New-York tribune., 1922-03-01
Detective Bill
l'oI's L p Again e
At iltIn Hour
Measure offered by Lusk
Last Year il Give Life
Jobs TO Enright's Favor
ties 10 BE Reiusroduccd
Fro,n a star correspond-ns

Erofn q stag Correspondent
ALBANY, Feb. 2S.-Tbe Lusk bill Of
last year, creating detective division
in tho Police Department, and by an
assault on the civil service lava Of the
state making the present favorites Of
Police Commissioner Enright secure in
their Jobs for life. will be reintroduced
in botn branches Of the Legislature
within the next few days. The original
bill was vetoed by Mayor Hylan, after
being passed by the House and Senate.
This became known after Detectives
Cornelius J. Browne and James j.
Gegan, who lobbied for the biz last
year, made ,he.r appearance in the
corridors Of the Capitol to-day. It was
Detectives Browne and Gegan who pre-
sented Senator Lusk with the S1,l32
silver set after MI Lusk had obtained
the bills passage last year
The bin will be introduced this year
in the Senate according to other mem
bers Of the detectives lobby here, by
Senator Thomas [. Sheridan, Democrat,
Charles f. Murphy's personal repre-
sentative here. Unsuccessful efforts
were made by the New York City de-
tectives to get q New York City Re-
publican to introduce the bill on the
Assembly side.
Both Detectives Gegan ard Browne
insist that they are not here in be-
half Of the Lusk bill.
TAX ng a Little Vacation
"We are both taking little vaca~
ton, and we are here on a visit of 3
purely personal nature" said Detective
Browne, but we may be for a detective
bill later on"
Earlier in the day Senator William
Duggan, Republican, Of New York. after
lnttoducing bill permitting the Board
OF Estimate to reimburse Inspector
William j. Lahey for expenses he in
CURED in defending the criminal in
dlctment found against him, but which
was dismissed, Informed inquirers that
Detectives Gegan and Browne had
given him the bill to introduce.
II know nothing about the bin to
reimburse Inspector Lahey," said De-
tective Browne
Il did not give it to Senator Dug
l.
When these denials were brought to
the attention OF Senator Duggan ne
said:
"The bin was given 10 me by Detec-
tives Gegan and Browne, who came
here as messengers from Inspector
Lahey. introduced the bill because
believed at the time and the courts
later sustained my belief, that Inspector
Lahey should never have been indicted.
have known Detectives Gegan and
Browne for years, and ! am not con-
fused over their Identify They OK
p'ained to me the sum involved was
$780,
Hirshfeld Investigating Fund
David Hrshtield, Mayor Hylan's Com
missioner of Accounts, who exposed the
raising Of the slush fund by the detec-
tives to grease the Lusk bill through
the Legislature was here to-day to at
tend the home rule hearing. When in
formed of the attempt being made TO
jam through the detectives bill this
year in the closing hours of the ses-
sion, as was done last year. he said:
You would imagine tha tthe detec-
tives would have learned lesson from
the. fact that the Mayor vetoed the bill
last year And here | want to say that
am still investigating the slush fund
raised by the detectives last year.
am still trying TO subppa Jack Kleist.
who, it was testified by the detectives
who raised the slush fund, handled
$4,000 of the money. Kleist has
moved to New Rochelle and therefore is
outside the jurisdiction of the City of
New York. Last week ! asked the Cor
poration Counsel to give me an opinion
as to whether my subpm is good out
side Of the City of New York If it is
I can get him before me without any
great delay"
$3.50 GGJ Fund Reported
Last year, when the bill was being
handed around to various members of
the LEGISLATURE. ths report was current
that ii the bill became law the de-
,eCtlves would raise by assessment a
slush fund of $750,000. It was this talk
which caused Senator'S Harriss and
Smith to drop the bill, and after they
refus,d to have anything to do with
the measure, Senator Lusk took it up.
Senator Lusk at the time OF the .ex-
pose said that he introduced the Bill
because he felt grateful to Detectives
Gegan ard Browne for the assistance
they rendered him while he was in
vestigatng the activities of radical
groups. He also testified that he had
heard talk of slush fund in connec-
ton with the bill, and had told Browne
and Gegan, who brought him the in
formation, and who credited other de-
tectives with the talk, that he would
have nothing to do with the legislation
if any money was used.
Senator Lusk did not bring the mat
ter officially to the attention of the
Legislature, nor did he call the atten.
tion of the District Attorney of Albany
County to the alleged slush fund
charges.
Republicans Refuse to Act
Republican members of the Legis-
lature who were asked TO introduce
the bill this year said they informed
the detectives that they would not
handle the bill. In each instance the
detectives informed the Republican
Assemblymen that the bill would be in
troduced in the Senate by Senator
Sheridan.