New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-16
POLICE "RING" DESPERATE
Sweeney, on Stand in Effort to
Save Co. Between, Declares
He Never Took Graft or
Sent Young Policeman
to Walsh with $500.
RESULT PLEAsEs WHITMAN
Testimony of Captain Who Confessed
Outweighs That of Uniformed
Friends Of Accused-Trials of
Newell, Duffy and Former
Inspector to Come Next.

Newell, Duffy and Former
Inspector to Come Next.
John J. Hartigan. policeman, victim
Of his own stubborn resolve 10 swcar
falsely for the system" was convicted
Of perjury by jury in Justice Sea-
bury's Criminal Branch Of the Supreme
Court after it had considered the evil
dence against him for just twelve min
utes.
Dennis Sweeney. the former police in
spector. who started Hartigan out on
the $3.50 message" which got the ooy-
ish looking policeman into trouble and
himself out on bail under thirteen SEP
arate indictments, made a last dcsper-
ate attempt 10 save Hartigan and
thereby save himself by taking the wilt
ness stand TO deny he had given the
$500 TO Hartigan to be used as part ce
the $3.50 fund for Patrolman Fox TO
bribe George 4. Sipp to keep out Of the
state.
Ht jury 10y It's Twelve minute NeE-
dict of guilty in the perjury case
against Hartigan gave the lie direct
TO Sweeney and 10 the police "-ing.''
which both the former inspector and
his patrolman-clerk were trying to pro-
tect-an' Sweeney, though he had been
conspicuously present throughout the
trial, disappeared before the return OF
the jury whose verdict denounced his
sworn evidence as unworthy Of belief.
Jury Believed Walsh.
Sweeney's staccato denials OF his par
ticipation in the Sipp silence fund were
discarded by the jury in favor OF the
whispered words of Captain Thomas ".
Walsh. the confessed CRATER, who came
from sickbed TO make public AMI
sworn admission of the existence Of a
police graft ring" which included both
Sweeney and himself. a ring for
which Hartigan was the messenger.
District Attorney Whitman, in clos
ing the case for the prosecution. lashcd
the system" mercilessly as the under
lying cause Of Hartigan's plight, but in
sisted that the conviction of the misled
policeman was necessary for the vindi-
cation of the law
It isn't Hartigan that is on trial
here, in a sense" said Mr.. Whitman,
its the law OF the state. The extraor-
binary grand jury wanted the truth,
and this young man, relying on the
system that has protected him. stood
in the way. Sweeney. an inspector Of
police, has got To be protected by this
system, or the whole thing goes down.
That's what judges, grand juries, juries
and District Attorneys OF this county
have been up against for years, and
that's what they're up against now. It's
part of the gospel of the system
Who rule in New York? The police
or the law OF the state? It's time It
was settled"
Hartigans defence was put in yestor-
dav morning. He was the chief Wit
moss for himself. and while he entered
vigorous denial Of the fact on which tho
perjury charge was based-that he had
given to Walsh the envelope with the
$500 i'm il. when he called at his bed
side on the morning of December 80
he involved himself hopelessly in a
mass Of contradictory statements when
Mr. Nhitman.c cross examined him.
Tried To Save Sweeney.
Another Walsh. a police lieutenant
named Thomas r.. and d policeman j.
J. Macdonald. testified 10 the effect that
they had delivered a message 10 Harti-
gan from Captain Walsh. asking the
defendant To call at the captains home
on the night Of December %. II was
the contention Of the defence that Hart
igan had called on Walsh on December
20 end had then been asked by the
captain To come around the next MORN
ing 10 deliver "A message for him, thus
taking the onus of originating the $3.50
message to Fox off Sweencys shoul-
dcrs.
The afternoon session was given over
20 the summing UP on botn siues anu
10 Justice Seabury's charge, and the
case went to the jury at 4:4o o'clock IN
the. afternoon. The jurors returned
with a verdict of guilty at 5:l5 o'clock,
but it was learned later that 1t had
reached the second ballot. in which u
agreed upon the verdict. twelve minutes
after the members settled themselves
in the jury room. The first ballot taken
carried ten votes for conviction. one for
acouittal. and one blank.
District Attorney Whitman said after
the verdict that he felt confident the
Hartigan conviction would lead, ~
natural sequence, TO convictions IN al
of the graft indictments based on police
corruption unearthed in the Harlem
district. In a measure these graft pros