The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1921-07-14
LAHEY DENOTES
3 DETECTIVES FOR
ALBANY LOBBYING
Said to Have Collected Fund
and Spent Vacation at
the Capital.

Three detectives Of the West 6sth
Street Station were to-day reduced
10 patrolmen and ordered into uni
form by Chief Inspector William j.
Lahey following his investigation OF
the statement that fund was taken
to Albany to promote the bill Gre
ating a separate detective division in
the Police Department No charges
were preferred against the trio.
The detectives denoted were Ser
geants Thomas J. Conkling. who was
ordered to the Beach Street station;
Bernard Devanney. sent to Poplar
Street, Brooklyn, and Thomas Finn,
detailed to Charles Street BY the
reduction in rank, the pay of Conk-
ling and Devanney IS automatically
reduced from $4,000 to $2,2S0. Firms
pay is not affected.
Inspector Lahey's investigation was
conducted at the request of the De-
tectives' Endowment Association,
which objected to the statement Of
Commissioner of Accounts Hirshfield
that the organization operated a
"slush fund" in Albany several
months ago to pass legislation favor
able TO it. The bill mentioned by
Hirshfield gave all detectives. after
five years service. annual pay of
$3.50 and permanent rank
1t was claimed by the association
that three detective sergeants. on
their own initiative. objected TO a re-
duction OF their salaries. Conkling,
Devanney and Finn, it was said, col
and went to Albany on their vaca-
tons, and there engineered a bill
making it possible for all detectives
20 receive $4,000. with permanent
rank, or more than in the first biz.
This second bill was not sanctioned
by the association, nor, according to
information. by the officials of the
Police Department.
Testimony made public to-day by
Commissioner Hrshfield indicated
that the money raised and taken to
Albany by advocates of the bill Great
ing the detective division was $4,000,
of which 100000 was in cash. the
balance being a certified check. A
| lobbyist got the fund, it was said,
| and he guaranteed to get the bill
| through or return the money.
Acting Detective Sergt Thomas J.
Finn OF the West 6Sth Street Station
testified th;.t on April last he was
present at a conference i'm the sta
ton when negotiations for the loan
| of the monSy were contaminated.
Others present were Charles S. Shot
well, a merchandise b rokcr, of No.
10 West 10th street and No. 522 Fifth
Avenue; Detective Burns. President
Of the Detectives Association; De-
vanney and Conkling. Before this
conference, according to Firms tes-
| timony, he was asked by Devanney
to go to Shotwell TO ask if he would
lend Conkling, Devanney or the as
ISOLATION 10000. Devanney told
Finn. the latter stated. that there
was lobbyist at Albany of the
name of Kliest, who would under
take getting the bill through. Finn
said Shotwell gave them q check for
Sc, 600.
1T was explained to Shotwell that
| the money was to go into a bank in a
joint account with either Conklings
| or Devanney's name on it, and
Klies.'s, so that neither one of the
two parties could draw il out until
the bill became a law" Finn said.
Shotwell advanced the money on
| the promissory note OF Conkling, Sc
| cured by notes OF three business men.
The check was cashed by a west side
| restaurateur. A week later, Diedrich
Niemeyer, a grocer, gave his certified
| chick for $4,000 to Detective Finn, who
later returned 1t, the testimony
| shows.