New-York tribune., 1911-12-20
Declares Officer Falsified.
Telling the story in the etter, the
Mayor writes

Declares Officer Falslted.
Telling the story in the 'etter the
Mayor writes:
Some months ago l wrote 10 you OF the
case Of the eighteen -year-Cld boy William
l-agen, who called upon me i'm person and
made his complaint He has been well
brought up and has always lived at home
with his parents al No % Fourth avenue
Brooklyn Detective Barry arrested him in
The street near his home on August p last
without a warrant He had never before
ueen arrested or accused Of any oHence
lie was taken 10 the station house and
locked up over night in q cell.
The next morning the said officer ar
Talened him before magistrate and made
q written complaint on oath that he was a
yaETanl, j. e. a person without a home,
wandering about and with no means Of
support The ofiEer knew that this was
untrue. The boy lived at home and worked
daily with his father, who is JanitOr Of
seventeen buildings When the case was
called on August IS for a hearing the Off
Ger stated that he could not prove the
charge, and the boy was discharged.
ln my letter 10 you ] asked for a fun
report OF the matter. Later you sent 20
me the report of Inspector Hughes, chief
OF the detective bureau. cOnCWred in by
the Second Deputy Police Commissioner
That report disclosed that the real reason
for the boys arrest was that q burglary Of
the apartments Of q. w. Daniels. at No.
449 state street Brooklyn, had been COM
mifted, and that the boy was suspected"
of having committed the crime. The things
stolen were a watch engraved with Mr..
DanIelS's name. a lcCket studded with dia-
monCS and engraved In the same way and
double chain and fob.
The reason for sucn suspicion given in
the said report was that the father of the
hoy was janitOr Of the building in which
Nr Daniels had his apartments, that the
boE helped him take care of the building:
that there was a bulldog in Mr.. Danicls's
apartments. that the bulldog did not arouse
Mr. Daniels when the burglar entered; that
therefore the burglary was committed by
some one on good terms with the bulldog,
ana that therefore the burglar was prob
ably young Eagen. Such was the far
fetched. Il not ridiculous. theory
Disapproves Doughertys Course.
1t seems that at the time the report
was sent in the Mayor expressed his dis
approval Of a statement made by George
S. Dougherty justifying the officer for
grancy.
The letter continues:
The report went on 70 state that after
being arrested and on his way TO the sta
NCn mouse young Eagen told the officers
who had him IN charge that the locket lost
by Mr.. Daniels contained seventeen dia-
mondS that IL had been broken up and
tndt II Was useless 10 look for II. The re-
port also states that while young Eagcn
was locked up in the cell another officer
heard MN state 10 prisoner in an adJOin-
Ing cell. VINO had been arrested on sus-
Fcion Of the same offence, Il think they
have got IL on us" 10 which the other
prisoner responded, Shut up. some one
might be listening" The name Of this
other prisoner is Grant. hereinafter men
toned
To this report was attached a letter Of
the second deputy commissioner 10 you
stating that IN his opinion the action OF
the officer who made the arrest and false
charge Of vagrancy was Justihable. ] felt
constrained 10 write 20 you that his con-
ouct was unjustihable. and that con-
CURED fully IN your view i'm that respect
The boy was not vagrant, and the
charge against him was false The alleged
confessions were stated 10 have taken place
after the arrest, and were not revealed 10
the MAGISTRATE at all. ] also expressed the
View that the sO-called evidence given in
tAe report that the boy had committed inc
burglary was no evidence and that the al
legged confessions stated in the report Were
trumped up after the boys discharge, and
after I had called FOR a report, for the
purpose Of trying 10 justify the arrest.
Nothing further was done at That time.
however. as the said chief OF the dctecuNe
bureau said that the investigation was
stiil going on and that IL was expected that
sufficient evidence would De obtained
against the boy.
Another Man Convicted.
Instead Of any evidence being obtained
against the boy. the Mayor says man
named Alexander Moore has since been
arrested, indicted and convicted Of the
burglary. and is now serving term in
state prison.
Referring TO Moore the Mayor writes:
The diamonds had not been taken out Of
the lOCket IN a word. the whole report
has been proved 10 be false IN every sub
stanual particular. The statement that
ths boy made anything In the nature OF
confession in now known 10 be enti ely
false, as he knew nothing at all about the
matter. Tho report also states that when
the boy was discharged by the magistrate
us mother who was present exclaimed
am going TO write % Mayor GaynOr ana
give you fellows the same dose that puny
gave the officers IN his case '-alludlns
10 young Duffy, who was arrested time
alter time by the police and locked up. ana
us picture pat IN the ROgues Gallery, TOT
10 offence whatever.
] have sufficiently asccrtaincd that she
iaq not mp 70 that time ever heard Of the
lIliy case. and therefore could not have
made such a remark Also. she is not a
woman who would express herself in that
manner