Evening star., 1926-05-01
FEE EXPLANATION
BY MCCOY SOUGHT
Chief Justice Takes Stand
as First Witness in Fen
ming Inquiry Renewal.

Continued from First Pagel
proper. Asked again il he thought
his provision of the law had been Nio-
lated, the chief justice said:
Il do not think so. Our secretaries
are appointed and act for us. They
have nothing to do with our court
duties. and the controller has so
ruled"
Continuing his explanation. the
chief justice said the secretaries are
not employed in any office in the
court but in the judges own office
and that no other judge has any con
troll over a secretary. After read
ing the section of law which Mr..
Gilbert had quoted, the chief justice
said he was rot familiar with that
provision, but that there is another
section on the same subject with
which he is familiar and could quote.
Representative Newton of Mime
sofa took the witness stand earlier
in the day to tell of his experience
in appearing in the District Supreme
Court as counsel and friend of Bis
sell Thomas, an attorney, who, Rep-
resentative Newton testified, was
threatened with contempt proceedings
for having sought to intervene as
counsel in a case in which he felt
his client should have been a party.
Insurance Case Involved.
According to Mr.. Newton's testi-
mony, the case grew out of the affairs
of an insurance relief association. He
testified that the proceedings have
been brought against John Brosnan,
jr., individually, after he had succeed
ed his father upon the latter's death,
and that the plaintiffs in the case were
other heirs.
Mr.. Newton testified that although
the litigation was against Brosnan
individually the court proceeded to
adjudicate the rights of the corpora
ton. The corporation, he said, had
never been made a party to the suit.
and the plaintiffs, he further claimed,
were not the owners of the stock,
which had not been distributed. He
said the court appointed manager
for the insurance corporation to run
the business on the petition of other
heirs. An injunction was issued, he
testified, restraining Brosnan, jr., and
others from taking charge Of the cor
poration. 1t was following this de-
velopment, Mr.. Newton testified, that
the corporation retained Mr.. Thomas
as its attorney.
Mr.. Newton said it was when Mr..
Thomas applied to the court with a
petition to intervene in the proceed
ings on behalf of the corporation be-
fore Justice Hoehling the intimation
was made to Mr.. Thomas that he
was subjecting himself to a contempt
proceeding for attempting to inter-
vene. Mr.. Thomas then began DAM
age suit against the manager who
had been appointed by the court,
whereupon, Mr.. Newton said. a rule
was issued against Thomas to show
cause why he should not be adjudged
in contempt.
Representative Newton said he ap
peared for Mr.. Thomas before Justice
Siddons and that the proceedings were
dismissed.
DR.. Roy F. Gwynn, psychiatrist for
the Washington regional Office of the
Veterans Bureau, was called as first
witness at the sessions last night
by Mr. Blanton. He explained that
he and another doctor are In
charge Of the examination Of nerve
cases. He is a licensed physician
in Washington, and has few private
patients after Government office hours
Mr.. Blanton suggested that he confine
his practice to veterans, and not prac-
tice on the outside. In reply to ques
tions, he testified that after he was
out of college he served as an intern
for five and a half months at st.
EliZabeth's.
When questioned, he admitted that
he had told a mutual friend that 1t
was ''the rottenest place he ever
knew" He explained, however, that
this was merely his own feeling about
his particular job there as a young
doctor, who was made to feel by the
other more experienced doctors that
he was not very important. He said
he thought st. E;lizabeth's was an
excellent institution, and that he had
learned a great deal there. He said
he wrote histories on patients, and
sometimes presented cases to the con.
ference of all the physicians for parole
diagnosis or transfer.
Clinic Facilities Praised.
Asked by Mr. Blanton if the Gov
ernment of the United States does
not furnish one of the best equipped
clinics in the country, DR.. Gwynn ad-
mltted that ii was very we'll equipped
Mr.. Blanton asked him whether he
knew about department pink teas"
and when DR.. Gwynn seemed not to
understand what was meant Mr. Blan-
ton described them as where young
ladies with bobbed hair and silk
stockings meet the cake-eaters who
have been out the night before and
talk over their experiences" DIR.
Gwynn said he had not attended any
such department pink teas.
Chairman Gibson asked DIR. Gwynn
further about his comment to a
friend that the St. Elizabeth's assign
ment was rotten" and he again ex-
planned that he had been personally
not happy" He said he had a very
high regard for st. Elizabeth's as an
institution. admitted that it was clean
and that the food was all right, except
that he didn't have any real butter.
Mr.. Gibson questioned him about the
morale at St. Elizabeth's and he did
not feel qualified to pass an opinion.
Mr.. Blanton asked him If he
realized that since the Veterans Blu
reau has 900 veterans in St. Eliza
beth's if he was to say today that
he thought it was the "rottenest
place" it would be a reflection on Di-
rector Hines and the bureau for hav-
ing the veterans there.
Patients Menu Brought In.
Referring to the comment that the
physicians didn't get any real butter.
Mr.. Blanton wondered what the
patients got. He referred to a report
on St. Elizabeth's made by an investi-
gator for the Veterans Bureau, who
had confirmed this statement, saying
that the patients did not get butter.
but oleomargarine, and not enough
of that.
Mr.. Blanton called attention that
they have a herd of 900 cows at st.
EliZabeths and he failed to see why
they couldn't have butter. He said
he had been reliably informed that
every time the milk is separated 10
gallons of cream are sent to DIR.
Whites residence.
Chairman Gibson then called Mr..
Rudolph. who testified that he has