Norwich bulletin., 1913-05-07
Bribed Sipps to
 Flee the State
FORMER POLICE INSPECTORS
 FOUND GUILTY.
OBSTRUCTED JUSTICE
Induced Important Witness in Police
 Graft Investigation to Get Out of
 Reach-WiIi Be Sentenced Friday.

New York, May 6-James F.. Thompson, James E. Hussey, John J
 Murtha and Dennis Sweeney. the four denoted police inspectors charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, were convicted by a jury in the supreme court shortly after o'clock tonight.
 Only 38 minutes was taken by the jurors in which to reach their verdict misdemeanor in plotting to keep a prospective witness against the "sys- tenn from making great disclosures before the grand jury.
 To Hear Sentences Friday.
 The accused officials stood outwardly unmoved as they heard the verdict
 The crowd in the courtroom, however, created a disturbance. shuff1ing chairs and feet until attendants checked the disorder. The prisoners gave thelr pedigrees and after being remanded for sentence Friday they were return ed to their cells. Their counsel an nounced that certificate of reasona-
 ble doubt will be sought. If it is granted the prisoners will be admit ted to bail pending efforts to secure a new trial.
 The penalty for obstruction of jus- tice is one year in jail or fine of
 $500, or both. It is reported that the jury required only one ballot to reach it's decision.
 Convictions Considered Important.
 An attorney for the defense declared the verdict was "a shock and the
 briefness of the jurys deliberations "a
 surprise.' Another of the prisoners lawyers said no other verdict was ex- pected. "The atmosphere of the city
 of New York is surcharged at the present time with a determination to
 convict" he said.
 The conviction of Thompson, Illus
 sey, Murtha and Sweeney is regarded by MT. Whitman as the most 1npor- tant yet secured in connection with his
 expose of the police. system" that was shown to link law enforcers with the citys underworld when Becker, the
 police lieutenant, hired the four gun
 men to murder Herman Rosenthal, the
 gambler, last summer.
 Plotted to Buy Silence. The men were on trial seven court days. District Attorney Whitman and his assistants brought evidence to show that the four plotted to buy the silence of George A. Sipp. a resort
 keeper, through bribing him to fee the
 prosecutor was attacking the police system through graft disclosures
 made by Sipp and other witnesses be- fore the a1dermanic committee that | was Investigating the police depart 1 ment
 y l monthly payments to the police for protection for his resort, he had told 1 the committed Before MT. Whitman
 had a chance to get Sipp to repeat
 this testimony before the grand jury 1 the hotel man took flight.
 Given $2,000 to Leave State. 1 Upon being returned to the courts 1 Jurisdiction it developed that he had been bribed with $2,OOO to leave Sipp liI-xy into his story resulted in the joint in | dictment of the defendants, then in ] spectors.
 uring the course of the trial the state introduced evidence tending to 1 show that graft payments by Sipp 1 reached the defendants who in turn commanded the Harlem district where Sfpp's hotel was located.
 l $42,o0o Year in One Precinct. The tribute was collected for Thomp- 1 son by Thomas J. Walsh, who was captain of a Harlem precinct, and Walsh divided with the inspector above 1 him, according to Wash's own confes- sion. The amount of graft exacted 1 was in dispute during the trial, but MT. Whitman in summing up this af- 1 ternoon stated it was $42,000 year in 1 Walsh's precinct alone. Walsh and Sipp were the states chief witnesses. A Bribe for Policeman Fox. The prosecution contended further in l the trial that besides the Sipp fund a bribe sum of $15.0O0 was planned by l the defendants to furnish bail for Flu 1 gene Fox, a policeman, and to provide | for his family if he went to jail with ] out t:squealing." Fox awaits sentence 1 for bribery as Walsh's graft collector, his confession terminating the neces- sity of fund by the system to in
 sure his silence. The final day of the
 trial was occupied by the completion of summing up for the defense, MT. Whitman's argument for the state and 1 the courts charge to the jury. The 1 prosecutor emphasized what he de- clared was the weakness of-the case 1 of the defense-alibis. character test1-
 mony and efforts to discredit some of 1 the prosecutions witnesses on the ground that they were graft givers
 and graft takers. The case went to
 the jury in the early evening.