New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-18

or may not require some explanation
from them. a.
The reason why Mr.. Waldo and Mr..
Shcehan have turned the ever ready guns
Of the police Department on ne Is TINS
Last December when my office was IN
the building at No. li5 Broadway, tN,
Sheriff Hayes. during the course OF S"i.
on me, asked me if | had heard n la'
there was a branch office for the collec-
ton Of police graft in the building lNo.
1lJ Broadway. on my asking MN "nat
he meant he said, In substance, thal nc
had been reliably told that petty gam!
bling housekeepers and other OF ike Tx
were beiug told bv those in the know
TO 90 down TO No. rs Broadway 70 MAKE
their arrangements for police protecuoiss
with a lawyer there. AS a mat'er %
curiosity l asked William J. SheIludn,
an eX-police detective and now manager
of a private detective bureau. II he woulo
not have the lawyer Swallowed TO see
what bis Police Department connections
really were. Some time later l got re-
port from Sheridan
I never wanted 20 embarrass WALDO OF
Sheehan and regret the necessity nave
Of making this statement in explanation
of their attack As matter or laCI
when Waldo ran FOR congress anu was was
beaten / helped 10 pay his campaign eN-
penses while Sbeehan even now is IN my
debt for borrowed money.
/ have retained Sumner Gerard OF NO.
50 Broadway. as my attorney, " dsCcl cam
81 the statement furnished by the press
concerning me is actionable II il is,
Messrs. Waldo and Reith will have Their
day IN court as defendants in a libel SUIT
that will be carried TO finish
MIR. Johnson showed the newspaper
men the report he referred to which
was made to him by the Sheridan De-
tective Agency. According to the re-
port. the lawyer mentioned by Johnson
was traced from his downtown office
To an apartment house uptown. where
he called on a civilian employe Of the
Police Department. The lawyer re-
manned there for several hours. the de-
tectives reported, and when he and his
host found out they were being
watched they appeared alarmed and
worried.
Hassett Makes Statement
Thomas 0. Hassett. who was in Al
bany yesterday at the Office OF the
state Engineer, when asked about the
Relth affidavit. said that he had known
"Al" Johnson intimately for many
years. He said:
In fact, when I was a member OF
the New York City Board of Water
Supply we had offices in the same
building and frequently took luncheon
together 1t was not an uncommon
thing for him TO bring gentlemen 10 my
Office and ask me TO do political favor
for them / don't know Police Captain
John Reith and have no recollection OF
ever having met him. He might have
been one of the men whom Johnson
asked me to help If he was, there was
no mention Of a money consideration.
Even II I were inclined that Way l was
not in a position TO make good. even II
] had made the suggestion, which I
cannot state in too emphatic terms
did not. You will notice my name is
connected with the matter only indi-
rectly. OF course, l cannot tell what
Johnson may have told Reith. 1t is
not claimed that l told him the story.
or even that I was present when the
statement was alleged TO have been
made. It looks to me as II the whole
thing was a joke SO far as 7 am con-
cerned.'
Commissioner Thompson. who was
mentioned by Johnson in his state
ment, denied at his house in Green
wich. Conn, last night that he had
warned Mr.. Johnson to be careful OF
Mr.. Waldo.
II did have luncheon with Nj. John
son. or, rather. sat down to a table
with him as he had about finished
luncheon" said Commissioner Thomp-
son we did not speak of Commits
sioner Waldo. as l recall and l GER
tainly did not tell Mr.. Johnson to be
careful Of him. We just talked about
The aldermanic investigation IN a gem
eral way"
Police Captain Reith declined to dis
cuss the affidavit yesterday. He was
seen at the Macdougal street station,
his headquarters, and said he had abb
solutely nothing to say" about the
story purporting to give the facts in
regard to the affidavit He took occa-
sion TO G. press his opinion generally
about New York newspapers. and in
dictated that they were not very high
in his esteem.
"A few years ago William r. Hearst
came 20 New York. he said. "and got
mp big circulation by misrepresent-
ing the facts. and now all the newspa-
pers are trying 10 initiate him"
II was said at Commissioner Waldo's
office that when the Commissioner was
informed that the affidavit had been
made public he made inquiries, and
found that the information had not
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