Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-03-19
BONUS
PASSES HOUSE !.
BY WIDE MARGIN
HOLD REP. KNUTSON
and GOVT, WORKER
ON SERIOUS CHARGE

Washington. March 1S-After q
preliminary hearing Of more than
five hours in crowded little Viz
ginia courtroom. Representative
Harold Knutson. OF Minnesota, and
Leroy y. Hull, a % year old govern
ment employee, today were held for
the grand jury on grave charges pre-
ferred against them by two Airing
ton county police officers.
Judge Harry r. Thomas with held
temporary issuance of formal or
der, holding the two men for the
grand jury in order to- give them an
opportunity to arrange new bond
Each had been held in $1,000 for the
hearing. which the court refused TO
reduce on motion of State Senator
Frank l.. Ball, Knutson was repre-
scented by Representatives Larson
, and Newton, both of Minnesota, and
Thomas e. Bradley, Washington at
torney.
Four witnesses were heard during
the day, John Wise and John Burke,
the officers who made the arrests on
the night of March 8 on a road on
the outskirts of Washington; Louis
Zimmerman, brother in law OF
Burke and driver of the officers
car when the arrests were made, and
Harry woodward, jailer.
Wise. the first witness, testified as
to the conditions under which the ar
rests were made when he and Burke
came upon Knutson's car parked
about $50 feet from the main road.
He told of offers" made to him by
Knutson to settle out of court" say
ing the offers" were refused.
Replying to direct questioning by
commemorative attorney William G..
Cloth, Wise said he was unaware at
the time that knutson was n MEM
Der of congress or whether he was
Il Democrat or Republican" Attorn-
ey Bradley objected, but was over
ruled by the court OTTER Cloth had
declared an attempt was being made
to infer the arrests were the result
of .frame-up."
Declaring proof Of charges had
been established, the states attorney
rested after Wise's testimony. but
was met with replies by defense
attorneys that in view of the seri-
BUSINESS Of the charges against the
two men, all witnesses should be
called.
representative 1LdISOfl ueCldTeu the
charges involved the honor OF the
congress of the United States" and
1t was the ethical obligation of the
prosecuting attorney to call every
witness" Cloth took offense at what
he said was an attack on his fairness
and charged Larson with attempting
to revolutioniZe the criminal prac-
tice of the state" because one of the
accused happens to be u member of
congress-"
Wise, who was then cross exam
ined by the defense. repeated his
story, and Burke and Zimmerman,
also called by the defense. described
the circumstances of the arrests
substantially as did Wise.
Harry woodward. jailer of Arling-
ton county, the last defense witness,
testified he had charged the men on
the books with felony" on advice
of Sheriff Howard Fields. after the
latter had talked the matter over
with Wise and Burke. and that the
records were in his office.
The defense asked that the records
be brought into court but Judge
Thomas refused to grant the request
and expressed the opinion that they
had no bearing on the case.
After strenuous appeal by Br.
Ball for a reduction of bond from
$4,000 to $4,000 Judge Thomas ruled
the former amount was not excessive
for such cases and held Knutson
and Hull on that bond for the grand
jury. The next grand jury. The
next grand jury session in Airing
ton is set for April 81.