New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-08-18
Dooling Says Money Was
Passed in the 156th
District
All Charges Denied
One Exemptor Says That
Charges Are Purely
Political

District Attorney Swami is investi-
eating charges of graft that have been
made in connection with the work Of
Exemption Board 1876, which meets in
Public School 70, at Lexington Avenue
and 105th Street. 1t was learned also
that complaints have been made to the
District Attorney against another dis
trict board in Manhattan, but have not
yet been taken up for investigation.
Assistant District Attorney John T.
Dooling, in charge of the investigation
of complaints against Board 156, exam
ined four witnesses yesterday. Mr..
Dooling said two of these were men,
bers of the board. He declined to
identify the other two witnesses.
Two Exemptors Examined
The board members examined were
Alexander Plavinick, chairman, of 81
East 106th Street, and Simon Levine, of
100 East 10th Street. They will be
examined again by Mr.. Doolng on Mon
day. The third member of the board
is DR.. Arthur S. Callman, of 6S East
10Sth Street. who has also been asked
to appear at the District Attorneys
Office.
ave have had a definite compliant
that money was passed in this district"
said Mr.. Dooling. "There is some cor
roboration of the charge. We find also
that there was an unusually large num-
Der of exemptions in this district for
trivial reasons, such as stiffness Of the
fingers and slight underweight. We
also find that there were a large num-
Der of exemptions on account of recent
marriages. Some of these marriages
were contracted as recently as July 81.
In most of these exemptions claims
were filed for dependencies and the
claims were allowed"
Mr. Dooling said that the work he is
doing was undertaken after a confer
ence between the District Attorney and
Henry NJ. Stanton, Assistant United
States District Attorney, and that all
the evidence gathered by him would be
turned over to the Federal prosecutor
to be submitted to the Federal grand
jury, as was done in the case of Board
so, from which three men were indicted
for conspiracy and bribery.
DR.. Caiman last night said that the
District Attorneys Office was en-
barking on fishing expedition. He
added:
"Our records, which are easily
available, are ample refutation OF
the contemplate inuendo in the
statement of Assistant District At
torney Dooling. The charge against
the board was made by local poll
tician, who was angered because
the board refused exemption to his
son.
81 don't think shall go to the Dis
trict Attorneys office tomorrow.
The chairman and Mr.. Levine went
down to-day. | called up Mr.. Conk-
ling. and he said he was perfectly
satisfied with our work, and added
that we were foolish to go to the
District Attorneys office at all.
determination of accepted men by
the new Board No. 80 is said to have
piled up proof of neglect against the
dismissed members of the old board,
Louis ]. Cherey and Dr.. Samuel J. Barn
field. Out of eighty-five men examined
Yesterday. thirteen of those accepted by
the old board were rejected by the new,
making total of thirty physical mis-
fits" passed by the old board.
Attorneys for DR.. Kalman Gruher,
a dentist. who was indicted for con-
spiracy in connection with the alleged
acceptance of brides by members OF tx
emption Board 80, made motion be-
fore Judge Augustus n. Hand in the
criminal branch of the United States
/ District Court, for bill OF partlc-
ulars, but this was denied after 1t had
been opposed by Assistant United
| States District Attorney John c. Knox.
1t was alleged by Gruher's lawyers
| that the allegations in the indictment
were too general to prepare defence,
| but Mr.. Knox explained that it speci-
fed the conspiracy was formed on Au-
gust s and continued until August IL.
! The overt act charged, he said, was the
demanding and accepting Of brides
! from the persons named in the bill.
A larger number of men were re-
| jected yesterday by the medical exam
iners Of the newly appointed Board SO
than on the previous two days, and
most of these had been passed as phys
ically fit by the ousted board. In the
morning the board was hampered in its
efforts to catch up with the other
boards owing to the failure of physi-
clans to report, but in the afternoon
Chairman Slender sent call to the
Beta Israel Hospital and several doc
tors were sent over to aid in the work.
Twenty-Five men were found to be
physically deficient, making a total Of
thirty-nine for the three days. Some
of those rejected by the ousted board
are said to have been found physically
fit when reexamined, but it was impos-
siblc to get figures. but it was impos-
| L u. L.. srl,A