The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-25
Had to Do With Conspiracy to Discredit New YOrk's
 Charities Department
WIRE TAPPING PROBE
 IS GROWING HEATED
Witness Testifies He Saw W. J. Burns Take Papers From Desk of Sey- mour x Seymour-Decline to
 Lodge Criminal Complaint

New York. May 24.-Mayor Mitchell today read into the record before the Thompson legislative committee con- versations he alleges the police heard over telephone wires tapped" by his orders following the discovery that there was a conspiracy to discredit the city administration and more particu- larly the department of charities, head terday for his part in the wire tapping activities.
 The substance of the conversations revealed by the mayor related chiefly, apparently, to ways and means for keeping witnesses. and evidence away from the committee appointed by Gov ernor Whitman to investigate Roman Catholic institutions in this city. They told of efforts to dodge process serters and in two or three instances appeared to refer to the supplying of funds which would enable certain persons to take trips to Atlantic City.
 NAMES MENTIONED
 I He DduitS IlOSI frequently lntll tioned by Mayor Mitchell were those of Mgr. J. J. Dunn, chancellor of the arch diocese of New York; Father William B. Farrell, Robert w. Hebbard, former secretary of the state board of chari- ties, and Daniel c. Potter, a forler employe of the city. Father Farrel an- nounced tonight that he intended to institute civil action against the mayor charging defamation of char acter.
 The committee permitted Mayor Mitchell to take the witness stand after warning him that it considered the conversations Irrelevant" and inform ing him that he must assume all re- sponsibility for any libel charges which migh result from them.
 District Attorney Swann today con- ducted a John Doe inquiry into the tapping of the telephone line of the law firm of Seymour X Seymour. one of the witnesses who appeared before him was a Bartlett Smith, an electri- elan, who testified that he installed a telephonic eavesdropping device in the lawyers office at the instigation of the w. J. Burns detective agency.
 SAW BURNS OPEN DESK
 He testified also that he saw William J. Burns personally open a desk in Seymour & Seymours office, take pa pers from it and read them and have stenographer make shorthand mem- oranda from them. Smith told MT Swann that his father had sold tele- phone tap" to Burns.
 In declining to accept for his commit tee any responsibility for the mayor s appearance before it. Senator Thompson declared "the conversations over the tele- phone were taken by persons who could not know the voices or recognize them or identify any person talking over the wire"
 The mayor was attended by a squad of detectives and his appearance in the com mttee room was the signal for con siderable disorder. Counsel for Rev Far rell protested formally against permis- sion being given to have the conversa- tons read into the record. Several spec tators jibed at the mayor and the commit tee chairman resorted to threat to clear the room in his efforts to restore order
 INTERNATIONAL PLOT
 The controversy over the tapping of wires in connection with the charities in- vestigation and the resulting grand jury investigation, which ended in the indict- ment of MT. Kingsbury and William H. Hotchkiss, his special counsel, preceded
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