The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-15
CHARITY OFFICIALS
GET DEATH THREATS
Xinc>lury aud lOhcrty Are
Guarded and District At
torncy Informed.
PHONE WIRES ARE TAPPED

n'd deputy commissioner htNC re-
.c.,'i =" many threatening letters Of
iJ'c that tNcir friends. personal and
official. have persuaded them to- seek
perfection trun attacks hy cranks No.
% diuglN = detective has been detailed
e., guard each un trips about the city.
TNc letters Indicate is,at tho writer's
sore inspired 10 make threats Of yen-
.,"tn.r lay reading certain pamphlets at
.tchiuE IN" heads of the Charities Dc
.,rt1 tut ISSUED during the progress Of
nc strong investigation. Some OF the
.,,tcr Writers have sent cui munications
81, Nj. I'oiCrtN'S wife, while other per-
soils nave called Mr.. bohcr,y on the
.ci, phone to- tell him what would hap
.cu tn him ic he did not bc careful.
\ story has been going the rounds
COR several days that prominent Cath
Ole clcrgymcn in the archdiocese OF
New York were of the opinion that tclc-
nhone wires leading to their homes had
nccu tempered with at the instance OF
persons interested in the prosecution of
the charities Investigation.
District Attorney Gets Facts.
Alfred j. Talley, q New York lawyer.
acting on Thursday in behalf OF certain
clients. called District Attorney Swann's
attention to these rumors aud gave the
names of Dr. II. e. Potter of 1906 Cation
avenue, Brooklyn. and OF Dean Potter,
Or. Tottcr's son. OF ia Woodruff ave-
nue., Brooklyn. as men whose telephone
wires. IL VAS ~ruGnored. had been tam
pered with by persons anxious TO CLEAN
Information to which they were not en-
titled. The District Attorney advised
Mr.. Talley to present his allegations
in affidavit form and promised to send
lie matter to the Grand Jury FOR o.
ycstigation IL the complaints warranted
such procedure.
Il was said az Mr.. Tall.y's office
Yesterday that the lawyer had gone out
OF town and would not return until
Monday.
District Attorney Swami asked the Of
fclals OF the telephone company tn find
out II there had been any tampering
with the wires leading to DR.. Potter's
telephone. The company reported back
that tr.tccrs reported that { h wire
was clear as "A belr' and that there had
been no tampering.
Or. Potter made the charge last night
In his home. 1906 Cation avenue. Flat
bush. that for several weeks not only
his telephone but the telephones OF ten
NJ A dozen others connected with the
strong Investigation have been tapped
b. the police and messages copied.
Il think Commissioned Strong knows
that the wires We're tapped. The best
proof j. that recently | with six others
prepared questions to ask one another
over III, telephone. The very next day
Of the charity hearing questions We're
. hcd which showed that the investiga-
tors knew the questions. II was a dead
"gycaw.y.
"N, personal rights have been abused.
4 q what = more NO one who uses the
telephone, s SAT. from such Interference.
know that the wire tapping was done
WITH IN, knowledge and consent OF some
one In authority In the city government. '
-. Potter. who was recently sought
IN vain - testify A. 80 his connection
with the .0u. u"o pamphlets bearing upon
o., CHARITIES Investigation, appeared
y.lunia!ily yesterday before Charles II.
So ~. the special investigating com
10 S>.oncr. at the Bar Association Build
I'M. 4. West Forty-fourth street. and
aInAted that he shared the response
h.ty FOR the pamphlets with Father
william u. Farrell. pastor OF the Roman
Catuulir Church Of SITS. Peter and laul
Eruohl!n II.
.'Nyr hftccn years Father Farrell has
been "A rather ntimate friend said Or,
Potter. "Hc told me that he intended
10 publish s~.Ynething TO offset what ne fel'
vcrc the unfair. anti-Catholic Ito o'
the strong commission. As he was
driven with work he asked me II
uoud help him by putting the matter
tnrOugh the press. make corrections re-
wise and read proofs and do other de-
tails. willingly consented. II was
nobody $ business but our own.
Dr.. T~tter told Commissioner strong
that he threw away the original manu-
scripts 81 the pamphlets.
Got No Help From Hebherd.
Wat help did you get from Robert
y. iIepberd. secretary OF the state
Hoard Of Charities. in preparin- tht
pamnhlctsc" asked the Commissioners.
He furnished me nothing. and ! don
think he furnished anything TO FatheI
Farrell"
The witness was asked IL he had any
thing to do with that part OF the PAM
phlets referring to the Commissioners
ilr. Potter said that he did not.
"Did you at any time discover any
statement in those pamphlets which
were not true
~ did not" DIR. Potter replied.
The Charities Department was repre-
eented at the hearing by William H.
liotchk!ss, but .John NJ. Bowers. attor-
n.y for the State board. did not appear
Or. Potter was represented by his son,
Dean Potter, as attorney.
Or. Potter read a lengthy statement
and said In reference TO the fund OF
several thousand dollars that was re-
lor'cd TO have been raised by charitable
!rs,Itutions as a gift to him
Il, is no fault Of mine that we'll mean
'"g ut m advised friends, without my
fuowledge or consent, az ore time pro-
posed TO max me a present, Thelr
nlau vas hardly started before they
saw the improperly of II and abandoned
= They never gave me "A penny, !
also state that both the Jews and the
'rp,cstauts We're as appreciative of my
N'"r.s, and Efforts as were the Catho-
.'> The Jews profi'ed more by my ef-
.p''- than any one else"
\ large portion Of Or, Potter's state
T"n' was devoted to a Hat c~ontradictioi
O. Nr. kingsbury, who declared before
."Wuiasioner strong that Or. Potter had
'. threats when the latter was ousted
! 49, III" ambulance board.
,lr lI"tchlilss and Mr.. Bowers are
% ."d ,'"l to sun up before Commis-
"or strong next Thursday morning
10 o'clock, which will bring to a
"' 40" hearings upon the charges
sa.ISt III" state board presented to
COS Whitman by the Charities Depart
meIt.