New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-11-16
COND0RF JOINS RANKS
OF POLICE PROBERS
"King of Wire apperS" Offers
Whitman Full Information
Regarding Graft System.
TO "GIVE UP" TOMORROW
Thirty Department Members
Involved, Half Of Whom,
District Attorney Thinks,
Will Seek Immunity.

Charles Gondorf, the king of the
Wire-Tappers," is the latest witness to
come forward and offer to tell District
| ATTORNEY Whitman all he knows about
graft paid to high police officials at
HEADQUARTERS. He made an agree
ment yesterday with Mr.. Whitman to
give him evidence tomorrow in sup
mort Of the story told by George Nc
| Rae and others OF cooperation be-
tween the police and the easy money
! operators.
/ Gondorf was arrested three times IN
cases in which he was charged with
doing his victims respectively out OF
S23. 600, $4,000 and $4,000. If the
tales told the District Attorney are
true. the commission paid the police on
these transactions was nearly Slo'ooo.
Gondorf has never been brought to
trial on these charges, and is out on
bail aggregating $4,000. The failure
to bring the cases to trial was due
| either to the reluctance Of the police to
| produce witnesses or that of the al
legged victims to make an identification
of Gondorf as one OF the men who
trimmed" them. Gondorf's counsel
was George Gordon Battle.
Mr.. Whitman was in possession yes
terdav Of the entire "modus operandf'
under which the police grafters and the
wiretappers operated. These details
were given him in a complete story OF
the system by ZAP Cohen, a former
plainclothes man and now private
| detective, who was in close touch with
| the confidence crowd
Whenever the wiretappers had 4
| "come-on" in sight il was the practice
| for them TO send word 10 their friends
at Headquarters. giving them the name
Of the victim and the time and place
where he was to be turned Off" II
they did this, everything, they were
assured. would be all right in case OF
a subsequent complaint by the man
who was plucked.
! Men from Headquarters represent
| ing the officials who were In on the
graft were sent out 10 be present at
the pluckhg, so as to keep tabs on
| the amount which changed hands
| and compute the commission.
When the victim turned up at Head
Quarters TO make a complaint the next
step in the scheme went into effect
His complaint would be received with
| the utmost seriousness and he would
be asked for n complete description Of
! his neecers. Sometimes the farce in
! Guided showing him a number Of pho
tographs, which he would be asked TO
identify. OF course, the pictures Of the
men concerned were not shown him.
This simple plan worked well enough
until some Of the victims got suspic-
jous and turned up at Headquarters
with lawyers who were wiser than they
and who insisted OIL being shown all Of
the pictures of wire-tappers in the
Rogues' Gallery. AS a result several
|
pictures Of the men who had taken
their money and the police were forced
to make arrests.
This contributed to the falling out
between the police and the wire-tappers,
who began to see that the promised
protection was not being delivered.
The police in turn tried to patch mat
tiers up by preventing the cases from
coming to trial and calling off the VIC
tins.
II Another development OF the system
was the cooperation Of fortune-te!lers
with the wire-tappers. Those in the
activities unmolested. 1t was their
practice TO fill certain OF their visitors
whom they got under their power with
tales of how they could make easy
money. They would give detailed de-
scriptions Of a certain man who was
to become their friend, and II they took
| his advice they would prosper. Then
| they would see to It that they fell In
with the Hire-tappers, and the rest OF
the plot was easy.
1t was said yesterday that there were
about thirty members of the Police De-
partment involved in the scandal. in-
Guiding two high officials at Headquar-
tiers and n number Of detectives who
had worked as their agents and go
betweens Fully half Of these, 1t is ex-
pected will be willing to tell all they
| know.
Information came to the District At
torney's office yesterday of attempts 10
intimidate the informing wiretappers
by threats to withdraw their bail bonds
and have them put in Jail. However
since they are more in the power OF
the District Attorney than the police
| the former being able to press the cases
against them at any time. there was
! little prospect Of these attempts sue
ceedng.
1