New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-07-28
BURNS TELLS HOW HE
TRAPPED DETROIT MEN
"Te|egraphone" Enabled Him
to Force Confession, He Said,
from Councils President.
"SURER THAN DICTAGRAPH"
Detective, Now Aiding Whit
man, Pauses Long Enough to
Describe New Instrument
for Crime Investigation.

William j. Burns, who is working
with District Attorney Whitman on the
Rosenthal case, interrupted his work
for a while yesterday afternoon to talk
about graft in the Detroit Common
Council which he unearthed, causing
the arrest OF nine officials on Friday,
while half a dozen more were about to
be taken into custody.
The story OF the, investigatiOn and the
manner In which the trap had been
prepared for these officials paled be'
fore the description Mr.. Burns gave o.
the possibilities Of a new weapon
against crooks and grafterS which. he
said, had been tried for the first time
in the Detroit case The enthusiastic
satisfaction lie displayed at the sue
cess Of this new instrument in obtain
ing evidence against the Detroit alder
men seemed TO indicate how much he
expected 10 accomplish with II in the
difficult task Mr.. Whitman has placed
before him.
Mr.. Barns called this new weapon ct
his the "telegraphone. He had been
waiting for The perfection Of that in
strument for long time, he said, be-
cause he had reanzed the weakness OF
evidence obtained through the dicta-
graph. The new instrument will do
what ths dictagraph has done; 1t Will
A concentrations hut II
will reproduce voices SO distinctly that
they can be identified by the jury. The
defence now frequently made against
dictagraph evidence that the record
had been faxed will be practically ex-
cIudcd with the telegraphone, Mr..
Burns said.
AS he described tho telegraphone 1t
was capable Of recording voices wish
all the delicate characteristics Of midi
vidual speech. 50 the voice might 10
recognized easily unless the speaker
was a master in tho art of changing
his voice. II was simply matter for
the prosecutor AT the trial, Mr.. Burns
said. TO put his questions in such
manner that the man concerned would
have 10 reply In nearly the same words
lie had used under the espionage Of the
tolegraphone. and the jury, listening to
the instrument at the sam" time. could
not fail to perceive the identity NJ the
voice.
Simplicity-Long Distsree.
The simplicity Of The instrument and
the possibility Of making IL tho recorder
Of speech uttered a considerable dis
lance away made the telographonc In
valuable in criminal Investigations. Mr.
Burns said. Il could he Installed r.
any room where current could be OBJ
tanned from an electric lamp. he said,
and the wire over which the voice wac
transmitted TO the instrument might
be. miles long, leading 10 different sec
ton Of the city.
The receiver, placed in the room IN
which the conversation is expected 10
take place. could be a dictagraph or "a
delicate receiver Of the telephone kind.
Mr.. Burns seemed confident that the
arrangement could be made In such =
manner that It would practically defy
detection II suspicion should be aroused
In the man under surveillance.
The success of his Detroit investiga-
ton has apparently pleased Mr.. Burns
especially because IT gave him an op-
portunity to. iry this Instrument for
which he has Deen looking so long The
case supplied enough records, he said.
TO prove that his hopes as to the eff
cheney OF the teleeraphonc were en-
tirely justified
The Detroit investigation, Mr.. Burns
said, he began in February at the in
stance Of Mayor William p. Thompson.
The city Of Detroit had tried for a con-
siderable time to increase the facilities
of the railroads leading into the CITY,
and the Wabash had shown itself ready
to spend about 100000 for improve
ments. Although the city appeared to
want the proposed Improvements, "A
coterie In the Common Council baked
every application OF the railroad, and
soon il became matter OF open con-
lecture that some OF the aldermen were
looking for graft.
How ceunohmen Were Trapped.
II was then that Mayor Thompson
called on MIR. Burns TO make an investl-
cation, the detective said. An opera
tive of the Burns agency was installed
| in large office In Detroit bearing the
name Of the. Wabash Railroad Com
pany Real Estate Office. and Mr.. Burns
himself laid the plan by which the cor
rupt councilmen were TO be trapped.
The Wabash Railroad applied for the
closing of Detroit street on the
grounds that 1t wanted TO erect ware
houses and otherwise improve it's ship
ping facilities. The application was
held up in the Council and Mr.. Burns
got busy. His operative approached
the men who resisted the application.
and finally a number Of the council
men who had been opposed to the
measure changed their attitude and
the application of the Wabash was
granted.
In all the transactions and COLI
ferences of the supposed Wabash agent
the telegraphone was kept working
MIR. Burns said, and 1t was this record
more than anything else that led to
the full confession Of Alderman