The New York herald., 1920-12-28
CLERGY AID ACCUSED
IN GAMBLING CASES
Judges Also Called as Charac-
ter Witnesses at Trial in
MineOla Court.

The personal defence of Supervisor q.
Wilbur Doughty of Nassau county. In
the trial of himself, Assemblyman
Thomas A. McWhinney and Sheriff
Charles w. Smith on the charge of con-
spiracy to protect common gamblers, is
that in what dealings he may have had
with the gamblers he was acting as the
virtual agent OF District Attorney
Charles r. Weeks and with the sole
object OF driving the gamblers out OF
the county. Doughty and his fellow Of
ficiaIs are being tried in the Supreme
Court at Mineola.
Each OF the three accused officials
has been represented by his own coun-
sci throughout tho case and each has
taken the witness stand and made gen.
eral and specific denial of all the facts
alleged against him. 1t was Sheriff
Smiths day Of denial last Thursday.
Doughty and McWhinney divided yes-
terday between them.
The principal testimony against
Doughty has been that he tipped off
Shaughnessey' gambling house in Lyn-
brook when il was to be raided and that
he gave Sheriff Smith the number OF
another gambling house and told him
to call 1t up in case of a jam. Called
to the witness stand yesterday to con-
trovert these -wo charges, he admitted
that he had warned one gambling
house. but only at the District Attor-
ney's suggestion, and denied absolutely
that he ever lad spoken to Sheriff
Smith about notifying the other.
Tried to Suppress Gambling.
He told how he had been long in
politics in the county and virtually
leader OF the Republican party there.
and how upon the eve of an election he
had gone TO District Attorney Weeks $
office having learned that the latter.
also a Republican, was finding difficulty
in suppressing the evil of gambling
"I told Mr.. Weeks he said on the
witness stand yesterday, that some
action ought to be taken TO wipe out
gambling IL it existed. and he told me
that his office lacked the necessary
money and machinery 10 get evidence. |
told him / would do what / could and
would give the matter the weight of my
influence. such as II was. and he said he
would appreciate greatly anything i
might be able to do. So that same day
I had word sent to Gideon and Busted,
two men generally believed to be gam
bling house proprietors, that IL they
didn't close UP they would be raided.'
Gideon has already testified that
Doughty told him he was suspected OF
running a gambling house and had bet
ter close IL.
Doughty went on to tell how he was
at the Rockaway City Club one night
when County Clerk Thomas Cheshire
called him on the telephone and told
him that the house OF John Shaugh-
nessey in Lynbrook was running fun
tilt
az didn't know Shaughnessey." Doughty
insisted "and didn't know where his
house was. except that IL was near the
Blossom Heath Inn on the Merriclt road.
SO I called up the Inn and got hold
of Dave Weiss, the proprietor. and told
him to go TO this Shaughnessey house
wherever II was, and tell Shaughnesses
that II he didn't close up he would be
raided" Shaughnessey has sworn that
he didn't know Doughty. that he dis
regarded Doughty's request to close, and
that the raiders arrived as promised.
General Denial by McWbinney.
Doughty was followed to the witness
stand by various corroborating wit
nesses, Of whom the principal was
County Clerk Cheshire. Cheshire brought
I'D the name of John y. F1eischer. the
states main witness. who has testified
against Doughty but who admitted under
cross-examination that he was disbarred
by the Superior Court of Massachusetts.
"F1eischer." Cheshire said, was work.
ing in the interests of the Nassau
County Association to wipe out gambling
and came TO me and got me to put him
in touch with Doughty. After the
meeting between them had taken place
he came out and said TO me:
"Trs going to work fine. The big
fellow. Doughty. is going to help the
District Attorney drive the gamblers
out" And on still another occasion.
Cheshire testified. Fleischer asked him
10 arrange another conference with
Doughty in order 10 get still more action
in the way OF having gambling stopped.
AIcWhinncy's testimony was a general
denial OF all acts alleged against him,
principally an allegation OF Fleischer's
that he offered Fleischer bribe OF
$4,000 TO '1ay off, the gamblers. and
that ne complained that the revenue
that was coming In from gambling was
being divided too many ways.
The day ended with a formidable ar
ray OF character witnesses. clerical as
we'll as lay. who testified that lin the
speech of the people" the repute OF the
defendants was lily white. The clergy
men came from several OF the best
known pulpits in the county Among
tho witnesses were Supreme Court Jus
ticc Walter II. Jaycox and Judge Nor
man S. Dixie OF the Kings County Court.