New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-01
Whitman Discovers That Prison
Officials Failed to Make the
Usual Entry in Wis.,
itOrS' Book.
INSPECTOR HAD NO PASS
District Attorney Calls the Mat
ter to the Attention of the
Grand Jury, Which Seeks
to Fix Responsibility
for LaXness.

1nspoctor Dennis Sweeney visited ms
former wardman. Patrolman John d.
Hartman. three times in his cell in 'ne
Tombs after Hartigan's conviction or d
charge of perjury. which grew out VI
nis efforts to shield sweeney. IheSe
..;sits wore all made on Sundays OF
,,o,;davs after hours. and Sweeney Nds
.5oi,tod without question, although
NO did not have pass on any oOO"
- Alec these visits were made af'er
tho regular visiting hours. and no rev.
ord was made of the secret VISITS -
c,,,.oonoy in the books Of the prison al
.,..,,,,, the rule is that no visitor may
COO a prisoner without his name pV'i''
entered in the visitors book
When District Attorney Nhi''"1"
learned of Sweeney's visits TO me
roubs he at once placed the mat''r
before the grand jury. examining nan
81 dozen Tombs keepers before 'n'''
bodv in an effort to get at the redSo''
why Sweeney. under several iilulV'
ments should be permitted TO WISH '"c
rop,bs without pass and on Sundays
and HOLIDAYS. and hold private coil'v'
cnces with man in his cell VINO was
on the point of confessing all he knows
of grating on the part of sweeney ana
others. Before the grand jury ends us
investigation it will make thorous"
nrobe of conditions in the prison.
Warden John Fdllon Of the Tombs
told the reporters Yesterday that ne
saw nothing wrong in Sweeney's visits
to Hartigan.
WRIGHT Calls 1t Oversight.
He and William ]. Wright. Deputy
commissioner Of Corrections, who IS 4
Tammanv district leader in Harlem
where Sweeney ruled with an iron mana
for wears. declared that they believed
the failure 10 write Sweeney's name on
the books of the prison on each of the
three occasions was due to AN honest
oversight"
MIR. Wright's superior. Commissioner
Patrick \. Whitney, took an opposite
view. He said that he believed it VAS
wrong To have admitted Sweeney. He
refused to permit Sweeney TO visit him
on Sunday. and when he heard OF
Sweeney's first visit to Hartigan. on
March Is, the Sunday following Hard-
gan's conviction he told the Keepers
not TO admit Sweeney again unless he
presented pass.
The District Attorney understands
now the reason for the sudden deter
mination of Hartigan to stand pat ana
not confess on his former patron after
his conviction. No sooner did the news
reach Sweeney of Hartigan's wanting
10 confess than he made secret yisi;
10 the Tombs. and was admitted by
Michael Cummings the keeper. after
the latter failed to reach Commissioner
Whitney on the telephone. This was
about , o'clock in the evening. and
Sweeney remained with Hartigan for
two hc,'Ts.
The following Monday Hartigan was
different man. He had nothing to
confess. he swore, and he insisted that
he was innocent.
The knowledge Of these visits would
never have been brought TO the atten-
ton Of the District Attorney but for a
citizen who happened to see Sweeney,
hiding his face with handkerchief,
visit the Tombs last Sunday morning.
Newell Prepares Statement.
Edward Jackson Newell. who admit
ted participating in the Sipp bribery
conspiracy, spent nearly all of yester-
day afternoon in District Attoraev
Whitman's office debating long state
ment Of all he knew Of the part played
by police inspectors and others to keen
Sipp out of the jurisdiction of thu
court He will finish the statement to-
day and will probably be taken before
the grand jury tomorrow.
Newell implicated another lawyer as
deeply as he implicated himself and
three inspectors. This lawyer knows
he has been accused and has been r.
ing to make terms with the District
Attorney. But unless he can point tho
way 10 the real men higher up and
higher than any Of the inspectors in
dicted he viii be facing an Indictment
himself
Jacob Reich. alias Jack Sullivan
after spending more than eight months
IN the Tombs, was released Yesterday
on SloOD bonds. furnished by Il
surety company. The bond calls for
ms appearance on grand larceny
charge. He was paroled on his orn
rccognizance on the murder charge
and many be brought TO trial on this
accusation whenever the District A.
torney sees fit.