New-York tribune., 1921-02-15
Thomas O'Brien, H e d
in $4,000 Bail, Ad-
n,its He Had Protection
in Stolen Car Traffic
Feared Whitman, He Says
Halted Thefts Temporal
rilv After Indictments
of "Cops,'' He Declares

;,r Thomas 0'Brien. accused of grand
,,reeny in bringing stolen automobiles
INTO New York State under police pro-
,eetion. held in $4,000 bail.
o,Brien was arraigned in the Wash
,oetop Heights Court, and at the re-
NEST Of Judge Groehl he will not be
,dmitted to bail until the bondsman is
.1amined by Mr.. Whitman.
81 swiped lot of cars since January
; and then got scared when Whitman
addicted lot Of cops on the Automo-
bile Squad. Finally, got the word that
!. vas all right-that Whitman didn't
hsye anything on US and / started
ss,in. And then the first car |
ropued Groehl and Reith detective
william F. Reith, of Whitm&n's staff
cot NE SIS l drove into the garage"
0Bren said yesterday in the District
attorneys Office, where he was taken
Sy Beth after his arraignment in court.
Is result of O'Brlen's arrest
Charles Warner and Abraham Chulow,
sxners Of the Melrose Garage, 163d
Street and Melrose Avenue, the Bronx,
we're summoned to- the District Attor-
news Office to talk with Judge Groehl.
Police Ordered to Aid Whitman
A further development of the arrest
Of 0'Brien was conference late last
night between Judge Groehl and Lee
Parsons Davis, District attorney of
Westchester. AS result of the con-
ference an order was sent out to the
police to cooperate with Mr.. Whitman
IN checking up on stolen cars, Mr..
Davis, it is said, telephoned to other
towns in Westchester and to several
mwHs in Connecticu..
The conference apparently bore fruit,
for became known later that much
sought, but heretofore inaccessible,
garage owner-tha proprietor of a
place in the Bronx and two IN West
chester towns-was placed under q
subpoena to appear before the grand
jury to-day.
The other developments Of yesterday
in the Whitman inquiry were;
Judge Grain in General Sessions set
February % as the date for the trials
Of Petrolmen Cornelius J. Flood and
Robert O'Brien, charged with murder
in the first degree in the killing of
siXteeu-yaar-old James Gushing. Gov
ernor Whitman, who was in court, con-
CURED in the application of Eugene F.
NcGee, their attorney, for an early
trial.
Investigate AIterio Murder
Terence ], McManas made motion
for a dismissal of the Indictment of
Police Captain Percy n Dubois,
charged with accepting an illegal fee
II furnishing police protection to the
Printers Publishing Company during
q recent strike. Mr. Whitman opposed
the motion and Judge Grain reserved
decision and ordered both des to fur
nish briefs
Nj. Whitman directed George N.
Bsothers, another of his aids, to begin
an N investigation into the murder of
Alberto Alterio, a wealthy importer,
gho was shot and killed within 100
eeE OF the north end of Police Head
quarters at noon Thursday.
Art Arthur NJ. King, in charge of the
Whitman inquiry into citv contracts G1 stts
Mla yesterday that he expected to
Iaae q complete report to his chief
vit9Is vt,oie the end Of the week. He ad-
=. %i'aa that this report prob bly, would
H., eounplete enough to justify grand
~. action He refused in very de-
,.Nsa manner to answer the question
is.a ~ae1her or not this action would
family. ~ " mayor hSlah
% u MS conference with the newspaner
~ s'a tast night Mr. Whitman, in answer
'efies OF questions. said:
,,,,. Tells of Crooked Garages
a,tsreoa we nave been examining O'Brien all
ths th"ooh: n1t. HIS arrest is a tribute to
vSo IIadring efforts Of Judge Groehi,
saai.L aJ las sacrificed his practice and his
sT So,n N running down leads,
no.t Drlen has proved to be verv i'm
FL 'aAy witness in the automobile scan
croo,,l DO not believe-and JUDGE
talgr tlgsai does not believe-that he Is
pnda4s 1ns an ne knows. He is, however,
trsta af u uSlVoOO bail, thanks to Magis-
fa fs birmingham, who has given us
man F1nEnege 1--WE OF examining the bonds
auN VINO attempts to furnish bail.
N sO.n S mas proved to be of great value
rsrtsia tsOisaecting automobile thieves with
,bont bu poiicemen. He has told a lot
NJ, sIs crooked garages. We expect to
Ss HIS rns ease--and possibly him-before
IA ~ ;gd grshd jury, but he will be granted
,,,.:i, U:is,rien was not examined as to
iss,oae ison n bootlegging activities, but
sbs mhas ,,,sss ne has told l believe that
il .so are intertwined. He has told
o.bsr Vw easy 1T was TO steal cars in
poIis. states and bring them here under
spnra, protection. He has told us
sps;nai 70 make out a clear-cut case
sus sus MIN and others.
Il ca.I ~ nas stolen substantial number
t1ss 30 since January /. He admits
s,oa.aJS Se this investigation started he
besgtea bean LOT while, but that he had
latunfsas ne could reopen his trade,
sa nn.uo,ttaainatelv for him Judge Gruehl
tsr bS;sseetIye Billy Reith were ready
Re b@n. bu. think O'Brien's arrest is
sihning Of the end"
nm "0'ew Now Under Indictment
SqaSss,ni was arrested at 1880 o'clock
Dstect; morning by Mr.. Groehl and
ID Ma,se Keith as he drove a car into
Ailaeair iaeirose Garage.
saa WIS us arraignment yesterday he
esaers s.aer and Chulew, the garage
I'D P.;sare we're taken by Judge Groehl
sgilaimseslsn 70 the Criminal Courts
ossIa,as' There it was said by the
3csas 3csnsss. that Chulew was under in
zen ~. al. IA New York County and had
shiskv arrested in Long island on a
oals,,ssaanning charge.
District A,tterio Aiterio murder, Assistant