DOCTORING REC
ORDS 10 REINSTATE 4 cor.
Testimony" Alleged 10 Have Been In.
serted So Very Favorable THAT the
Appellate Division Queted II and Then
bingham Saw Il fer the First Time.

| ApDeithte WiNtiOn etuOte1 u anu huet
bingham saw u fer the First Time
Jacob Rouss. Louis J. Grants Law
partner. was arrested yesterday by De
teotives McConville and Nelson Of the
Central Once and arraigned before
Magistrate Finn at the Tombs. where he
was charged with procuring by false
pretences the signature Of Police Com
missioner Bingham to certain falsified
trial records. on the strength OF which
Policeman Herman Ringelman was re-
instated by the courts after his dismissal
by the Commissioner. Rouss is also
charged with misconduct as an attorney
The frat charge IL a felony and the second
misdemeanor. He gave $1,000 bail
on the first charge and $500 on the second.
and Ma gistrate Finn set the hearing for
Wednesday afternoon.
Rouss and his partner, Louis Grant.
who has not been active Of late, have
made speciality Of the cases Of policemen
dismissed from the department who
try TO get back and frequently do get
back. Mr.. Grant. according to Assistant
District Attorney Kindleberger, who has
the case in charge, is in no way concerned
in his partners troubles,
Ringelman was dismissed on a charge
of attempting to induce witnesses in the
cases gainst Capt I.onis Wendell TO leave
the Jurisdiction OF the court. and on the
supposed records OF the trial the APP
pellate Division put him back.
Ringelman was represented by Rouss
at the police trial, at which Deputy Com
missioner D X eeffe presided. The minutes
OF such trials are sent to the Commissioner
for action. and in addition to the copy
sent to the Commissioner four others
are made in compliance with the rule
which says that such copies shall be filed
in the complaint clerks ONCE at Police
Headquarters. j. H. Haggerty. a police
stenographer, who died eight months
ago, took the notes OF the case. Accord
ing to Mr.. Kindleberger, Haggerty, who
was friend Of Rouss. took the copies
which should have been fled in the COM
plant clerks office to Mr.. Rouss. and
Rouss, according to the afidavits In the
Assistant District Attorneys possession.
changed the minutes so as TO make
better case for Ringelman. To this
end answers were changed from yes to
no and the contrary. objections were
introduced and whole paragraphs OF
testimony were cut out or pretended
testimony was introduced, The amended
minutes were copied on afresh by Rouss's
stenugrapher Miss Elizabeth Murphy.
who made the proper number OF copies
of the spurious document for Haggerty
to file with the complaint clerk.
What became Of the originals does
not appear. When Police Headquarters
was furnished with the false documents
Rouss got out writ Of certiorari and the
Corporation CounsePs office sent to Police
Headquarters for the papers. The COM
plant clerk OF course sent on one OF the
samended' copies and the Corporation
Counsel after afixing the formal papers
sent the lot to Commissioner Bingham
for his signature, which would certify
that the papers were the original record.
Commissioner Bingham took II for granted
that the papers were true copies and
signed his name.
The doctored minutes went to the
court and the scheme might have worked
without a hitch had not the Appellate
Division been 30 impressed by the evil
dence favorable to Ringelman as to
quote from it in its decision ordering
the reinstatement. Commissioner Ring
ham was puzzled when he read the e1-
cerpts OF evidence upon which the court
had based its action. He couldn't re-
member having read any such evidence
when the record was originally referred
to him and he became enough interested
to look up his original copy of the minutes
and make a comparison. There was
no such testimony there as the Appellate
Division had quoted.
The Commissioner after consulting
with the Corporation Counsel's Office
John T. McGovern. q law clerk
in the office OF Prayer. Stotesbury 4
Gregg OF I4l Broadway, to dig into the
case. McGovern got from Elizabeth
Murphy, Rousss stenogrspher. an affi-
davit in which she tells how Haggerty
brought TO the lawyers ofiioe the original
notes Of the policeman's
trial and Of making the copies after Rouss
had amended the original. The young
woman swears that the changes in the
original minutes were in Rouss's hand !
writing. She says that she was told by |
Rouss that Haggerty was an incom-
oetent stenographer and that the changes
and copying OF the work were necessary |
10 save him his job. Frank Mccoy. an
,ffice boy employed by Grant & Rouss.
,elle of helping Miss Murphy to compare
he changed copy with the original,
Ind John F. Burke. the Headquarters
clerk. makes affidavit to writ
ng out Haggerty's original notes from a
record. The phoRograph,
Burke swears, spoke in Haggerty's voice
3urke's work was done on an Underwood
typewriter, while, according to experts.
he changed copy which went TO court
vas done on Remington.
Rouss refused yesterday to discuss
lis case further than 10 ask that the
public reserve decision until he had a
tearing. Magistrate Finn seemed to
hink 1t a rather good joke on the Police
that he had been led to
ign doctored papers which resulted In
he reinstatement OF dismissed police
nan. How much bail do you think
ught to be asked Of man who is accused
n eating Rim rham IN malta n fool NJ