Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-08-27
VAuEAN BURKE
IS FACING MUSIC
Ex-convict Councilman Re-
turns to Philadelphia and
Opens a Cigar Store.

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 27.-Will-
lam ]. Burke. Philadelphia's reform
councilman. who disappeared on Au-
gust is, after writing a confession
that he was an ex-conVict and ex-
burglar, and resigning from the
council. returned to the city last
night and Joined his wife and STEP
daughter, who have been loyal to
him through his troubles.
After greeting his family Burke
went to the home of John l.. Fehr,
a local business man, who had Of
forced to set him up in the cigar
business if he would come back ana
face the music.
Burke will take charge of a cigar
store and the barber shop at 1915
Rose street, today.
Following his talk with Mr.. Fel.r,
who insisted hat the councilman.
whose resignation a not been ae-
cepted. should tell the entire story
of his downfall and the exposure of
his old record. Burke repeated 1t
substantially as IL has been printed,
but he gave one essential detail.
He gave the name of the former
convict who blackmailed him and
drove him from his position as a re-
form councilman to a back room in
q lodging house in West Thirty sixth
street, New York, where he had been
hiding since his disappearance.
shaved OF His Mustache.
"When went away" said Burke,
"I shaved off my mustache. l didn't
want anyone to know me. I got my
mail at the Mills Hotel. and l lived
in Thirty-sixth street. 1 fought out
the battle with the assistance of m,
wife. 1t was hard for me to come
back to Philadelphia and face my
former friends. but there was no
other way.
Il a great deal to my wife and
step-daughter, and I purpose TO re-
pay it.
Il shall accept the offer of Mr..
Fehr because l wish to, and also be-
cause it has been the only real offer
of a position 1 have had.
''Other people have talked large but
Mr.. Fehr is the only one to come
forward and say: Here is a posi-
ton. Come and get on your feet
once more and lead a respectable
life.
Burke declared that certain per-
sons had tried to make capital out of
the fact that he was a reform coun-
Gilman.
"Just because / was an anti-or-
E~anization councilman is no reason
for gang papers to take advantage
of the fact" he ven on. LAS a re-
form advocate in councils l was for
reform and believed that the crooks
should be driven from politics. 1
think | am an authority on crooks.
I know them and / have lived with
them. There are many crooks in
politics and they should be driven
out.
Il am done with politics forever.
No man at the present time has any
right to be in politics unless he has
a private fortune. If he is a poor
mar his every move will be crfti-
cised. | am a poor man and at times
have had to borrow money in small
amounts. l have borrowed a small
sun from an organization politician.
/ was so grateful that I told him If
the time came when l could do any
thing for him in councils 1 would oe
glad to do so. That man has con-
strued by statement and has told
people that he bought me for a
81 loan. That's politics for
you.
1.-The e~x-eonvict who blackmailed
me was Jimmy Foley, a nan who
has known me for twenty-five years.
We worked alongside of each other
In the harness shop at C-harlestown
prison. When l was a youngster in
New York he was a 'stalr' for a
gang of pickpockets. Later he went
West and then came East, landing
in Charlestown He got every cent
] had, and after | made my confess
sion he left for Philadelphia. Now
had come from a futile conference
blackmail some poor fellow who has
tried to forget a prison past. He is
81 years old and has beer a crook
his life"