Evening star., 1924-05-23
POLICE HALT ROWS
AS SENATE PROBE
GROWS TURBULENT
Spectators Join in Bitter
QuarrelS as Todd Seeks to
DiSprOve Means Story.
THEFT OF FAMED DIARIES
DECLARED FAIRY TALE"
Assistant Attorney General Says
Operatives Guarded House-Jibes
Fly Back and Forth.

AiJ odCh anu COrtn.
The troubles of CASTOR B. Means.
star witness for the Daugherty COM
mlttee, were debated before the com
mlttee today at a session resounding
with tumult from beginning to end.
Hiram c. Todd, assistant attorney
general in charge of the prosecutions
against Means in New York, was on
the witness stand but committee
members and counsel for former At
torney General Daugherty took up
much of the time with a series OF
quarrels so bitter that the spectators
tried to join in, and were quieted by
Capitol police.
Todd, himself accused by Chairman
Brookhart of being unfit for his job, .
fired sharply back across the commit
tee table at the jibes of his question
ers. declaring the committee had
shown '1ndignity" toward the courts
ana reminding Senator Wheeler, the
committee prosecutor, that he himself
is under. indictment in Montana. The
witness said Means story of the dis
appearance of his famous diaries was
a fairy tale" which could be dis
proved easily by the testimony of TWO
department of Justice agents who
guarded the Means residence.
Near Row in Hallway.
The only purpose of the watch set
over Means by the department. Todd
insisted. was to observe his health
and see whether he was well enough
to come to New York for trial.
After the committee adjourned
Senator Brookhart, Paul Howland of
the Daugherty counsel and Means
renewed verbal hostilities in an ad-
joining hallway. with the result that
a police officer intervened with a eau
tlon which ended the argument.
Senator Wheeler, the committee
prosecutor, first got Todd to describe
his work for the government, which
included the conduct of criminal pro-
ceedings against railroad trainmen
who. quit service at Needles, Calf,
during the railroad strike of 1922.
Case Often Delayed.
When Todd identified himself as a
member of the law firm of Baldwin,
Hutchins & Todd of New York Sena-
tor Wheeler asked if Francis S.
Hutchins, also a firm member, had
mot induced Mr.. Daugherty to mol
PROSE- the indictments and the cases
against the directors and officers of
the United Gas Improvement Com
pany." The witness said he had no
knowledge of that.
Means was indicted in New York
on October 8, 1923, the witness said.
on three charges of conspiracy in
connection with prohibition matters.
The cases have been adjourned
from time to time through the cul-
ming of Means" he went on. He was
paid $4,000 by one Johnson for OBJ
tanning the removal of large guam
1ity of whisky from warehouse"
You knew when you indicted
Means that he had evidence to con-
Wet number of prominent bootleg
gers in New York;" Senator Wheeler
asked.
Il knew he was working with them
for the purpose of filling his pocket
at the expense of the government"
Todd replied.
Says He'll Try Means.
Senator Wheeler ordered the wit
ness TO stop putting conclusions into
the record" and Todd retorted that
he didn't come here to be lectured."
Didn't you know that Means went
10 New York with a letter from the
President of the United States direct
ing him to investigate the bootleg
Il do not, and 1 don't know it now.
except as you tell it"
Isn't it a fact tha where Means
got evidence against bootleggerS you
7urned around and gave the bootleg
gers immunity in order to indict
Means"
Il don't know that"
Then in quick exchange. Todd
q greed he had called the bootieggers
before the grand jury, or some of
1hem," and that "he was going to try
Means If he got a chance"
Police Halt Uproar.
George Z. Chamberlain, attorney
for Harry NJ. Daugherty, added fuel
TO the flames by saying the com
,nittee had let witnesses brand" his
client as a crook without protest.
The audience was being heard at
called for order.
Senator Wheeler then asserted Todd
had given the bootleggerS immunity"
ness retorted he would tell his in
1errogator no secrets Of the grand
jury room."
"Didn't you tell them YOU would
give them immunity before you called
IhemP pursued Wheeler.
Il did not"
Declines to Divulge Evidence.
Senator Wheeler said Means had
been sent to New York to get in with
The bootleggers and get their conf
Sence. He asked whether there was
any evidence to show that Means
took a quart of whisky from a ware
house?"
That isn't proper question: re-
DIied Todd Means is a crook, but
that's my statement on the conclu-
sion of the grand jury"
you've been so free in offering
YOUR conclusions about Means" Sena-
TOR Wheeler proceeded, isn't it fact
that your evidence shows he never
got a quart of liquor?"
at isn't proper for me to disclose
evidence" Todd retorted
The witness then said. it appeared
10 be the effort of the committee ito
protect Means" and Senator Jones,
Republican, Washington, said the
committee was going too far"
Scores Todd Attitude.
CASTOR B. Means is the man."
shouted Todd while two or three
committeeman were trying to talk at
once.
"A prosecutor who shows such bit
ter malice as Mr.. Todd has here
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