The New York herald., 1922-06-03
CUNNINGHAM TO CONFRONT
WARD IN TEST OF HIS STORY

ham had had a good deal to drink before
the District Attorney, Sheriff Werner
and other officers were called into the
parley at the Hotel McAlpin on Thurs
day night, and that when he landed In
Jail his nerves were on edge. lie felt
better after sleeping until 80 o'clock
yesterday morning. but appeared to find
considerable satisfaction at the inability
of the hunters to corroborate his story.
He had told them. for example. where
they could find the wounded Jackson,
and when they taxed him with deliberate
deception he said: We'll. what OF ~
What are you going to do about itE'
He had a load of New York newspapers
brought to his cell He has at least one
amusement in common with waiter
Ward. Both find entertainment In the
newspaper accounts of the efforts tnas
are being made to solve the riddle.
The next move may be an attempt 10
get Cunningham to go to Stamford ana
| point out the place to which jackson
| was taken. The Stamford police were
! told yesterday that he had refused 10
| do this and that the refusal was di-
rected by his lawyer.
| One point in Cunningham recital OF
his past was verified yesterday. 1t is
true that he was employed at one time
| in the racing stable of Commander }.
K. l.. Ross, the owner OF the horse Sir
| Barton, which Man O. War beat. Ross
| said at Ottawa that he had not heard of
| Cunningham for several months. On
the other hand. Val O'Farrell denied
that the man had ever worked for him
or his detective agency
| 'In March, 1921" said O'Farrell, "a
member Of the New York Police Depart
ment, asked me to find out something
about Cunningham. / learned then that
| he had been a confidential agent for
| Commander Ross. had also worked for
| Theile's Detective Agency and had
sometimes used the name oT Cullen. That
| Is all / know about him. In my opinion
his story of the Ward-Peters affair is
| invented and he is being used by
somebody to draw red nerring across
the trail and divert the investigation
| from Its real path.
O'Farrell said that he and his agency
were now "out of the Ward case" into
which they broke i'm order to produce
Charley Ross and his friend, Jack. in
which adventure they had no luck.
O'Farrell said he had learned that
Walter Ward used to be seen a good
deal in the vicinity of Broadway and
Sixty-fifth street and that he had at
times elected to make friends of persons
below his social position. But O'Far-
rell said there was nothing to indicate
that his conduct had ever been disrepu-
table. 1t was pointed out In White
Plains yesterday that certain matters
which anonymous letter writer's have
spoken OF do not figure at all In the
stories told by Cunningham. who attacks
Ward from quite different angle.
Many Hotels Claim Fraud.
The head of Thiele's Detective Agency
| l-J, f.a+ H. nm
| Cunningham as shadow" about four
years ago and that his work was very
good. He did not know whether 1t was
the Cunningham now in jail.
On hotel registers Cunningham has
signed his name as Cullen and Collins
this newspaper learned from hotel
sources yesterday Several hotels have
complained OF Mis- forgetfulness in the
matter of paying bills. The Emerson
Hotel in Baltimore has s56 charge
against him for last August; he was
charged with beating the Onondaga in
Syracuse, but made good in January
of this year, and. as told in THE New
York HERALD yesterday. he had another
| adventure at the United States Hotel
in Saratoga. The Hotel Breslin In this
city lays claim to s156. He Is also re-
ported to have had rooms at the Com
modore and the Pennsylvania. He was
arrested In WatertoWn. N. T., iast Jan
uary for stealing an automobile In
Syracuse from a man OF the name OF
Davis.
William Averill Hartman denied yes
terday through his secretary that an,
attempt had been made to blackmai
him, as indicated by the story of Gun
ningham, who spoke Of gang tina
made n practice of holding UP rich mel
} and of young William Hartman a
one whom they attempted to victimize.
} Arnold Rothstein could not be found
but a brother denied for him that n
} knew anything of Cunningham or tn
blackmailng gang. Cunningham hat
said that he had Rothstoin exclude'
from the clubhouse by the Jockey Club
Ward left home early yesterday morn
ing and returned last night just befor
4, dinner II was noticed both when h
went away and when he got back tina
the smile he had worn since the cas-
began was gone. 1t Its place was
: frown and he seemed worried. He re
fused to comment on the case when h
drove up to his home. but hurried int
tie house.