The Irish standard., 1916-06-10

it will not" It was good sentence
and intended to stir up religious feel.
ing, but it failed. Fair-minded citi-
zens saw through the transparent
bombast.
Finding that the Thompson Commit.
tee was not concerned with the Char
tiles investigation but with the wire
tapping" which he, Mr.. Mitchell, had
ordered, he made his threat to "tear
things wide open and was permit
ted on the following day to spill be.
fore the public skilfully arranged Sc
ries of conversations, which were sup
posed to have been taken from the
wires of three private citizens who
were accused of being inimical to the
orderly conduct of government
Monsignor Dunn, Father Farrell,
Father Dineen and Doctor Potter ap-
peared before the same committee the
following day and under oath testified
that the phonograms were half truths,
cunningly forged insinuations, posi-
tive fabrications. all woven into
story. which fell to pieces under the
cross examination Of Mr.. Moss, the
attorney of the Thompson Committee,
who stated later that the Mayor
could not indict a yellow dog on such
testimony"
The Grand Jury of Brooklyn exam
ined into the case for more than three
weeks and to its deliberations sum-
moned the Mayor Charity Commits
sioner Kingsbury, Mr.. Hotchkiss, his
attorney; Father Farrell and Doctor
Potter, and after listening to the story
of each handed down an indictment
against Mr.. Kingsbury and Mr.. Hotch-
kiss on two counts. They are now
awaiting trial in a criminal court.
Mr.. Mitchell brought to the hearing
Il mass of detail, prominently placed
the doctored phonograms before them
and gave a lurid story of supposed
crime, obstruction of justice, interfer-
ence with the conduct of orderly gov
eminent, conspiracy on the part of the
Catholic Church and other cunningly
conceived testimony. Despite his We
hement presentation the Grand Jury
indicted his two associates, and he
himself escaped indictment by one
vote. 1t was thought advisable not to
bring odium on the community by in
dieting the chief executive. Had Mr..
Mitchell held any other position than
that of mayor. he would now be pill
loried before the nation as Il man who
held his high Office and used his DOW
or to break laws which he had sworn
to uphold.
The prescntment of the Grand Jury
declares: "lf as does appear, they
(Mr. Mitchell and Police Commissions
or Woods) approved of the conduct
of those who were responsible for the
tapping of the wires in question for
no other purpose than to furnish
counsel in personal and private liti-
CATION with information, and to graf
ify curiosity, and not for the detec-
ton or prevention of crime, the con-
duct Of the mayor and the police
commissioner merits the most severe
condemnation.
So ends a sordid story of intrigue
and malicious attack on the private
UNCONVENTIONAL institutions of New
York, and in which Mr.. Mitchell played
a leading part. He has been out
witted III his plan to deliver over to
the custody of interests that are bent
on secularizing the child caring homes,
the bodies and souls of $4,000 chill
dren, Catholic, Protestant and Jewish,
giving in defense of his attempted be.
trayal, that in looking after their
physical wcll-being he is preparing
better hearts in which the seeds of
godliness may be planted"