New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-27
Civ Club Accusations
Met i'm Answer for
Whitman
BRECKENRIDGE
is INDICTED
Held for Bribery While
Prosecutor Tells of Deal
with Perjurer

sa,ly denying the charges brought
,gainst him by the City Club, reached
Governor Whitman yesterday. Soon
,fterward Lucian s. Breckenridge, chief
ritress against the District Attorney,
sas held in $500 bail by Judge Null
,usen in General Sessions to plead to
an indictment charging him with
soliciting bribe.
The answer filed by the District At
.orney with the Governor is an attack
ANN the honesty of Mr.. Breckinridge,
accuses him of using witnesses con-
rolled BY a notorious perjurer and oil
bpvinc stolen documents with Sl,OOO
of the public funds for use as evidence
IN the labor cases.
Hearing on Wednesday
William Dean Embree. the Assistant
District Attorney, who carried the
prosecutors answer TO Albany, request
cd that Wednesday be set as the date
for an adjourned hearing. The request
was granted by the Governor, and on
that dav Alfred J. Talley, the District
Attorneys counsel, will present argu-
ments in support of a motion to dis
miss the charges.
Jadee Mulqueen, at the request OF
Mr. Breckinridce's counsel, Martin W.
Littleton, fixed Monday as the day on
which the defendant was to plead to the
indictment lis bail was furnished
by bonding company.
1T seems to be a general day for
sensational charges, both in the state
and in this city" said Mr.. Littleton-
"lhis is long thought out and well
timed Indictment"
The indictment is based mainly on
tic evidence brought out before Mag
istrate McAdoo on January 10. It is
alleged that although the former Spe-
cial Assistant District Attorney sought
$4,000 from Division Street shop.
Keepers he got only Sl,25O. This sum
if Is asserted was received in two in
stalments of $500 each and one of $3.50
The alleged transaction mentioned in
The indictment refers to a $500 pay
nent.
Agents Are COmplainants
Henry L. Jacobs, Jacob Klein, Samuel
Fishman and Meyer Cohen, agents of
The Division Street Cloak and Suit Pro-
tective Association. are the complain
mg witnesses.
They testified that Mr. Breckenridge
asked for and received $500 on Febru-
airy 3, 1916, agreeing that he would
more vigorously and fully and effec-
lively prosecute than he would other
wise have done" all persons charged
with essaulting employees of Jacobs,
Klein, Fishman or Cohen.
The indictment contains three counts.
The second charges Mr. Breckenridge
as a public officer" with receiving =
bribe. The third charges the same
crime a. committed by Special As
sistsnt District Attorney"
In addition to 4 general denial of the
City Club charges, District Attorney
declared that every recommendation
for bail for the twenty-eight defend
ants in the strike violence cases was
proper and in the interests of public
justice"
Reason for Naming DooIing
As TO the charge that he practised
fraud upon the Court of General Ses-
sOns by recommending and obtaining
dismissal Of bail i'm all the cases and
later urging "A dismissal of the lndict-
mCnts without "the examination OF
single witness" Mr.. Swami says he
found difficulty in getting Mr.. Breckin-
Iidge TO 20 ahead with the trial of the
Indictments and accordingly assigned
his assistant, John 7. Dooling, "a law
yer Of experience at the bar, OF capacity
and integrity and of special ability IN
msrshaliing facts and preparing cases,
TO take up the investigation.
81 also conferred with both Breck-
inridge and Dooling," his answer says.
I'VE considered carefully the chsrac-
ter OF the witnesses for the prosecu-
ton, their records and antecedents, and
we weighed their motiees. My expert
ence on the bench aided me in determ-
ming the true weight and proper value
Of their testimony. We had as a guide
the trial Of the murder indictment and
its result. We realized that the murder
case--the strongest and most impor-
tsnt of all the indictments-hsd al
ready been brought 10 trial and that
not single defendant had been con-
victed. On the contrary, the indict-
ment had been dismissed as 10 several
OF the defendants, and as TO the others
prompt verdict of scquittal had been
rendered by the jury"
Private Detectives Used
la defence Of his judgment in asking
90 the dismissal of the indictments Mr..
S@ann says:
Much of the evidence which was
,ru2lied to Mr.. Breckenridge came from
private detective agency, operating
e der the guise of an alleged labor
rr'a, which was supported by contri-
3ytloas Of seventy-nine sweat shop con
factors for the specific purpose OF de-
,ro|ag the labor unions, 10 which
uost OF the defendants belonged.
The head Of this detective agency,
one Max Sulkess, had become known TO
me while | was a judge Of General Ses-
tons. About two years ago ] discov-
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