Evening star., 1927-04-04
Grand Jury Returns IndiCt-
ment Against Rapeer and
Mrs. V. H. Saunders.
FALSE PRETENSES ARE
CHARGED TO COUPLE
Woman Attorney Worked Up Case
for Government, Alleging
Fraudulent Representations.

Louis W III Edpeer and Mrs. Via
sinia Hayner Saunders. as presideu.
and registrar. respectively, of Re
search University, today were indicted
by the grand jury on a charge of vio-
lating section 215 of the Penal Code.
involving use of the mails to defraud.
The indictment, covering 81 pages,
alleges that Rapeer and Mrs Saunders
from April -, 1924 to the present de-
vised a scheme to obtain by means of
false and fraudulent pretenses money
and property from such persons" as
they could 'induce to deal with them"
Rapeer and Mrs. Saunders, the i'm
dictment reads, "would falsify, fraudu-
lently and unlawfully state. represent,
pretend and promise" that Research
! University was a bona fide universi.
ty which offered students therein. in
return for their money and property,
/ thorough instruction by capable in-
structors and professors, who were
| leading experts in the United States
Government, and who were heads of
departments of the United States
Government; and to the effect that
Fred p. Myers. Lee Somers, Alton r..
Hodgkins. June Atkins HodgllinS.
| Oyster were deans of several Of the
! schools of the university, and that the
university had entered into accredit-
! ing relations with a large number of
/ institutions throughout the country.
Other Charges Preferred.
| Other false" representations. the
! indictment alleges, were to the effect
, that Joseph Ernest Mann. Mrs. Mary
C. Morris. Mrs. Adelaide L. Rutedge,
William Jerome Spencer. John t.
| Waller and DIR. c. Albert Smith were
I members Of the board of trustees of
| the university; that the university had
| laboratories equipped for experimental
| studies in natural science; that
branches of the university were be-
! ing established in the leading cities
of India that the university main
| tanned am employment service for
! graduates of the institution; that the
/ employment service would help grad
| yates into better positions in this
country and other countries; that
| Summer students of the university
| take part of their courses in resi-
| dence al George Washington Uniyer-
! sity; that the institution gave courses
of study for physicians. dentists,
pharmacists, and nurses; and that
| they. by false and fraudulent pre.
| lenses" intended to have persons un-
| derstand that il they would pay the
required fees and tuition they would
| receive 'the advantage of instruction
| by capable instructors and professors
and would receive diplomas evidenc
| ing the comforting of degrees
The several offenses alleged in the
l96iRfT1anf1f % nj f4st-,. r1
| ported, Rapeer and Mrs. Saunders
/ well knew were and would be false
and fraudulent pretenseS" in that Re
search University was "a mere pre-
tended university" and could not and
would not give to students the in
structions they had set forth.
Named i'm Indictment
In addition to the foregoing OF
fenses alleged. the Indictment charstf
that the fact that Joseph f.. Mann
was dean of the college of commerce.
that George l.. Hudson was dean OF
the school of liberal arts. that the
American Council on Education sug-
gested that the university enter into
accrediting relations with colleges and
State departments of education, like.
wise were false representations"
Among the institutions which the
indictment said were represented by
Rapeer and Mrs. Saunders as having
accrediting relations with Research
University are: University of Arizona.
Brown University. Carnegie Institute
Of Technology, University of Chicago,
College of the City of New York Dart
mouth College, Drake University, In
diana State Normal School. Lehigh
University, Leland Stanford Univer-
sity University Of Maryland, Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and Wyoming
State Department of Education and
the Civil Service Commission.
Assistant United States Attorney
Fearl Mccall worked up the case for
the grand jury.
Other Indictments Returned.
Other indictments reported by the
grand jury were:
Housebreaking and larceny. Joseph
NJ. Robinson, Randolph NJ. Burrows
and Ernest l.. Martin; housebreaking.
Joseph NJ. Robertson, alias Joseph NJ
ROBINSON; grand larceny, Patrick
smith, Edward A. Cole. Alfred Young,
Richard Cook, Thomas c. Burrell,
James NJ. Vaughn, Vincent p. Mand-
ley, George l.. Mortimer, William Nor
gan, Thomas Sowney and Walter
Payne; attempted robbery, Robert w.
Bowman; robbery, Robert w. Bowman.
Robert Coleman. Albert G. Dyer, alias
Ike Dyer. and William II. Smith; joy
riding, John Bradley and John III.
Reed; assault with dangerous weapon,
Edward Butler. Fannie Lambert and
George r. ludlow; larceny from
United States, Warren Hanna; larceny
from District of Columbia, James Reed.
Violation of the national prohibition
act, third offense, Samuel Epstein:
violation Of the prohibition act, Harry
Maynard and Kelly O'Brien; receiv-
ing stolen property, Benjamin Cole
man; grand larceny, larceny after
trust and embezzlement. James Fl.
Walsh: depreciation of private prop
erty, William Frazier; violation of sec
ton 865, d. G.. Code, William Albert
Sagar and Milton Theodore Arlington;
forgery and uttering. Paul Lawrence
Davis; violation of the Harrison mar.
cotic act, Edward Coleman, William
G. Johnson, Charles DougheTty. Henry
Britt and Edward Thornton; violation
of the Mann act, Frederick p. Thorne;
grand larceny, Fred Hooks: perjury,
John B. Noonan, and joyriding. Ben
Jamin II. Van Ness and Edward
johnson.
The grand jurors ignored charges
against Paul A. Powell, charged with
setting up a gaming table; Benjamin
Coleman, larceny; Tim Craig. robbery
and attempted robbery, and Hayry
Parnell, attempting to commit caEnal
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