Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-05-08
4 POLICE GRAFTERS
GUILTY in GOTHAM
Convicted of Obstructing JUS
tiCe in Investigation

lice inspectors charged with a con-
spiracy to obstruct justice, were con-
victed by a jury in the supreme court
here.
Only thirty-eight minutes were TAX
en- by the jurors to reach their YER
dict that the defendants were guilty
of a misdemeanor in plotting to keep a
prospective witness against the 'sys-
TEN" from making graft disclosures
before the grand jury.
The accused officials stood outward
unmoved as they heard the verdic,
The crowd in the courtroom caused
disturbance shuffling chairs and feet
until attendants checked the disorder
The prisoners gave their pedigrees
and after being remanded for Friday
were returned to their cells. Counsel
announced that a certificate of reason
able doubt would give them chance
to go free on bail, pending efforts to
obtain a new trial.
The penalty for obstruction of JUS
tice is one year in Jail or a fine of
$500, or both. 1t was reported that
the jury required only one ballot to
reach it's decision. An attorney for
the defense declared the verdict was
"a shock" and the briefness O. the ,d-
rvs deliberations "a surprise" Ar
other of the prisoners lawyers said no
other verdict was expected. The at
mosphere of the city of New York is
surcharged at the present time with i
determination to convict. The convic-
ton of Thompson, Hussey, Murtha
and Sweeney is regarded by Mr.. Whit
man as the most important yet won
in connection with the exposure of the
police system that was shown to -,
law enforcers with the citys under
world, when Becker, the police lieu
tenant, hired the four gun men to muir
der Rosenthal last summer The men
were on trial seven court days.
District Attorney Whitman ar AS
sistants produced evidence to show,
that the four plotted to buy the silenceI
of Geo. A. Sipp, a resort keeper,
through bribing him to flee the state
last December, after he had told the
aldermanic committee that was inves
tigating the police department that
for years he had made monthly pay
ments to the police for protection of
his resort.
Before Mr.. Whitman had a chance
to get Sipp to repeat this testimony
before the grand jury the hotel man.
left the city. Upon being returned to
the courts jurisdiction, he declared
he had been bribed with $4,000 to
leave.
The prosecutors inquiry into his sto-
ry resulted in the joint Indictment of
the defendants, then inspectors. Dur
ing the trial the state introduced ey:-
dence tending to show that graft pay
ments by Sipp reached the defendants
who in turn commanded the Harlem
district, where Sipp's hotel was Local
ed The tribute was collected by
! Thomas Walsh, who was captain of a
Harlem precinct and Walsh divided.
with the inspectors, according to his
confession.
The amount of graft eXacted was in
dispute at the trial, but Mr. Whitman
in summing up the case stated it was
$42, 900 a year in Walsh's precinct
alone. Walsh and Sipp were the
states chief witnesses. The prosec J.
ton also contended that besides the
Sipp fund, bride sum of $4,000 was
planned by the defendants to furnish
bail for Eugene Fox, a policeman, and
to provide for his family, if he went to
Jail without "squealing." Fox awaits
sentence for bribery.
The final day of the trial was occu-
pied by the completion of summing Up
for the defense, Mr.. Whitman's argu-
ment for the state and the court 8
A. The