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Show MAYOR MITCHEL VMS CHARGES OF CONSPIRACY New York Executive Declares De-clares He Will Not Stop Until He Has' "Tom Things Open." NEW YORK, May 23. Sensational charges by Mayor John Purroy Mitchel against some of his " co-religionists " in attempted justification of telephone wire-tapping during the investigation .conducted by a committee appointed by Governor Whitman into the affairs of Eoman Catholic charitable institutions in this city,' were made late today bo-for bo-for the legislative committee headed by state Senator George F. Thompson. prompted by the indictment in Kings county earlier in the day. of John.-A. Kingsbury, city commissioner of chanties, chan-ties, and William Hotchkiss, spoc.ial counsel for the charities department, for their part in tho "tapping" of telephone tele-phone wires. The chief witnesses against them before the grand jury wore Catholic clergymen. Gives Justification. Mayor Mitchel and Police Commissioner Commis-sioner Woods were witnesses before the jury but were not indicted, although the presentment of the jury declared they merited "a most severe condemnation" condem-nation" if they approved wire-tapping "merely to -furnish counsel with information in-formation in a law case or to gratify curiosity." Mayor Mitchel became a witness with the avowed purpose of making public telephone conversations overheard by the police, which, he declared, justified the wire-tapping. Alfred J. Talley, counsel for some of the clergymen involved, offered strong objections to the reading of the conversations in the mayor's possession, posses-sion, or any part of them. The attor-ney attor-ney asserted the alleged conversations were taken down on a slate in long laud by four police officers, and were presented to the charities investigation investiga-tion committee, which refused to receive re-ceive them on the ground that it would be improper to have them go on the record. . Previously Mr. Thompson had made public a letter received from John M. Bowers, counsel for the state board of charities, against which Commissioner Kingsbury made charges, requesting that Ma'vor Mitchel be not allowed to make public alleged evidence through wire-tapping. He pointed out that ( ofiuuissioner Strong, who conducted tho charities investigation, ruled out this so-called evidence on the ground that it had been obtained in an illegal way. He maintained that if the mayor made public, the conversations which had been overheard, "he should be held amenable to the laws of the state." Has 100 Records. When the mayor took the witness chair he said he ' would not leave it until he had "torn things wide open." He declared he had in his hands records of approximately 100 conversations taken down bv the police over a tapped wire, which indicated that there "is a combination of persons who have boon working: "First, to revoke the authority . of tho Strong committee by appealing to the governor. "Second, to discredit the committee. "Third, to attack and discredit Mr. Hotchkiss. "Fourth, to spirit people away from the jurisdiction of the committee. "Fifth, to coach witnesses and to 'trump up' testimony." The mayor also charged that there was a conspiracy to discredit the charities chari-ties department of the city. Tn mavor in hiB testimony made the direct assertion that there was 'an absolute ab-solute conspiracy" on the part of Potter. Hebbcnl, tho Rev. William B. Knrrell "and several priests to obstruct justice and to eoaeb witnesses as to what to say and to keep others nut of the jurisdiction of the investigators." The mayor said lie authorized a resort to wire tapping when informed there was reason to believe perjury had been committed com-mitted in connection with tile charities investigation. Monsignor John J. Dunn, chancellor of the archdiocese of New York, issued a statement tonight in which lie declared the charges made by the mayor as tliey lelated to Calholic clergymen and Catholic Cath-olic institutions rest on no solid foundation. |