The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-09-02
"RA|LROAD|NG !"
OF D. {. MEN
CHARGED
Motives Of Mrs. WiIIebrandt
In Rum Cases AssaiIed
BY Attorney

Direct charge that Mrs. Mabel X.
Willebrandt, Assistant Attorney
General Of the United States, net
tied by the nolle pressing Of the
conspiracy cases against Lieutenant
Joshua Sprinkle and other local
men indicted in an alleged Florida
rum ring" and is determined to
send group of fifteen respected
Washingtonians to Tampa, Fla,
where they viii not get a fair
trial" was made before United
States Commissioner Needham C.
Turnage in the District Supreme
Court today by Milton King, one
OF the defendant attorneys.
Today, the fourth one of the
hearing before Commissioner Turn
age on a writ of removal which
asks the men be sent TO Florida for
trial, is being featured by argu-
ment of the defendants attorneys.
Claim Lack Of Evidence.
Backing up his assertion con-
corning Mrs. Willebrandt's alleged
prejudice in the case, Attorney King
said that the testimony during the
hearing has shown that no new
evidence was presented to the
Florida grand jury ami that it
would be a gross injustice TO send
the men there TO be- tiled among
strangers on evidence which was
deemed not sufficient for conviction
in the local courts.
'I urge you, Mr.. Commissioner. !"
King argued. met t. act as a rub.
Der stamp for the Florida author
ties
Emphasis was laid by Attorney
Bertram Emerson. representing u.
c. Fredericks, one of the defendants
that the real reason why the al.
tempt is being made to send the H.
dicted men to Florida for trial Is
because there John j. Hickey. stat
witness for the Government. is, not
sc well known as a stool pigeon
as he is in Washington
1t was argued today that the tas-
timony of Hickey and his idenafi-
cation of the indicted men in the
courtroom should be disregarded iu-
asmuch as Hickey has shown utter
contempt for an oath and utter DIS
regard for the truth"
USnea Eloquent
With his characteristic fervor
Attorney James A. O'Shea rose to
a high pitch of eloquence when h~
declared:
There is something rotten in
Denmark. Something smells to the
heavens. If this was real case
1t would have been tried in the
District of Columbia and no at
tempt would now be made to shunt
these Washington men 1000 miles
from their homes, jobless. ,penni.
less and friendless."
The defendants attorneys made
their arguments behind desks
banked with between so and so
heavy legal volumes and Commas
sioner Turnage carefully took note
OF the many cases cited for his
benefit in which similar questions
have before been decioed in high
courts.
All Of the attorneys reiterated the
powerful argument presented by At
torney William Leahy on Friday
when, in a two hours speech he
contended that there is no proper
indictment, against the men, that
the men have not been properly
Identified and that the Constitution
of the United States has been vio-
lated in that they have not been
sufficiently Rpprised of the overt
acts with which they stand charged.
1t is evident that the hearing will
go over until tomorrow, at which
time Commissioner Turnage is ex.
pected to take the matter under ad-
visement as he has declared that
he intends to look up the many
cases cited him by the defendant
attorneys before rendering q de-
cision.