New-York tribune., 1922-10-20
court to Free
ROsenI)luth on
$4,000 Bail
Former Army Official, Again
Accused of Numbering
Capt. Cronkhite on Coast
in 1918, Surrenders Self
Assails Attorney General
Saws Daugherty Has Revived
Case Through His Fear of
impeachment Proceedings


Robert Rosenbiuth, former army cap
.s,n. WHO was accused with Roland
pothier. former sergeant major, of the
nurdcr of Captain Alexander Cronk-
5,;.s at Camp Lewis. Wash, in October,
,e,s only to have the charge dropped
both BY Federal and state authorities
and recently revived by direction of
Attorney General Daugherty, will be
free to-day
Exceps for . teehnicaiity he would
Rave been released last night, bail in
s1o ooo having been accepted by Judge
fa.rned Hand, of the United States
district Court. By the time the formal
;ties had been disposed of, however,
5fbe United States Marshal's Office was
e;osea and Rosenbluth had to go to the
Tor1bs for the night.
The warrant for the arrest of Rosen-
biuth was issued yesterday by United
States Commissioner Hitchcock fol-
lowing the receipt by the District At
torney's Office of a certified copy of a
secret indictment returned on last
Friday in the United States District
Court at Tacoma, Wash, charging Ros-
enbluth and Pothier with the murder
of Major Cronkhite. Accompanying
the copy of the indictment was a re-
quest to start removal proceedings
against Rosenbluth Immediately.
Surrenders Himself
Before the warrant had been served
Ecsenbluth, with his counsel, Jonah J..
Gcidstein, of 366 Broadway, surren-
dered himself before Commissioner
Hitchcock. He was served with the
warrant and arraigned before the Com
missioner. who adjourned the hearing
on the removal proceedings until next
Thursday. AS the Commissioner has
not the power to grant bail in {; cap
ital case, he directed Mr.. Goldstein to
make application before district
judge,
The case against Rosenbluth is onc
Of long standing. He has been exon.
Grated by several courts of inquiry, IN
cluding those instituted by army Off
cials. He was taken into custody
once before by the Federal authori-
ties, hut was released when it was
decided that they had no jurisdiction
in the matter because the LAND on
which the tragedy occurred was no.
decided to the government until some
time after the death Of Major Cronk-
hite ollowing this the Attorney Cen
eral of the United States ordered the
facts to be placed in the hands OF the
Washington, James w. Seldom, for ac-
tion. Mr.. Seldom in his public report
e1onerated Rosenbluth and criticized
the Attorney General for some of his
methods in handling the case.
In listening to the arguments for
bali, Judge Hand allowed Mr.. Gold
stein and Assistant United States Dis
trict Attorney John Joyce to go into
the history of the case rather extern
.sivey. During his argument Mr..
sGoldstein bitterly denounced the meth
ods employed by Billups Harris and
another agent Of the Department of
Justice, named Lee, in obtaining four
different and conflicting confessions
He accused them of high-handed and
arbitrary procedure. He was also Sc
verely critical of Attorney General
Daugherty for proceeding in the mat
ter after he had, over his own sigma
sure, declared that he had no juris-
dction in the case. Mr.. Goldstein ac-
tased him of obtaining the present in
dictment "to present his conduct OF
the case from being considered in the
impeachments proceedings pending
against him."
Will Protest Removal
S. In fixing bail Judge Hand said that
he was willing to do SO because he felt
that if Rosenbluth had ever desired to
abscond he would have done so long
ago, and that should he jump his bail
BOW it would SO cripple his case that
be would have little chance for ac-
qulttal when he was brought to trial.
After the hearing Mr.. Goldstein said
hn alya Nh 49,
removal proceedings on the ground
that the Federal grand jury in Ia
coma had no right to find an indict-
I ment. If that failed, he said ne
/ would apply for writ of habeas cor
pus "cn the same ground as that urged
~ Attorney General Daugherty in a
seIsr signed by him on August 90,
isSl stating that the Federal court
u Tacoma had no jurisdiction in the
In statement issued yesterday by
Saptain Rosenbluth he said that he was
saao the case had again been brought
ous INTO the open and that "this un-
warranted indictment AGAINST me is an
sHoft to remove my case as part Of
sne Impeachment proceedings insti-
suted against Attorney General Daugh-
4 efty and to block Congressional in
& curry as requested by the Veterans of
Foreign Wars" Speaking further of
the Indictment he said:
This grand jury inquiry was con-
ducted with a representative of Attor-
ney General Daugherty's office con-
stantiy present in the grand jury. Wit
nssses eonversant with the facts, and
whose names and addresses were known
- the Federal authorities, were NOT
"summoned. Eye witnesses were nnoi+taS
snd in their places, for general annear-
noes, there were summoned laraa
,mber of persons who were not nrasS
I at the time Of the unfortunata in.
G. lent, and government agents who did
pct fit in with the theory Of procur.
Ing an indictment against me were no.
sailed"