Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-08
MEN ARE HELD
IN GRAFT INQUIRY
United States Attorney, Fear
full of Tampering, Incar-
cerates Witnesses.
ONE is PLACED IN JAIL,
OTHER IN POLICE CELL
Their Information Said to Involve
Another Member of Police
Force.

Acting on information that came from
an unexpected source late last night,
officials of the United States attorneys
Office held two men as important wit
nesses for the United States in the po-
lice graft investigation. On an order
from Judge Ashley NJ Gould one of the
witnesses was locked up in jail and the
other held in police station.
The men were found and taken into
custody by a deputy marshal and Po-
liceman Mahaney of the sixth precinct.
The identity of the two witnesses, as
we'll as the location of the source of
information upon which they were held,
was closely guarded by United States
officials as well as by officials of the
police department. They are supposed
to have given considerable informa-
! tion. involving another member of the
| police force. which is of such vital
| character that it was decided to lock
| them up and Keep them away from all
| possible leaks or tampering. 1t is pos
| sible that announcement Of the sus-
| pension of another policeman will fol-
| low that of Warren E. Grimes of the
fourth precinct. who was suspended
yesterday
/ AS far as could be learned the infor-
nation came to a member of the dis
| trict attorneys staff on the telephone.
and, acting upon it, an immediate ap-
plication was made to Judge Gould to
| order the holding of the two men.
Graft System Not Widespread.
1t can be definitely stated that the
Investigations made so far by q. S. At
torney John E. Laskey center around
Detective Roy Kleindienst and certain
other men in the fourth precinct. with
possibly one or two others who have
been transferred from there to other
posts There is no widespread system
of graft in the police department, SO
far as the evidence to be presented to
the grand jury is concerned. Mr.. Las
key, while extremely reticent in his
statements, said last night that he be-
lieved the public should understand
involved SO far and no false ideas of
the extent of the system" should be
lodged in the public mind
Evidence examined and analyzed up
cient to present a case to the grand
jury when 1t meets again. It is prob
able this presentation will be within
a Reasonably short time, perhaps two
weeks. The witnesses. however. are
slow in giving up what information
they have. Some Of them give the
impression of being afraid they will
be dragged into it." On the other
hand, mass of anonymous information
Is being sent in to the United States
be Investigated and made the basis Of
close questioning.
Pay for "Protection" Alleged.
All of the evidence that will go before
the grand jury, 1t Is understood, in
wolves graft of comparatively petty
sort. Unless something new develops
the attempt will be made to show that
money changed hands between women
of the underworld and policemen IN
exchange for protection or alleged pro-
real protection is a question which may
possibly become a separate matter un-
der a separate investigation by the
officials of the police department. The
consider is the sort on which a charge
of conspiracy. or charge of attempt
ing to delay justice, could be based.
A public official, who has been active
in the investigation was asked last
night to specify case that had come
under his eyes.
ut might be-" he replied. that
policeman had taken money from a
woman for protection and when "a
charge was made that some one had
been robbed in her house he would see
to it that no one in the house came TO
any HARM"
Were the amounts of money consid-
erable?"
NO. I believe they could be called
petty"
Complete Case Probably Made.
omcials Of the District attorneys Of
flee believe that the evidence already
collected is sufficient to make a COM
plete case against one Of the men in
volved at least. This policeman, to use
the expression Of an official. "is caught
obtained last night against an addi-
tional member of the force is said to
be extremely important, also. but the
investigation Of this particular in
dence in other cases also lacks COM
pleteness. and owing to the laborious
methods which have to be adopted to
drag 1t from some Of the unwilling in
formers portions of the inquiry may
hang on for weeks to come.
There was a hint last night of an
additional investigation by Maj. Pull
man on matters concerning the ad-
| ministration Of the police department
which are not Of criminal nature, but
are bad when viewed from the stand
point of clean and efficient policing.
officials Cooperating.
Maj. Pullman has been cooperating
with United States Attorney Laskey,
but the time Is near at hand when the
police department probably will go
ahead on its own account and make
! q fine tooth comb search for bad prpc-
| tices which have been pointed at Or
partly disclosed during the closed door
examination of witnesses in possible
criminal cases.
The Importance Of the evidence which
might be given by Detective Ray Klein
dienst and Margaret Stout had a ques-
| tionable light thrown on it last night by
officials who discussed the case. Nothing
that either of them could say could be
| taken in court without proper corrobora-
ton. as each one of them is now under
conviction. Neither could one corrobo-
rate what the other had to say.
The statement that Kleindienst is in
| Philadelphia was denied last night by
persons close to the case. He is under
stood to be much nearer to Washington
| than that.