New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-19
WIRES TAPPED:
TOSUE MAYOR
Priest Accuses Woods
Tracing a Crime,
Says Mitchell.

The Rev. William B. Farrell, the storm
centre In the fight between the state and
! local charities departments, announced
last night that he would file suit against
Mayor Mitchell, Charities Commissioner
Kingsbury. Police Commissioner Woods
and officials of the New York Telephone
Company. charging collusion to place
him in the light of a criminal.
Father Farrell's announcement fol-
lowed the admissions made yesterday
TO District Attorney Swami by Deputy
Police Commissioner Frank A. Lord and
Frank H. Bethel, president, and
John L. Swayze, chief counsel of the
telephone company, that the telephone
conversations Of Father Farrell, DR..
Daniel c. Potter and DR.. Potter's son,
Dean Potter, had been spied on by
means of Secret service" switchboards.
Deputy Commissioner Lord said that
the overlapping resulted from informa-
tion received by the police from con-
fdential source and which led the de-
partment to believe that perjury-a
felony-had been committed and was
being committed
Mitchell Upholds Police.
Late last night Commissioner Woods,
fresh from trip to Albany where he
saw Governor Whitman. called on Mayor
Mitchell at the latter's home, in the
Peter Stuyvesant, Ninety-seventh Street
and Riverside Drive. Shortly before
midnight and after the Commissioner
/ had left the Mayor dictated the fol-
/ lowing:
"On information that crime had
been committed. lodged by the Com
missioner Of Charities, the police lis
/ tened TO telephone conversations over
three telephone wires. No other tele-
phone wires whatsoever were interfered
with. This the police did under author
ity Of law.
'T am informed that the evidence OBJ
tanned may lead TO indictment 1t Will
be developed publicly at the proper
/ time-I understand at an carly date.
Swami Has Busy Day.
Following the disclosure yesterday
morning of the secret service switch
boards by which no telephone conver-
sat,on Il safe from eavesdropping II
tho Police Department or telephone
conpany desires TO cut in. the day was
q series Of conferences for the District
Attorney.
Mr.. Swami early in the afternoon
went 20 the Office OF the. telephone,
company In Dey Street ana cohierIeu
with Mr.. Bethel. Mr.. Swayze ana se..
ersl telephone employees, whose duty
covered the permission 10 use the Sc
Gro, service" system and its operation
"Nr Swami examined many OF the
co,onany's employees" Mr.. Bethel said'
@,,,;,b a view 10 determining If the
.,,rcs of Father Farrell. DR.. Potter ana
De,n Potter had been tampercd with
81 knew nothing about the tapping
~ or the cutting in on any wires u"-
49,, ..ostcrdav The information that
Es,bcr Farrell's wire and those OF the
a,bers had been tampered with was as
.o,,d;no I learned then that su,
bo,dinnte official of this company hao
oiven the Police Department permis-
sion 20 cut in on these wires on "a'S"
/ March 2l and March 20. . T..
"The granting Of such pcrrniss'on ~
lcornnelled by a law passed by lhe New
yoyk Legislature in 1900 Inc re-
let's were made by Commissioner
Woods on the dates spscihed' A
"New York is the only state IN INC INC
rt-r, wbieh grants to any city the
Is~,.istiv" right for it's Police Depart,
,esnt 20 cut In on any wire cOntrollssdd d d
by S tho telephone company when ,h 'ns
Police Department believes. thAt "
Continued on page o. column