New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-17
SYSTEM ASKS SWEENEY
TO FIGHT WHITMAN
Secret Conference Held by Po-
lice Officials. Including In
speCtor, in Jersey City.
MAY SURRENDER TO-DAY
Two Indictments Will Be Hand
ed Up Against Accused Man,
and Friends Believe He Will
Follow Walsh's Lead.

Inspector Dennis f. Sweeney. the poiic'
official drawn into the graft net by cap
tain Wash's confession went over tn
Jersey city yesterday for conference
News Of mis- mission, given out first az
his home. No. 6S West l21th street. occa-
stoned no surprise when it was brought
to District Attorney Whitman. and it dp-
peared that the accused inspector has
been constantly Swallowed by Mr. Whit
mas investigators.
Two indictments against Sweeney. one
based on his activity as H'alt collecto
As described by Walsh. and the other on
his activity in connection with the at
tempt To bride Patrolman Eugene 4. Fox,
and through him George 4. Sipp. will he
handed up by the extraordinary grand
jury to-day.
II is expected that Sweeney VIII sur
render himself 10 the District Attorney -
soon as Inc is notified Of his indictment.
His lawyer. Charles +. Kelley. repeated
again that Sweeney would fight the cases
T. the limit. and that he had no thought
of maxim any overtures To the Distric.
Attorney. but those who have been In
touch with the inner politics of the police
ring believe that Sweeney Will crack
Just as quickly as Walsh. when he realizos
tn. strength of the ease against him.
Although nothing definite could be-
learned of the Jersey Cty conference yes
terI4y. it was understood that the othc.
participants were police officials O( equal
and higher authority than sweeney. who
directed all theip efforts To inducing III
Inspector 30 hght the. District Attcrn"y
to the end.
Sweeney closest personal friends out
side If me department have urged him
90 make what bargain l.c could wtG
Whitman rather than let himself b. made
the coat for the "sy stem" and SOM
ol them attempted 10 get in touch with
whitman yesterday for a final word on
whether Do. would give Sweeney an I'M
muultl bath II ne gave evidence on
number q, other rolice officials
Whitman refused 10 deal with them.
however and stood by his previous an
uouncement that he vas through prom
isng immunity II appeared that
sweeney. through hi- friends, began this
movement too late. and that he would
have To- face trial.
Ills trial viii probably begin i'm the
middle. OF the last week of this mJntn
a. Alr Whitman now proposes 10 put the
Inspector on trial just a. soon after his
indictment a. the legal formalities can
be complied with
II Sweeney elects 70 throw his aid 10
the District Attorney under a promise of
e. mere recommendation FOR clemcncy, II
- believed he can give conVicting evi-
d,u.. against on" fellow inspector two
captains who We're formerly inspectors.
and Deputy Commissioner with "h"m
he dealt at Headquarters.
indictments foi bribery and eAtortlon
viii b. asked for to-day against two oi
sweeney collectors In addition TO the
,orroborativc evidence against these men
supplied by Fox and Walsh. MI Whit
man has unearth.d q mass Of documen-
tary evidence in the shape OF checks
letters and receipts. which establish the
fact that sweeney through his collectors
was harvesting a direct crop Of rlch graft
I'm Harlem on which ne was paying NJ
percentages Ia captains and only q smail
An cunt Ia his graft rins superior al
Headquarters
This eviderce which MIR. whitman
gathered i'm person on his trip through
Sveeney's district on Saturday. disclosed
that the thrifty inspector was collecting
sums in the neighborhoud of so a month
from uimb,r of hotels. which had Oren
counted as 900 small 10 bother with uN
some of his predecessors an command or
the district. and which even the precinct
CAPTAINS had scheduled for the insignia
cant levy Of g. a month.
From what the District Attorney
learned. although me was not ready To
make any definite estimate Of me acSre-
.ate of graft in the Harlem district. the
previous estimate of approximately $,W
I. month as the inspectors share IN mat
Gistric, was "ridiculously small.
MIR Whitman has four new witnesses %
present to the grand jury to-day, cach
q, whom viii tell a story of graft pay
ments. substantiated by documentary svi-
dence which were made direct 10 the in
spectors collectors.
one man who had been paving Walsh
s. month will testify Of regular month
~ PAYMENTS of so to Sweeney's collector.
The small sum which he gave Walsh's
collector this man paid directly from his
cash drawer: but the Inspector money,
ten times that collected by the captain,
he always drew "A check for. These check
stubs SHOW the frank entry. TOR police.
Jacob ROuss. one Of the lawyers who
appeared for Patrolman Fox called on
Mr. Whitman Yesterday. He told report
,rs when he was leaving the District At
torney that Sergeant Peter j. Duty,
whose name had been linked with that oi
Sweeney. was "A nephew OF the suspended
INSPECTOR Duny's relationship was first
disclosed as that OF nephew OF Sweeney,
hut this was later denied by Deputy Com
missioner Newburger. Mr.. Rouss said he
knew that DUFFY was Sweeney's nephew.
Duffy is the police officer who was
transferred from precinct to precinct
about the city coincident with every
change in command 10y Sweeney. He is
the owner of three parcels of real estate
in Yonkers. on one Of which $1,000
.nortment house stands, valued In the
aggregate at about $4,000 Duffy told
Newburger he had saved $1,000 in his ser
vice as "A patrolman and sergeant, ana
that an aunt had left him legacy oi
$1,000
Jobn i. Hartigan. another of Sweeney
confidential men. will be witness before
the grand jury to-day He is expected to
fell of his work as messenger in the trans
action by which $3.50 was sent to Fox by
Sweeney and Walsh 10 he used for tic
nurposc of bribing George a. Sipp To keep