New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-15
NEW LETTER VENDER
IN THE STOKES CASE
nstectives Say Friend of Super
intendent of Apartments
offered Notes for Sale.
nuE CHARGE IS DISMISSED
..rr Policemen Are Still To Be
tried on Accusations of Neg
lect and Making False
Reports.

NSPOA
,sv yender OF missing letters was
.-.rsht into the Stokes case yesterday
,,s trial Of Lieutenant Sullivan and
..t,ves Walsh. Flynn and Devery at
oosoe headquarters on charges Of neg
~, q, duty and making false reports
cling out Of the disappearance OF
I'm. stokess letters to Miss Graham.
-. new figure was Mike" Bensund.
IN was introduced in the endeavor Of
=. accused detectives to prove their
..,,ention that John Bloom. superin-
..,s.nt OF the apartment house where
w.. Graham and Miss Conrad lived,
..,r the letters from Miss Grahams
funk.
Rsnsund is now private detective in
-. employ OF the Cosgrove Detective
,ssncy. at No. los Fulton street James
cumming, the house detective Of the
,rsonia, testified yesterday at the trial
:, the four detectives before Deputy
commissioner Mckay that Bensund was
an intimate friend Of Bloom, pal" as
cumming said, and had formerly been a
foreman and porter for Bloom. On July
, said Cumming. Bensund went to the
.nsonia and tried to see Mr.. Stokes.
Failing 10 see Stokes, he saw Leslie S.
petrle Stokess private secretary, and
,old Petrie that he had some letters be-
bnging TO Miss Graham that he wanted
70 sell
According TO Cumming, Bensund took
letter from his shoe and said that II
vas a letter sent to Miss Graham by
smother man than Stokes. He added
hat he had several more letters that
would be valuable to Stokes, including
several that Stokes had written to Miss
Graham.
The four detectives had all sworn that
they took no other letters from the
apartment than those which were deliv-
cred to Police Headquarters. Devery
said that he had ridden to the hospital
with Stokes and learned on the way
about the letters that Stokes went to
The girls rooms to get He said that
he went at once TO the West 6sth street
station from the hospital, and from there
returned with the three other detectives.
who had taken the prisoners to the sta
ton, TO the apartment TO search for the
letters
The four detectives then charged that
Bloom let a friend into the apartment
while they were away with Stokes and
the prisoners and ransacked the trunk.
They all swore that they never saw the
famous package of letters tied with a
pink ribbon until II was shown to them
in the District Attorneys Office.
Al the beginning OF the hearing yes
tsrday only Lieutenant Sullivan was put
on trial. but 1t vas later decided to hear
ell four cases Jointly in order to expe-
ute matters. There was much switch
ing about from one charge TO another
IN the course OF the day, but late in the
afternoon the charge against Lieutenant
Sullivan and Patrolman Walsh for con-
duct prejudicial 10 the good order and
discipline Of the department in permit
ting strangers TO enter the girls apart
ment was reached.
A. II. Gleason, Stokes's counsel, and
T. L Soaring manager Of the Ansonia,
10Th testified 10 being taken into the
apartment by Walsh and Sullivan Scar
ing frankly admitted that he went out
Of curiosity. but after much questioning
sieason was made to understand by
george Gordon Battle counsel for the
detectives, that it was his duty to ex-
pain that he went 70 the apartment to
gel evidence for stokes.
Gleason was about to explain, when
ne hnaly understood what was wanted.
0lt II was largely a waste Of time, for
was the testimony Of Second Deputy
commissioner Dougherty that decided
Commissioner Mckay TO dismiss tina.
,Asrse against the men. Commissioner
Oougherty was put on the stand to give
90 opinion about good police work In
9''iS strangers 10 the apartment,
sho Commissioner Mckay framed a
hypothetical question for him that left
out possibly half dozen points in the
Stokes case.
Ar. Battle. in the interest OF his eli
eas' ADDED few thousand words TO the
HYPOTHETICAL question that developed the
case from the beginning to the prob
ematical end. Mr.. Dougherty then gave
his opinion.
II as quite the custom 10 let those
Interested in the case enter the rooms
private detectives, reporters and some
VAe!s. AS q matter of fact, this is not
roo police work, but it is the Gus
tom"
has been the practice, however,
No Commissioner Mckay,
Yes" replied Dougherty.
Charge dismissed" said Mckay.
There are left two charges on which
U.e fODr mon ovo oil m he tried. They