Evening star., 1923-10-29
POLICE ACCUSED
| Of SHIELDING HALL
Precinct Captain and Three
Others Named at Hearing
of Lieut.. Davis.

Charges that the captain of Wash
ington police precinct and at least
three of his subordinates gave pro
lection" were made by former revenue
agents today before the police board
trying Lieut.. o. T. Davis, Sergt. James
f. McQuade and Private Harry Bauer
on affidavits alleging serious infrac-
tions of discipline and duty.
The breath Of further sensational
disclosures was felt in the trial cham
Der at the sixth precinct station when
Prohibition Enforcement Agent Park
H. Packard defied the boards author
ity and refused to become witness
until the mystery surrounding a bot
tie supposed to contain whisky, which
was offered in evidence Saturday, Is
cleared up.
Counsel for the accused policemen
vigorously opposed the boards sug-
gestion that Mr.. Packard be permit
ted to tell the story Of the bottle as a
private conversation" and Assistant
Corporation Counsel William II. Wah-
ley, who presided, was obliged TO eN-
cuse the witness. 1t was hinted, now
ever, that before the trial is over he
will be permitted to dispel the mist
of mystery that surrounds the bottle
of alleged whisky and bare every face
legal technicalities prevented him
from disclosing this morning.
Witnesses Absent.
Two of the former prohibition
agents who were accused or serious
charges by Lieut.. Davis and the other
defendants were the star witnesses
today. Three or four persons whose
names were called failed to answer,
and it was explained in several in
stances that they had been sum-
moned to prosecute charges against
persons they had arrested In connec-
ton with raids on various Washing
ton cases.
The raid on the place conducted by
Frank Hall, in Southwest Washing
ton. the man whose place the pol1ce
captain is alleged to have protected"
created a sensation about a year ago
Liquor valued at $4,000 was removed,
and it was stated that the man him
self was worth several hundred thou
sand dollars. Orders for the raid were
said at the time to have originated
from the highest sources/fn the Dis
After the intoxicants had been re-
moved, however, the courts ordered
them returned on a technical ground
concerning q search warrant. The
police were obliged to cart their en-
tire haul back to the place from which
they got it, and when they returned
with a fully legal search warrant they
found the liquors had been removed.
Ex-ARent Fowler's Testimony.
Former Dry Agent Fowler. the
frs, witness, was asked what he
knew about the charge that Lieut..
Davis had refused to interfere with
the illicit liquor business of one
Frank Hall. because he knew a
precinct captain was 'in" with the
bootlegger. He said the police
found whisky in the mans house;
bat Lieut.. Davis ordered the off,
GERS to let him go because the cap
tain had threatened to get his
lob, If he arrested the man. Fowler
said the incident occurred in October,
1922
Under cross-examination he ad-
mitted he had lodged the charge
against Lieut.. Davis only because the
latter had similarly accused him.
COrrobOrates Fowler's Statement.
Ralph E. Ruby, a former prohibi-
tion enforcement agent, corroborated
the testimony OF Fowler that certain
persons had warned him against in
terfering with Hall, because he was
under the protection of the captain.
Lieut.. Davis told him, the witness
said, that not only the captain but
the officers of the precinct were in
the habit of Stopping in at Halls
(Continued on Page IL. Column 81