New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-03

piIev has been under subpoena TOT
soveral DAYS to testify before tine
Grand Jury in this investigation. Yes
t,rdav District Attorney whitman
learned that Riley would not consent
to waive immunity. without which the
District Attorney would not call him'
and he was i'm some doubt as TO wheu-
or Riley's testimony would be accept
able.
The inquiry takes in not only wire
TAPPING graft. but also payments Tor
nrotection by clairvoyants and fortune
tollers. The chief figures in the clair
yovant and fortune telling lines, the
District Attorney believes. he holds In
his power through Mrs. Jane L. Bur-
nett. a wealthy Chicago woman VINO
was In his office yesterday.
Woman FIeeced by Clsirvoyants.
Mrs. Burnett was found by Assist
ant District Attorney Groehl in chi
cago. She was in New York about two
years ago and lost $4,000, it is said
through her dealings with clalrVoy-
ants. Upon their advice she bought
worthless stocks and lost $4,000.
Through other schemes she dropped
&c 600. and was induced to give UP u
the seers her jewelry, worth Sl-'VoV'
The evidence Mrs. Burnett Is pre-
pared to give would send half dozen
Of the most prosperous seers TO Sins
Sing for five TO ten years each' 1t Is
no, believed they will seek 10 oostruct
tho path OF the District Attorney Win
such charges staring them In the face.
It is said that other and higher po-
lice officials will be involved In the hFt
bcrore the investigation is completed
Records and books from Police HEAD
ousrters are under subpoena, and
corroborativc evidence sought by inc
District Attorney is found, It VIII be
,mnossIble To- complete the inquiry In
loss than two months. II has been
found that from January 10 july lol-'
there were no arrests OF wire tapperS
who shared with the police. In tac'
s,cb arrests as were made are virtually
nroyen 10 have been merely for erect
The records of the District Attorney
Office show only one conviction TOT wire
tanning since the law was amended
several wears ago 10 make such con
victions possible.
Tho defendant in that instance was
sentenced In 1911 10 two years. lie Is
NOW AT liberty and says ne has re-
formed. 4 representative or the DIS
trict Attorney has talked with him. ana
he saws he paid the police regularly
for protection. but nevertheless he was
framed up" and sent away.
Whitman will examine every person
who has been Il complainant In wire
tanning cases. in an effort To discover
why so many complaints are with
drawn. II was pointed out that in SUCH
cases il was easy for the police TO
make arrests and then quash the case
In almost every instance complain
ants live in other states and cannot DE
circumstances of the swindle, inVoiN-
ing betting on what the complainant
believes To be fixed race, are such
that all hesitate to make a complaint.
II Is said that the gang OF wire tap
pears with whom the District Attorney
has had dealings had two houses which
were used as headquarters, and that
the same system prevailed generally
with all who paid tribute TO the police.
As soon as victim appeared at
headquarters, it is said, detective
was sent to warn the wire tappers.
on receipt of the warning they inn
mediately moved their headquarters to
the second house, and when the COM
plainant with other detectives arrived
at the house where he had been swim
died II was deserted.
Dominick Riley was never assigned
TO wire tapping cases. lie had been
on the force since 1896 and was sent
! L. the Detective Bureau soon after his
appointment. In 1901 while pursuing
burglars on bicycle. he was thrown
and one lung was punctured. That
| same year he was made "A lieutenant.
J He was made captain on september
/ Is and put in charge Of the Elizabeth
street station To clean up Chinatown.
On November IS he was retired on a
pension of $1,000. His retirement was
| due to i'll health. 1t was said that he
never fully recovered from the injuries
received when he was thrown from his
| bicycle.
| Riley was the right-hand man of
! former Deputy Commissioner Flynn.
as he had been Of Deputy Commission
or Dougherty. He was assigned to
many of the most important cases the
! Detective Bureau handled. Under
Commissioner Flynn he spent months