New-York tribune., 1922-11-04

newspapers of an account relating to
alleged grating. This came out on a
Sunday and on the following Monday
he told Of an appointment being made
by Commissioner Whalen. These pro.
ceedings. he said, amounted to nothing
because Mr.. Sheppard and Mr.. Levy
Greenberg, who accompanied him, OBJ
Jected to the star chamber proceedings
which the commissioner wanted to in
augurate.
Leak of Graft Inquiry
Another embarrassing was that
everything important in the graft in
quiry "leaked" to interested parties.
The witness then said that the
commissioner asked him who might be
responsible for the leak Witness re-
piled he would probably name Reigel-
mann. Whalen was astonished. He
said, why, Reigelmann is my trusted
assistant. | can always trust him with
anything And I said, That may be
SO, but / don't think we want to take
chance now.'"
The witness then went on to tell
how the consent of Corporation Coun-
sci O'Brien was secured to allow As.
sistant Corporation Counsel Fertig te
handle it for them, and gave the de-
tails Of how one of the supervi sors
named Jack Weinman was faced with
proof Of receiving a check from a mar
named Munchils, who was formerly 6
bus owner, and paid two checks for the
permit to operate.
The witness was then asked to iden
tify an affidavit which he had secured
during his investigation of graft be
ing practiced OH the bus owners, ans
given by Jack Nachman, who lives a
OIL jackson Street. This affidavit
Sah sn&A 4 IL.
states that Nachman and 6artne1
named Benjamin Rosenberg operated
jitney bus in Long Island City ant
in order to be transferred to Defiance,
Street, alleges he had to pay $3.50 t.
Moe Rappaport, who the affidavit
states, ais lieutenant in Tom Foley
| district" The affidavit continued, "W,
paid the said $3.50 to sMd Moe Kappa
port about May 1920 and were trans
| ferred thereafter.
"We were asked 500 extra to be pu
=! on the Madison Street line. We wer,
never put on the Madison Street lin'
and we never paid the extra S100."
| With reference to the advent of tn,
| favored insurance firm Of Sinnott 4
| Canty, Sinnott being brother of tn,
| Mayors son-in-law secretary, the wit
ness said that the bus men were afrai,
to continue with Fox & Fox, and tha
they were told that their days wer,
numbered unless they switched to Sin
mott & Canty.
Benjamin Shepard, lawyer, as
sociated with Fox & Fox, testified t
being present at the meeting when tn
bus owners met to air their grievance
over grating and payments for favore
routes. He said that ne and Mr.. Fo,
who had preceded him on the stane
were summoned to COMMISSIONS
i Whalen's office this morning after tn
meeting, and we're told that the me
who attended the meeting had no busi
ness there and that they had attende
in defiance of orders issued. Shepar
said he was counsel for the New Yor
Protective Auto Owners Association
Commissioner Whalen later gave thel
an audience, when they We're suppose
to- impart inside information abou
rafting in the department, but M
Whalen had staff Of clerks on hant
and as Shepard and Fox wished to in
part their information CONFIDENTIAL
the Commissioner terminated the II
terview at oncee. Shepard said in hi
judgment graft is widespread in Con
missioner Whalen's department, and h
was desirous Of helping to clear it vi
Witness said he never received an
encouragement from Commissions
Whalen in his attempt to ferret OF
the grating.
The hearing was adjourned unit
next Wednesday.