Scandals of New York (Cont'd)

STATES & CITIES

Scandals of New York (Cont'd)

Last week's developments from the manifold investigations, pressed and pending, into New York City's police, judiciary and executive administration were the following:

Crain. After a mysterious conference with Governor Roosevelt, Referee Samuel Seabury began to wind up his hearing of misfeasance charges against District Attorney Thomas C. T. Crain, aged Tammany Sachem. In contrast to the dubious witnesses who have come before the inquiry for the past eight weeks was the appearance of Dr. Raymond Mcley, professor of public law at Columbia University. Professor Moley gave damaging testimony against Sachem Crain not by word of mouth but by a series of pitilessly clear charts which told in bold, graphic fashion the story of Mr. Crain's sorry administration. The Columbia pedagog's diagrams showed that the ratio of homicide convictions to known homicides had dropped to its lowest ebb in 25 years during the first year (1930) that Mr. Crain was prosecutor for New York County. Percentage of convictions for robbery, burglary, grand larceny and assault had done likewise.

Walker. The admission of Professor Moley's testimony following the ominous conference between Referee Seabury and Governor Roosevelt cast a pall over Tammany Hall. Nor was the pall entirely dissipated by Governor Roosevelt's dismissal of ouster proceedings against Mayor James John ("Jimmy") Walker urged by the City Affairs Committee (TIME, May 4 et ante). The move was expected by most observers in view of the impending investigation of the entire municipal administration by a legislative committee under Referee Seabury (TIME, April 6). Tammany wanted a more ornamental exoneration of the playboy Mayor than it found in the Governor's bare announcement: "The present charges were so general in character and related so predominantly to the acts of subordinates in the City Government that I hesitated as to whether I should take any action on them at all. . . ."

Policeman. Meantime, Referee Seabury's inquiry into the lower courts, oldest of his three current inquisitions, suddenly bore more fruit after a hiatus of several weeks. Policeman Richard B. Ganly, onetime vice squad member, was sentenced to from four to eight years in Sing Sing for testifying falsely against a woman in a specious prostitution case. Policeman Ganly is the second vice squad man to .be sentenced from testimony dug up by the Seabury investigation. His counsel pleaded that he be sent to a Federal penitentiary rather than to the State's prison. Two months ago Policeman Ganly, having been dismissed from the police force, wounded a man in self defence during a card game holdup after the man had killed one of the gamesters. Policeman Ganly, who will testify during the murder trial, fears that friends of the accused will kill him in Sing Sing.

Legislative Inquiry. With the ambiguous clearing of Mayor Walker and the growing certainty that the Governor will be unable to exonerate ineffectual Sachem Grain, Tammany girded up its loins for a bitter technical battle against the legislative investigation committee whose chiefs conferred in Manhattan late last week.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.