New-York tribune., 1913-07-14
WALSH'S WIDOW To SUE
FOUR POLICE SOCIETIES
Benevolent Associations, She
Says, Have Ignored Her Many
Appeals for $3.50.
NO MEMBERS AT FUNERAL
Captains Dues All Paid, 1t Is
Asserted, Yet No Steps Have
Been Taken Toward
Benefit Payments.

Court proceedings to compel the pay
ment of the widows share of benefits
, to be derived from four of the police
benevolent societies il is expected will
be instituted in the City Court soon by
| Mrs. Thomas w. Walsh. widow of TIE
! police captain who helped to expose
police graft conditions i'm the 9th In
| spection District
According To his widow. from the
moment Captain Walsh told Distric.
! Attorney Whitman that before he died
! he wanted TO make clean breast Of
his graft operations and connections n
Harlem the captain was stunned and
| antagonized by all his former friends
and associates N the department.
This attitude cid not change at the
time of his deatL; nor has it changed
: toward his widow. she says Only i'm
mediate relltivcs with the exception OF
! District Attorney Whitman. attended
the captains funeral. No representative
| of any of the police benevolent assocla-
I tion5 was preset, and II was learned
/ last night that no steps whatever have
/ been taken by the police organizations
! 20 meet heir obligations 10 Mrs.
! Walsh
! At the Walsh funeral District Attor-
ncy Whitman eaid he was present by
( reason OF his sympathy with Mrs.
Walsh and the gratitude he had fclt
/ toward the captain who was the prin-
l cipal witness frr the state i'm the pros..-
cution Of Inspectors Sweeney. Murtha.
Thompson and Hussey. who are no~
serving terms in the penitcntiary.
Death Customs Ignored.
1t has been The custom of the police
/ benevolent associations 10 send dele
gates TO :he homes Of deceased MEM
bers 10 offer immediate assistance and
make arrangem, for payment Il as
sociat!on benefits.
In tho case Of Walsh no delegates
were sent; no. have any communica-
tions been received by Mrs. Walsh ~
feriug financid. aid. II was said las,
night. Several weeks have elapsed
since the Walsh funeral but thus far
no action slS bocn taken by any OF tie
police benevolent organizations. Of
which the captain was a member. A.
least, the wido' has not been told ~
any steps toward her benefit
Mrs. Walsh, IT was said last night.
| on more than ono occasion wrote 10 the
| four associItions-the Patrolmcn's BE-
nevolcnt Association. the Sergcants'
| Association. the Licutenants' Assucia-
! ton and the Captains Association
asking for Information as 10 when she
/ might expect payment Of death bcne-
/ fits. She has not received an answer
to any Of her communications, il was
| said.
/ Mrs. Walsh has turned over 10 her
/ attorney, John G. Stein, all receipts
| and other documents I'm her possession
that show that her husband was IN
good standing at the time Of his death
No Conditions in Bylaws.
! The bylaws Of the associations ~
which Walsh was a member make no
| distinction in the payment Of the en-
| dowment benefits. and In some cases
I 20 so far as to stipulate that members
Of the orders are to be paid at the
J time Of retirement or dismissal
| There is no condition in regard TO
payments to widows
-. H. he
| associations is, Of course, not yet
known. a Supreme Court decision
| some years ago said that in cases Of
dismissal from the police force Of
members Of the benevolent associa-
tions the associations were not TO be
/ held liable for the payment OF widows
shares. Despite the decision the organ
! izations have made payments to wild
! ows irrespective of dismssals before
| the deaths Of members.
/ The amounts due Mrs. Walsh, ac-
/ cording TO the contention Of her coun-
| sci. are 81 900 from the captains as
sociation, $500 from the lieutenants,
/ 500 from the sergeants'. and $3.50 from
the patrolmen's organization.
| The dues to the police benevolent as
sociatlons vary from - cents 10 30
cents month. Additional assessments
are made during the year.
Walsh joined the PatrOlmens Be
( nevolent Association when he was APP
pointed to the force, in 1891. AS he
rose in rank he joined the other asso-
Citations, still keeping up his member
ships in those of lesser rank.