The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-07-23
CITY INVESTIGATOR
DEMANDS EXHIBITION
OF LUSK SILVER GIFT
Hirshfield to Subpoena De-
tectives' Present to Wife
of State Senator.
TRUST co. NOW HAS 1T
Seeks to Know if City Paid
for Services of Police on
Albany Lobby Duty.
KLEIST STILL is ELUSIVE
Commissioner Hears Slush
Fund Was Much Bigger Than
Now Is Known Generally.
KLEIST STILL is ELUSIVE

That David Hirshfield, Commissioners
OF Accounts. is not satisfied with the
Meyer committee version Of the silver
service presented by New York de-
tectives to Mrs. Clayton r. Lusk, wife
Of the Senator who introduced and OBJ
tanned the passage Of the bill to make
permanent the jobs of detectives, was
indicated yesterday when he an
nounced he would subpoena the sales
records of Tiffany & Co. where, he
said. he understood the silver was pur-
chased. He also will call before him
Detective Cornelius J. Brown and
others to tell about the purchase of
the silver. how much 1t cost and the
circumstances surrounding its presen-
tation.
According to information in the hands
of Commissioner Hirshfeld the silver
Is so valuable that 1t has been placed
in the safety deposit vaults Of New
York trust company. Senator Lusk tes-
tined before the Meyer legislative inves-
tigating committee that he had not seen
the silver set, so II was regarded as
probable that Commissioner Hirshfeld
would not consider it necessary to
change his plans and summons the SEN
ator to learn the nature and value of
the gift.
Wants silvervare Produced.
He said. however that he probably
would demand that the safe deposit COM
pany produce the chest of silver for his
examination and public. inspection. II
the safe deposit company considers the
silver service OF too great value to risk
out OF It's custody. ne said. he will ask
that an oficial Of the company accom-
pany the chest to guard 1t.
According to Information In possession
Of Commissioner Hirshneld. the price
paid for the silver runs into four flg-
ures The set is said to consist OF more
than half hundred pieces, each elab-
orately engraved, packed in hand
some chest Of ebony or mahogany, with
a large gold monogram on the lid.
Commissioner Hirshneld expects to
have before him on Monday also Dectec-
tives James J. Gegan and Bernard De-
vaney. who. the Commissioner charges,
were the prime movers in the handling
of the alleged $4,000 slush fund taken
to Albany to influence the passage OF
the bill.
From them the Commissioners, hopes
to learn exactly who else from the
Police Department went to Albany to
lobby for the bill. and whether they
we're on vacation or were still In the
pay Of the city while in the State capital
and away from their official duties.
Four Detectives ON Lobby job.
The Commissioner said he understood
that there were at least four detectives
In Albany for a total Of about seven
days each. He said he had experienced
great difficulty, however. In finding out
the details Of those visits. and In order
that no one connected with the lobbying
expedition might escape examination. he
had demanded OF Police Commissioner
Enright a complete list of absentees
from the department during the months
of March and April the period of the
activity in connection with the bill. He
said he would check up the entire list
TO find out where each man spent the
time, and what he was doing and
whether he was on city pay.
Process servers we're still searching
the city yesterday for John Il. Kleist.
the lobbyist who is alleged to have re-
ceived $4,000 OF the slush fund. but
no trace of him could be found the
Commissioner said. There was a re-
port that Kieist would present himself
voluntarily within a week. but II was
without verifcation.
There were further unveriied reports
also that the slush fund will run into
figures several times as high as the
total so far revealed. Commissioner
Hirshneld is trying to run down new
report that the slush fund was taken
to Albany In cash instead of in checks.