The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-05-07
Thompson, Hussey, Muir
tha and Sweeney Must
Pay Penalty
ONLY 3S MINUTES IN
REACHING VERDICT
Accused Officials Outwardly Calm
Penalty for Crime Is One Year
In Jail or Fine of $500
or Both

New York, May 6.--James r. Thomp-
son, James E. Husscy. John J. NIurtha
"nd Dennis Sweeney, the four denoted
police Inspectors charged with con
e"iracy 10 "bstruct justice, were con-
Ficted by "A jury In the supreme court
shortiy after o'clock tonight.
only IS minutes We're taken by the jur-
ors to reach their verdict that the de-
PENDANTS were guilty of a msdemeanor
In plotting TO keep prospective witness
against the System" from making graft
disclosures before the grand jury.
The accused officials stood outwardly
unmoved as they heard the verdict The
crowd in the courtroom, however, caused
a disturbance, shuffling chairs and feet
until attendants checked the disorder
The prisoners gave their pedigrees and
after being remanded for sentence Friday
were returned to their cells.
Counsel announced that a certificate of
reasonable doubt would be sought, which
would give the prisoners a chance to go
free on bail pending efforts to obtain A
new trial.
Only One Ballot
The penalty for obstruction of justice
Is one year in Jail or fine of $500 or
both. 1t was reported that the jury re-
pured only one ballot to reach its de-
cision.
An attorney for the defense declared
the verdict was "a shock and the brief
ness of the jury's deliberations "a sur
prise. Another of the prisoners law
yers said no other verdict was expected.
THE atmosphere of the city of New
York is surcharged at the present time
with determination to convict" he
said.
The conviction of Thompson, Hussey.
Murtha and Sweeney is regarded by Mr.
Whitman as the most important yet won
In connection with expose of the police
system that was shown to link law
enforcers with the citys underworld,
when Becker, the police lieutenant, hired
the four gunmen TO murder Herman
Rosenthal. the gambler, last summer.
Plotted to Buy Sipp
The men were on trial seven court days
District Attorney Whitman and his assist
ants produced evidence to show that the
four plotted to buy the silence of George
a. Sipp, resort keeper, through bribing
him TO fee the state last December, after
he had told the aldermanc committee
that was investigating the police depart
ment that for years he had made monthly
payments to the police for protection for
his resort.
Before Mr. Whitman had a chance to
get Sipp to repeat this testimony before
the grand jury the hotel man left the
city.
Upon being returned to the courts juris-
dction he declared he had been bribed
with $1,000 to leave. The prosecutors in
quiry into his story resulted in the joint
indictment Of the defendants, then inspec-
tors.
During the trial the state introduced evil
dence intending to show that graft pay
ments by Sipp reached the defendants,
who in turn commanded the Harlem dis
trct where Sipp's hotel was located. The
tribute was contained for Thomas Walsh,
who was captain of a Harlem precinct.
and Walsh divided with the inspectors ac-
oording to his confession. The amount
of graft eXacted was in dispute during
the trial, but Mr.. Whitman in summing
UP this afternoon stated it was $4,000 a
year in Walsh's precinct alone. Walsh
and Spp were the states chief witnesses.
The prosecution also contended that be-
sides the Sipp fund bribe sum of s15,-
O0O WAS planned by the defendants to
furnish bail for Eugene Fox, police
man, and to provide for his family If he
went to jail without "squeaing.' Fox
awaits sentence for bribery as Walsh S
graft collector, his confession terminat-
ing the necessity of a fund by the "sys-
tenn to insure his silence.
Tho final day of the trial was occupied
by the completion of summing up for the
defense. Mr.. Whitmans argument for
the state and the courts charge to the
jury. The prosecutor emphasized what
he declared was the weakness of the case
of the defense, alibis. character test-
mony and efforts to discredit some of
the prosecutions witnesses on the ground
that they were graft givers and graft
takers. The case went to the Jury in
the early evening.
Other indictments are pending against
Thompson, Hussey, Murtha and Sweeney.
Against the first three named are two
each for bribery. Against Sweeney are
1s. also for bribery. All have to do with
alleged acceptance of graft paid for po-
lice protection. District Attorney Whit
man was non-committal tonight as to his
further procedure in these cases. He
preferred to await the courts action on
sentence day before declaring himself,
he said In summing up today, he called
the jurys attention to the fact that, the
defendants face further prosecution. He
explainedAwhy he called the conspiracy
case before trying the four individually
on the bribery indictments.
II wanted you to hear the testimony of
Captain Walsh and think 1t is appar-
pou