The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-02-01
SILENT DETECTIVE
| SENT TO TOMBS IN
CAR THEFT INQUIRY
Whitman Quest for Graft
Shows Armstrong Loyal
to Police System.
ASKED ABOUT REWARD
Booze Bootlegging Suspic-
ion Turns Out to Be Based
on Motor Car Thefts.
TWO MORE COPS INDICTED
Prosecutor Recalls Becker
Murder Case in Talking of
New Disclosures.
ASKED ABOUT REWARD
TWO MORE COPS INDICTED

Developments paralleling those Of
the Becker case and reminding Charles
s. Whitman Of episodes Of that MEM
orable prosecution were recorded yes
teriay in his investigation OF charges
of graft In the Police Department.
Detective John Armstrong was sent
to the Tombs for thirty days for re-
fusing to answer questions put to him
before the Grand Jury and In open
court, about rewards he received for
finding stolen automobiles. He refused,
although he was offered immunity II
he should tell the truth. Mr.. Whit
man said that Armstrong was shield
ing others. "as know. who are pow
erful enough to seal his lips even with
prison staring him In the face"
1T Is as / expected" the special
prosecutor said. "It shows that the
police are more afraid Of the system
than they are Of the law"
Mr.. Whitman has the word Of three
insurance companies that they paid
rewards to Armstrong in cash In a
room at Police Headquarters.
"The agents Of these companies"
Mr.. Whitman said. were instructed to
go to Police Headquarters and to go
with cash--not checks-and to go
alone and to meet Armstrong with no
other person present and to pay him
the cash. You can see the reason for
cash. It's the rawest thing I ever
saw. II Armstrong tells the truth Ill
see that nothing happens to him, Just
as saw that nothing happened to
Bridgie Weber. Jack Rose and others
who testified and obtained immunity
in the Becker case. 1t 10 more Inn
portant to get the truth than It is to
irdict one sergeant"
over the. Briass Of sasAss 80
The silence Of Detective Armstrong.
his marching sullenly across the Bridge
Of SiRhs to a cell rather than utter one
word under oath concerning the opera
tions Of himself or any other member
of the automobile squad. and limiting
at the facts believed to underiie his con-
tumacy. overshadowed the other events
OF the day. These consisted Of the In
dictment OF two members OF the auto
mobile squad, Detective Sergeants Will
lam I. Hussey and William T. Hem
merick. Both are charged with uniaw-
fully accepting reward for the recov-
cry of an automobile. Hussey was re-
leased in $4,000 bail. Hemmerick. who
was testifying yesterday In the trial OF
Detective Carman Plant at Mineola. viii
be arraigned to-day.
Into ths scvpe OF Mr.. Wh!tman's in
quiry now comes a murder case which.
II the theory held In the Criminal Courts
Building proves true, makes uncannily
close the analogy between the present
graft hunt and the Becker case. This
theory amounts to nothing less than
this: That Frederick p. Eckert. found
dead on a lonely road on Staten Island
on August 21 was murdered. not. as has
been supposed. because OF a row over
bootleg whiskey which he was In the
habit Of running through New Jersey. but
because the automobile thieves whose
connection with New York policemen
Mr.. Whitman II now trying to trace.
feared he was going to give away the
secret Of their conspiracy.
Echert had garage in Orange. y. J..
in which. after his death. number OF
stolen cars were found. It now devel-
ops that the car for whose recovery
Hussey received reward for which he
was Indicted yesterday also was found In
Eckert's garage, according to Hussey's
own report TO Police Headquarters Mr..
whitman has information that many
cars which disappeared from New York
and were happily recovered by New York
policemen found harbor In this same
garage OF Eckerts until called for by
the police. He has other Information
relating to the murder OF Eckert whicn
he refuses TO speak OF at this time. One
OF his associates said last night: when
all the fog is cleared away you will find
that the murder Of Eckert had nothing
to do with whiskey."
Car II Found In New Jersey.
The car that Sergeant Hussey found
belonged 70 Nathan Schwartz OF 5e3
Seventh avenue. Brooklyn. and was val
ued at $1,000. II was stolen on April 3.
1920. He reported the fact TO the police
nd Hussey was put on the case.
The report of Husscy." Mr.. Whit
man said ''shows that this car was re-
covered on May II. 1890. In Eckerts
garage, In Orange. n. j.. although the
car was not returned 70 the owrer until
september .. The owner OF the garage.
Eckert. was murdered on the morning
OF August 81. At the time this stolen
car was found IN Eckert's garage
nun,ber of other ttolen cars were found
there. The avt mobile thieves made this
garage one on the storage places for
cars sso)ef, from the city Of New York.
'''mfc money was paid 10 Hussey on
or about September ?. 1920"
The District Attorneys office was all
Keyed up over the appearance OF Detec-
tive Armstrong at the door of the, Grand
Jury room yesterday and by rumor
that he had made long statement"
20 Mr.. whitman at the latter's home
Friday night The number OF pages that
the stenographic record made was even
-
Continued on seventh Pooo.