The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-09-05
Barred HIS PAST LIFE.
Philadelphia Councilman is Now Go
inc to Try to Lead Better Life.

ing to Try to Lead Better Life.
Philadelphia, Aug. 2S.-Wllllam
J. Burke, Philadelphia,s reform coun-
Gilman, who disappeared on August
16 after writing a confession that he
is an eX-convict and second-story
burglar, and resigning from council,
returned to his wife and stepdaugh-
ter. who had been loyal to. him
throughout his troubles.
After greeting his family, Burke
Immediately went to the home of
John J. Fehr, the local business man,
who offered to set him up in the
cigar business provided he would
come back and face the music To-
morrow Burke will take charge Of
cigar store and barber shop, follow
ing his talk with Fehr, who insisted
that the councilman, whose resigna-
ton has not been accepted, should
tell the entire story of his former
downfall and the exposure of his old
record.
Burke repeated the story substan-
TALLY as it has been printed many
times. but he added one essential de-
tail. He gave the name of the former
convict who blackmailed him and
drove him from his respected posi-
ton as a reform councilman to back
room in a lodging house in West
Thirty-sixth street, New York, where
he has been hiding since his disap-
pearance.
when 1 went away" said Burke,
"I shaved off my mustache. 1 did
not want any one to know me. l got
nv mail at Mills Hotel in New York
City. l fought out the battle with
the assistance of my wife. 1t was
hard for me to come back to Phlla-
delphia and face my former friends,
but there was no other way.
Owes Much to Wife.
Il owe a great deal to my wife and
stepdaughter and 1 promise to repay
it. I shall accept the offer of Mr..
Fehr. Other people have talked large
but Mr.. Fehr is the only one to come
forward and say: Here's position.
Come and get on your feet once more
and lead a respectable life"
Burke declared that certain people
had attempted to make capital out OF
the fact that he was reformed coun-
Gilman.
Just because I was an anti-organl-
cation councilman is. no reason for
gang papers to take advantage OF the
fact" he said. LAS reform advo-
cate I believed that the crooks should
be driven from politics. I think am
an authority on crooks know
them and l have lived with them.
There are many crooks in politics.
81 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 poor man,
his every move will be criticised. l
am poor man and at times have had
to borrow money in small amounts.
| I borrowed a small sum from an Or
ganization politician. l was so CRATE
full that | told him if the time came
when l could do anything for him in
council l would be glad to do so.
That man has misconstrued my state
ment and has told people that he
bought me for a miserable 81 loan.
That's politics for you!
Names the Ex.Convict.
| when l first made my confess
sion," Burke continued, certain peo-
pie declared l was lying-that was
seeking notoriety. One newspaper
suppressed the name of the ex-convict
who caused me to lay bare my past.
This ex-convict is Jimmy Foley,
man who has known me for twenty
FIVE years. We worked alongside of
each other in the harness shop at
Charlestown prison in Boston. When
I was a boy in New York he was
'stalr for a gang of pickpockets.
HE got every cent had, and after
I made my confession he left Phila-
delphia and went to New York. He is
67 wears old. He never will black
mail me again and from now on 1
will fight the battle of my life, no
matter what people may say