New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-20
FORMER POLICE
OFFICIAL ACCUSED
John J. HerlhnJ Charged
with Assailing Captain
Cooper in Letter.
EX-LIEUTENANT
DENIES GUILT
Alleged Authorship Traced by
Handwriting Expert-Grudge
Called Motive.

Charged with sending to Clement J.
Driscoll, of the Bureau of Municipal
Research, a letter accusing Police Cap
tain Alonzo P. Cooper of graft and i'm
morality, John J. Herlihy, former po-
lice lieutenant. was arrested at his
home, 1913 Clay Avenue, The Bronx,
last night.
Herlihy, who resigned on October I,
after eighteen years in the Police De-
partment. once served under captain
Cooper, who is in charge of the Fourth
Branch Detective Bureau, at 342 west
l23d Street. He won fame in 1904,
when he went to Texas and brought
back Charles +. Dodge, indicted on
charges of perjury in connection with
The famous Dodge-MoTse marital tan
gle.
Under Commissioner Waldo, Herlihy
was in charge of the detectives Of the
9th Inspection District. At that time
there was no division between rne de-
tective and regular polls" tcrce. The
sleuths were lodged IN rooms IN the
precinct police stations. Herllhy was
captain i'm charge of the 9th District
for three years.
administration and Commissioner
Woods. came the reorganization OF
the detective force according to the
branch system. Separate bureaus were
organized in the city. Captain cooper
was placed in charge Of the fourth
branch bureau and Herlihy wa re-
duced from his captaincy TO be desk
lieutenant under Cooper.
Herlihy. who hoped that his long ser
vice would win MIN place at the head
of one OF the bureaus. was disap-
pointed. III feeling. started in the bu-
reau. and .ventually he was trans
ferred to one OF the West Side pre-
cincts TO do desk duty outside the de-
tective force. Soon aftcrward Hcrllhy
asked for sick leave, and then, IN Oc-
tober, resigned from the department. =,
The letter in question was received
By Mr.. Driscoll on October q, 1914, IN
his Office in the Research Bureau, at
261 Broadway. Its contents were not
made known at Police Headquarters,
hut il vas learned that the anonymous
message informed Mr.. Driscoll that
there was bad material" in Captain
Cooper's station, attacked Captain
Cooper. made charges of graft and I'M
morality and suggested an inVestiga-
ton. $780,,
An inquiry was Immediately started.
None of the charges contained IN the
letter was found TO have any founda-
ton. Then came the task Of hunting
down the writer. Acting on the pre-
sumption that it had come from some
one who had q Crude against Cooper all
the books of the various detective Du-
reaus were carried to headquarters.
A handwriting expert went over them
minutely. comparing the entries with
the writing in the letter. The result
of his survey became known Yesterday;
when Chief Magistrate McAdoo issued
a warrant charging Herlihy with the
the misdemeanor of knowingly and
naliciously sending, delivering and
marking for the purpose of being deliv-
cred and sent. and parting with pos
session of a letter and writing with
intent thereby to cause annoyance TO
Alonzo p. Cooper. acting captain or the
fourth detective branch
Detectiye Valentine brought Herlihy
from his home i'm The Bronx TO Police
HEADQUARTERS, where the necessary
$500 bail was promptly furnished by
Michael J. Harvey. of 1853 West l4lst
Street.
The former lieutenant said he knew
absolutely nothing about the letter.
and that his arrest was a mystery to
him. He will probably be arraigned in
the Tombs court to-day.