The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1921-07-17
TWO policemen
. EX0NERATED in
I MISCONDUCT CASE
Officers Accused by Girls OF
''Masher" Tactics Prove
Satisfactory Alibis.

Three members Of the Metropolitan
Police Force. facing serious charges.
were exonerated OF those charges by
the police trial board following a
lengthy hearing yesterday afternoon
at which almost thirty witnesses were
heard In their defense.
Proving absolute alibis, Policemen
Kenneth j. Edsall and Claude Math-
eny, both of the Seventh precinct.
were exonerated by the board of the
charges brought against them by
Helen Conrad and Mrs. Virginia King.
OF 81 H street northwest. The two
young women charged that the two
policemen offered them whiskey and
made indecent proposals when they
refused to drink while on an automo-
bile ride the night of July 10. last, on
the Rockville pike.
Although the two women identified
the policemen at the hearing yester-
Day as the men who took them on the
auto ride, the policemen declared that
on the night in question they were
at other places.
Policeman Edsall In his testimony
before the board stated that on the
night OF June IL he was playing
cards at the home Of friend with
four other people.
Garage Man Proves Alibi.
Although he owns an automobile
answering the description given BY
the two women who made the charges,
Z ma ~ ho he tel
In question his automobile was being
repaired In a garage in Georgetown
and the proprietor Of the garage, Ben
A. Busher. testified that the car was
In his garage that night.
Matthias johnson. brother-in-law OF
Edsall, testified that In that Sunday
night, he and his wife accompanied
Joseph Burroughs In GEORGETOWN
where they all played pinochle until
midnight. Mr.. and Mrs. Burroughs
also testified that Edsall played cards
at their home on that night, as did
their son, Herbert ]. Burroughs.
Policeman Claude Mathsny testI-
fled that on the night Of June 10
no attended a moving picture per-
formance with his wife, and that
they did not set out Of the theater
until IL o'clock. having attended the
testified that he was with her on
that night.
The statements made by the two
women that the policemen stopped at
the Seventh precinct on the night
in question to leave q coat and
policeman's cap at the station house
were offset by the testimony of Po-
licemen Harry C. Blackburn and
Clarence p. Robinson, who were on
duty from o'clock until midnight at
the station house on the night of
June ~.
These two mer, testified that they
did not see anyone in plain clothes
enter the station house on this par
ticular night, and Declared that had
Policeman Edsall entered the build.
ing that night they would have no.
ticed him. They stated that 1t would
he almost impossible for a person
TO enter the station house and then
leave without their knowing IL, es.
pecially a brother officer.
Testify To Good Conduct.
Former Police Court Judge Alex.
ander r. Mullowny, who appeared
as counsel for the policemen, pro-
duced several witnesses, among them
Police Lieutenant j. 8. Sprinkler. who
testified as to the good record of
the two men.
Another policeman who proved an
abb and was. accordingly, exoner.
ated of the charges against him, was
j. M. Horton, Of the Fourth Pre-.
cinct. Horton was charged with con-
duct unbecomins an officer by being
in a house which was raided by
police and internal revenue officers
in southwest. the proprietor OF which
was arrested charged with violation
of the Prohibition Law.
Horton testified that on the night
the raid was made he was taking an
automobile ride in Virginia with a
number OF friends, all of whom ap.
peared before the trial board today