Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-11-14
POLICE IN GRAFT
PLOT CONFESSION,
SAYS WHITMAN
District Attorney Confirms
Story That Wiretappers Ac-
cuse High Officials.
DECLARES GANG STOLE
100000 FROM WOMAN
Department Officials Got Rake
off in Retainers and Per-
centage, It's Charged.

NEW YORK, Nov. 14.-District At
torney Whitman confirmed today the
report that he had obtained from a
gang of wireless wiretappers confess
| sions involving the payment OF. graft
for police protection to civilian In
high authority at police headquar-
ters, police inspector and at least
two lieutenants.
/ Many hundreds of thousands OF
dollars. Mr.. Whitman said, had been
obtained by the swindlers under po-
lice protection. Ten per cent. of this
sum and o fixed retainer of $1,000 q
month. according to the confessions,
had been divided among the police
officials involved
George McRae. confessor-in-chief
of the gang OF five who have barred
their records to Mr.. Whitman, Is au-
thority for the statement that Chi
cago woman whose identity Is known
to the district attorney was iieeced
out of 100000 during several months
by the gang in this city, and thSt
the police received 10 per cent. of this
sum
Confession Is Corroborated.
McRaes confession. Mr.. Whitman
said. had been corroborated in n my
essential details by the other w.re-
tappers, all of whom are under In
dictment for grand larceny. Still
more startling revelations are ex-
pected today in the confession of two
other wire-tappers who have indi-
Gated their willingness to tell the dis
trict attorney all they know about
money being paid for police protec-
ton. These men are expected at the
district attorneys office this after
noon.
According to the story told by Me-
Rae and his confederates, the police
were notified by the gang in advance
whenever a deal was on. Giving
names and dates, McFae told the dis
trict attorney that the police would
station man outside the building TO
which the victim was taken and that
after the wire-tappers had got bis
money, payment of the 10 per cent.
commission was made immediately
TO the police representative waiting
outside.
This, McRae charged, was taken to
the office of a police inspector and
either retained entirely by him or
divided with his superiors. In addi-
ton. the Wire-tappers, McRae said,
paid a man at police headquarters a
monthly retainer OF. $500,
McRae confessed to the district at
no announcement was made until to-
daV. In the meantime Assistant Dis
triet Attorney Groehl has devoted al
most his entire time to investigating
the story.
During the course of his investi-
cations Mr.. Groehl made several
trips to Chicago and there confirmed
portions of McRae's confession. AL
together nearly q dozen swindlers
connected with the gang have con-
fessed.
Chance Starts Expose.
McRae's confession and the result
ant revelations are the outgrowth of
an accidental meeting in Los Angeles
last September between McRae and a
representative of the district attor-
ney's office, who was in that city on
another case. The district attorneys
representative brought McRae with
him to Chicago, and there they were
met by Mr.. Groehl Before coming to
this city McRae had made a partial
confession.
The alleged working arrangements
between the police and the swindlers,
McRae said, was first made more than
eighteen months ago, or about six
months before the murder of Herman
Rosenthal resulted in disclosures of
police graft. During the investigation
after Rosenthars death the swindlers
became scared and many left the city.
Later the working arrangement, Nc
Rae said, was revived.