The Washington times., 1924-02-13
STRIKERS.
FREEDOF
CHARGE
Aftermath Of Terminal Walk
out Results in Seven New
indictments.

An aftermath of the Terminal
strike in 4September, 1929 Pre-,
sented itself in the District Su-
preme Court. today when the grand
jury returned indictments against
seven former employees Of the Ter
minal station who had joined the
strike and who the indictment
charges were implicated in the at
tack on James R. Keeton and
Judson R. Powers, who refused to
join the strikers and continued
their work with the company.
Accused Of Assault.
The men indicted and charged
with assault with dangerous
weapon are: Raymond F. Erhardt,
433 H street northeast, machinist
helper; Charles B. Austin, 614H
Park road, vice chairman Of Pull.
man electricians; William B.
Beckett, 1921 Twenty.fourth street
northeast, machinist; Edward A.
Smith, 1908 Ninth street northeast,
terminal electrician; Norval C.
Humphrey, 226 Twelfth place north.
east, sheet and metal worker; James
Joseph Dugan, 10 Baltimore street,
Hyattsville, Nd, carman, and VIII.
liam Phillips, 617 Eleventh street
northeast, machinist helper.
They are accused Of assaulting
Keeton and Powers on the evening
Of September 20, 1922, at Brentwood
road and Rhode Island avenue as
they were leaving their workshops.
A jury in Criminal Court No. 2,
Justice Bailey presiding, last spring
tried Earl d. Dean, thirty years
old. 1917 Gales street northeast;
Robert w. Sisson, twenty-three
years old, 1314h Ninth street
northeast, and Morris J. Sullivan,
forty-five years old, 423 Second
street northeast, on the same
charges and found them guilty
Dean and Sisson were sentenced
each to five years in the peniten.
tiary and Sullivan received a seven
year term. Attorneys James A.
O'Shea and John Sacks represented
the accused.
Sisson and Sullivan throughout
the trial protested their innocence
and so informed Assistant District
Attorney Presmont, who conducted
the prosecution. The case was
taken to the Court Of Appeals
which sustained the verdict Of the
lower court February 4 last. When
the jury brought in the verdict
finding the accused guilty, the sis
ter and wife Of Sisson and Sullivan
exclaimed in open court that the
latter were innocent, and they were
led away by court attendants
weeping.
Both Men ExOnerated.
The positiveness with which Sis
son and Sullivan protested their
innocence to Mr.. Presmont and
the repeated assurances of theil
counsel that their clients were in
nocent, caused Mr.. Presmont to de
eide to undertake a thorough in
vestigation of the case. He sub
poenaed the accused and one by
one put them through a searching
examination Of all the details con
nected with the case.
After repeated efforts on the
part Of Mr.. Presmont, Dean made
full confession, generating Sis
son and Sullivan of all completely
in the crime, saying that they wers
not even present when the assaul,
was made. Dean divulged the
names of the seven who were to
day indicted by the grand jury az
being directly connected with the
crime. Mr.. Presmont had each OF
the accused come to his office
and after much difficulty obtained
from each full confession of hav
ing participated in the assault and
each declaring on his oath that
neither SissOn nor Sullivan had
anything to do with the affair.
The accused were arraigned inn
mediately after the indictment had
been presented and they entered
- plea Oe guilty. -.