New-York tribune., 1920-06-15
CASTOR Means
Sues SW ann
For $l,0OO,O0O
Man Acquitted of Murder
ing Mrs. Maud King AL
leges Conspiracy to Send
Him to Callows or Jail
Dooling Also Defendant
Bribery by Trust Company
in Chicago to Prove Will a
Forgery Among Charges

CASTOR B. Means, who was tried and
acquitted on a charge of killing Mrs.
Maud A. Robinson King, widow of
James G.. King, of Chicago, filed suit
for s1,ooo,00O damages yesterday in
the Federal Court For the Southern
District of New York, against District
Attorney Swami and Assistant Dis
trict Attorney John 7. Dooling.
Means allgcs these officials conspired
with A. +. Reichman and William S.
Miller, attorneys for the Northern
Trust Company, of Chicago; Solomon
Smith and Bruce Smith, officers of
that company and c. B. Ambrose, a
former Department Of Justice agent,
to railroad Means to the gallows or
to Jail.
The conspiracy, Means charges, was
one whereby witnesses would be bribed
with funds furnished to them by the
Northern Trust Company, through the
said Reichman and Miller, co-conspira-
tors, to testify against the plaintiff
before the committing magistrate in
the state of North Carolina, the Grand
Jury of the state of North Carolina,
and before the jury that tried the said
plaintiff who was falsely charged with
having murdered the said Maud A.
Robinson King.
False Statements Alleged
Means also alleges that large sums
Of money were also furnished through
crf n iG Cl1 no1c Iafo
to be used by them in bribing and
corruptng witnesses to testify that
the last King will was forged in
strument." The charge also is made
that the defendants issued false and
libelous statements to the press, such
as would have the effect Of discrcditing
the plaintiff in the trial of the probate
Of the will.
Referring to the part played by Mr..
Dooling in the alleged conspiracy, the
complaint sets forth that he "pretended
to assist the State in the presentation
of its evidence" in the murder triel,
deliberately suppressed papers and
evidence that would have been favor
able to Means"
The complaint continues in part:
"An extraordinary grand jury is now
holding an inquest into the crimina
features on charges by Mr. Means and
the civil suit is intended to restore to
Mr.. Means, through damages among
other things, compensation for some
$4,000 worth of furniture illegally
seized by Messrs. Dooling and Swami
in raid on the New York apartment
Of Mr.. Means. The personal property
was seized by order of the District
still is retained despite demands for
no Of bn "a
of the plaintiff.
Goods Held at Warehouse
"Mr. Swami has personally written
to the attorney for Mr.. Means that no
one from his Office ever seized the per-
sonal property taken from the apart
ment of Mr.. Means, but we have the
certificate of the warehouse which says
that we will have to be guided in your
letter as to our actions in this matter
by the District Attorney, from whom
we received the original order to re
move the furniture from the Castor
Means apartment, and the District At
torney has assured us that he will lend
US every effort and assistance, so that
delivery of goods here will be made to
the proper parties when the time ar
rives'"
Colonel Thomas f. Fielder, attorney
for Means, IN filing the complaint,
said:
Il listened to Mr. Means for months
and came to the conclusion that he
needed guardian, but after going over
his case and cxaming the original
letters which he in some manner Sc
cured from the personal files of the
District Attorneys Office here | was
amazed and, of course, realized that he
had most just cause and that the
conspirators had gone to the most un-
hcard-of lengths to put him beyond be-
ing witness in the probate of the last
King Will, which strips the Northern
Trust Company of the right to manage
CONTINUED on pane sjr\