The New York herald., 1921-07-17
SLUSH FUND Light
ASKED FROM LUSK,
who HANDLED BILL
Hirshfield Tells Meyer That
Colleague on Committee
Should Tell of Police
Measure.
TO SEEK PROSECUTION
Use of Money and Swift
Passage Must Be EX-
planned, Is Stand OF
Official.
FEARS A WHITEWASHING
District Attorneys of New
York and Albany to Get
Facts of Detectives
Activities.
FEARS A WHITEWASHING

discovery CT slush fund of 100000
accumulated last spring by the Police
Department to further legislation
making their positions permanent and
increasing their salaries, David Hirsh-
field, Commissioner of Accounts, wrote
to Senator Schuyler M. Meyer yester-
day calling upon the latter to take no.
tice that it was an ex-officio member
of the investigating committee headed
by the Iatter-Senator Clayton r.
Lusk-who handled the police bill in
its rapid passage through the Legis-
lature.
While Mr.. Hirshfield does not at
tempt to connect Senator Lusk and
any portion of tne alleged slush fund,
he nevertheless calls upon Senator
funds in The manner indicated to pro-
mote, develop or influence legislation,
is contrary to the criminal statutes of
this State end subject to action of the
District Attorneys of Albany and New
York counties"
Then Mr.. Hirshfield invites Senator
Lusk to submit himself to examination
by the former, saying that the Senator
may feel assured of courteous treat
inent. And finally the Commissioner
suggests that he and the Meyer commit
tee get together and combine their In
vestigations. In any event, the Commits
sioner promises to submit reports of his
own findings to the District Attorneys
of both Albany and New York.
How the Fund Was Raised.
The letter reads as follows:
con March 25, 1921, a special meeting
of the Detectives Endowment Associa-
tion was, held at the Police Club, where
two proposed bills, In typewriter form,
were laid before the members present for
Endorsement. Both of these bills had for
their object the creation of permanent
detective division in the city of New
York, but were dissinnilar In certain OF
their provisions. The association. after
debatin the merits of the two proposed
measures. by vote of all but five or
six of the large number of detectives
present. indorsed the bill later introduced
bv Senator c. Ernest Smith of Staten
Island
ION March 20 and 30 Detectives Ber-
nard ]. Devaney. Thomas II. Conkling'
Thomas J. Finn. Michael j. Quinn. Jo-
other members of the detective forcs set
out to procure funds for the avowed
purpose of furthering the promoting
this legislation at Albany. A loan of
@O in the shape of certified check.
was on April negotiated from one
Charles S. ShotweIl, merchandise
broker of 522 Fifth avenue. A certified
check OF 1900 was later negotiated from
Diedrich Neimeyer a cafe proprietor.
Promlssory notes. totalling $500. were
secured by members of the detective
force from various business men and
deposited with Mr.. Shotwell as collat-
eral security for the 5000 loaned.
Testimony of Detectives Conkling
and Devaney shows that they converted
the $1,000 Shotwell check into cash and
departed Herewith for Albany on the
night boat, in company with one John
e. Klest. who posed as a lobbyist in
terested in the bill indorsed by the de-
tectives association at the meeting of
March %.
"The testimony of Conkling and De-
vaney agrees that the $4,000 which
Kleist said was necessary to pass the
bill was to be deposited in escrow in a
bank in New Jersey. to be turned over
to Kleist in case the bill became n law,
and to be returned to Dsvaney and
Conkling in case the bill failed to be-
come a law. That instead of so de-
posting the 5000. said sum was taken
to Albany and that thereafter, on the
evening of the following day there.
Kleist demanded the payment to him of
the $1,000. on the ground that "condi-
tons had changed" and at the same
time consoling Conlling by stating that
he, Conkling. must have confidence I'm
him.
Introduced by Senator Lusk.
"Conkling further testified that after
the passage of this 5000 to Kleist, on
the morning OF the next day Detectives
Gegan and Brown introduced Deyaney
and Conkling to Senator Lusk who
stated he would handl, the Smith bill
which had been abandoned by Senator
Smith because "he ULusl) wanted to do
something" for the New York detec-
tives.
"On the afternoon OF April 7. the
Smith bill, without any change in IL
whatever, was formally introduced by
Senator Lusk, with his name on the bill.
This bill was later reported out without
hearing and was passed within a few
days thereafter.
president Burns OF the Detective En-
dowment Association has also admitted
that about $1,000 was spent by that
association for expenses In the further
ance or the passage of the bill and ! am
informed that there was a great deal
mora money expended than the several
sums aforestated.
subpoena servers from this office
are now searching for John Il. Klest,
the alleged lobbyist who, am told. is
now In Washington. 1 shall not let up
In my endeavor to bring Kleist before
me and examine him as to what he did
with the fund entrusted to him by
Devaney and Conkling.
Il need not tell you, member Of the
Bar, that the use of funds in the man
ner indicated to promote. develop or in
fluence legislation. Is contrary to the
Continued on Seventh Page