Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-05
DEUTSCH WARNED
CLUB SECRETARY
"Strangers'' in Fifth Ward
on Primary Eve Alarm.
ed Him
LAYS LINK FOR ''ALIB1"
Defense Seeking to Show Ac.
cused Ware Leader Didn't
Hire Cunmen
LAYS LINK FOR 'ALIBI''
West Chester, Pa. Aug.


Suspicious looking strangers" who
roamed around the Fifth Ward the day
before the primary last September alarm
ed ike" Deutsch and he warned Michael
Boganoff, secretary OF the Deutisch Club,
to be on the lookout. Borganoff testi-
fed to Deutsch's fear of the strangers"
today at the trial of the Fifth Ward
defendants.
Boganoff's testimony is regarded as
link in the chain of testimony which the
defense will try to forge to show that
the Fifth Ward.
Boganoff tried to explain the appear
ance of group of policemen in the
Deutsch Club. On the first registration
day, September g. he said, he saw sus-
picious looking characters lettering in
front of the clubhouse and summoned
the policemen for protection. The wit
ness said he never saw the gunmen in
the Deutsch Club and did not know they
were in the ward until after the murder
OF Policeman Eppley.
Witnesses for the Commonwealth tes-
titled earlier in the trial that the eighteen
gunmen were quartered on the third
floor of the clubhouse September 1s, the
night before the primary, and were called
down in groups Of two and three to go
out in to the ward to do "strong-arm"
work.
Deutsch watchers, who went to the
third floor the night before the primary
to get their final instructions from
Deutsch, declared there was no crowd Of
strangers" on the third floor Only
Fifth Ward residents, they testified, WIS.,
tied the two rooms on the third floor
Of the clubhouse.
David Atwell. the first witness called.
made a good impression for the defense.
Atwell, who was a minority inspector in
the Eleventh Division, is now in the
naval aviation service.
Dressed in his service uniform, Atwell
took the stand and told a clear story OF
his visit to the Deutsch club the night
of September IS. He saw no strangers
in the clubhouse. Atwell was not cross
examined
O,her witnesses were not so fortunate.
Mr.. Tauane grilled them at length in
an effort to shake their story. He sue
ceeded in bringing out the fact that
several of the witnesses did mot know
everybody in the big crowd which
thronged the clubhouse. Allen Bollman
a watcher in the seventh division, when
asked If he had gone to the clubhouse
to get election money. replied
I'm not for sale
Later Bollman. who is tailor, when
asked II tnere were any SiotiiSs
men in the crowd. said:
Sure, they were all in plain clothes
was the answer.
All the Deutsch watchers told sub.
stantially the same story
Defendant Policeman Testifes
Vigorous denials of the testimony
given by witnesses for the Common.
wealth was made today by Special
DnIi
2 seven defendants on trial.
Murphy who is the fourth defendant
to take the stand. followed the precedent
set by the three co-defendants who
preceded him and denied the damaging
testimony which duplicates him and the
other defendants in the alleged con-
spiracy.
Murphy denied that he had visited the
Deutsch Club since September S. Jim
my Clark. the man who had charge o.
the gunmen on primary election day
testified that Murphy came in the
Deutsch Club the night before the prim
ary and called for three men," Late
Murphy returned and said, II got him.
Murphy also denied leading the raid
on the Fineletter Club. said he had NJ
knowledge of the gunmen in the Fiftl
Ward until after the murder and de
clared that neither Lieutenant Bennet
nor, Deutsch asked him to be active II
politics II never solicited vote In tina
contest" said Murphy. "Deutsch onl'
asked me to be for him." he continued
Murphys testimony concerning IN
raid on the Finletter Club tailed witt
that of Policeman wirtschafter, anothe
of the defendants
On cross s-examination. Murphy said h
never attended a meeting of the Deutsc
Club and merely joined the club TO
SOCIAL purposes" The Deutsch Gu