The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1921-04-08
HOLBROOK DENIES
 RECEIVING MONEY
 FROM BURROUGHS
Presents Evidence Showing He Was Mainly Respon- sible For Breaking Up International Auto Theft Ring.

lnternaC1Onal Auto Iheft
 Ring.
 '1 never had any money transactions with James Bur roughS either in legitimate business ways or otherwise, and I never heard Burroughs make any statement about giy- ing me money"
 This statement was made today by Detective Sergeant Frank w. Hol- brook, of 29 Atwater street, in re- futation of graft charges made against him in the Federal court in Detroit yesterday. by Almon c. Basden, former Bridseporter who has been sentenced to two years in the peni- tentiary for automobile stealing. Hol- brook also showed a report in which an official of the Department of Jus tice gave his word that he, Holbrook, was not implicated in a bribery con spiracy, and brought his own defense statement to a climax by presenting evidence showing that he was mainly responsible for the breaking up of a great international auto theft ring It is probable that the local detective will be summoned to Detroit to appear as a witness in Burroughs case. which is now before the court.
 In a conference between SuPt. of Police Flanagan, newspaper men and Holbrook, in the superintendent's of- ice this morning, Holbrook absolute 1y denied the charges against him. and pI eSented a complete report on the iBurrouShs-Shanley affair.
 Asked as to whether he had ever had any talk about money with Bur sroughs. HoIbrook answered:
 Burroughs came into the Detect i've bureau the day after he was ar lsested and said to me, I've been ar rested and they accuse me of giving you thousands of dollars
 1T replied. did you?'"
 Burroughs said, No it's q - i1ie. and I told them so.'''
 Holbrook was then asked whether he had ever heard anyone say that : Burroughs had given him money. He replied:
 How about this man Basden? ?" lHolbrook was asked.
 '.Iwouldn't know Basden if I saw : him. declared the detective. "I never 1 met him and never saw him in Bur coughs garage.
 According to reports presented to Supt- F'lanagan this morning, Hol- brook started work on the Burroughs case, October 2, 1919. He went to Burroughs motorcycle store, 2Sso Main street and located" a stolen Hud- son automobile from which the serial number had been removed. On Oct. 2, Holbrook performed more work on !Ghe case, and on October 4, located the hotel in which the auto thieves [ had been stopping.
 The reports showed that on October | 6, Holbrook paid his first visit to the ES hanley Auto Exchange, S24 Charles street, which at that time was evid ' entiy under the control of Burroughs. : He located there a Pierce Arrow car which Eugene Shanley had in his pos session It was brought out at this proprietor of the Bridgeport Auto Painting company, located in the fsame building as the Shan1ey garage.
 The next development occurred on Cadillac car was stolen from its gar iage in Long Hill Holbrook investi- gated, and in a report submitted to ECaptain Cronan, of the Detective bu- reau, said, 'I think there's more be- | hind this than there seems
 The Cadillac was recovered in Bos- fton, January 30, and 1t was discov- tered that the machine had been stolen E1,y Basden. It is understood that hard feeEng existed between the two 1nen- Burroughs at one time refused September, 1918, brought suit against tjlim for taking car without pernlis- sion and wreckinS the machine. Jack White, of Bridgeport who was re- tnection with the affair is alleged to ,kave given Burroughs the tip on f5asden part in the Cadillac theft.
 On March zs, 1920. Detective Hol-
 
 lease, when he obtained from Bur- roughs. who had been working with G1he police, the names of men and the Lplaces where cars had been stolen land sold. This inform mation, in which lBaSden's name was mentioned for the sirst time, was forwarded to the De- Froit police on April 5, 1920, and the tease was turned over to the Federal iauthorities by the Michigan city. in !View of the fact that it, involved a violation of the Dyer act.
 Holbrook here put clincher on a1is statement Called to Detroit, he took with him copies of local even ling paper of Dec. 4. in which ap- iTeareo a story 10 the effect that a local detective had been accused Of accepting graft from members of ths auto theft ring He showed this ar Hicle to Thomas F. w. Wilcox, Of the department Of Justice. in Detroit, and dn report which Holhrook later sub omitted, Wilcox is duoted as saying:
 '.I know nothing of the bribery -charse as printed in a Bridgeport .evening paper of Dec 4. I give you my word that no member of the been mentioned in connection with the accusation.
 Other official reports. one of which was told of how a Cadillac car had been held up dock in New York | sSs it was about to be sent to Nor l way. were presented this morning. Burroughs was mentioned in connec- lion with t1lS particular case ana ffoibrook with two New York de- tectives visited his garage in Charles 1 street in search of stolen cars They | found ten machines which had been stored there by a local auto dealer. l and nothing was wrong with any of | the cars
 During his term of service in the i Bridgeport Detective tureau. Ser | geant Holbrook has worked on many l automobile theft cases. and in all l most every instance has made good ! It was HoIbrook who discovered the | great stolen auto receiving depot in | Seymour. Conn, a short time ago ! Peter J. Walters and Edward Maher. | both of Newark were arrested in | connection with the case and were sentenced to 24 and 2S years respec- | lively.