Evening star., 1927-11-07

impartial trial would be accorded by
the jury.
Says Day Hired Detectives.
"The Burns agency is not seeking
to help any one, whether guilty or
innocent, in a legal proceeding.
Burns volunteered.
Asked who employed the agency
for this work, Burns replied, Mr..
Day, through Sherman Burns, my
SON" Questioned as to what interest
"Mr. Day" would have in the jury.
Burns declared, He was connected
in some way with the Sinclair oil
people, and naturally he had an in
tereSt"
When informed that Day refused
to testify before the grand jury on
the ground that such testimony would
tend to incriminate him, Burns said.
IF l had been in Days place 1 would
have walked in here and cried to get
in. The chances are now that you
will find him as witness in the next
Fall Sinclair trial telling all about
this. My policy is to lay the cards
on the table and tell the public ali
about 1t"
One uucStioncr told Burns that the
defendant Eau. immediately after the
mistrial was declared, issued a lengthy
statement denying any connection
with any plans TO obtain information
about the jury and Burns replied,
Il don't know about that"
Burns stated it was not unusual for
his agency to engage i'll jury shadow
ing work, but in this case he did not
know the agency was so employed,
until this thing blew up" He en-
phasiZed that he has not lone dollars
interest" in the agency any longer:
that his brother, Raymond j. Burns,
is president and his son is secretary
treasurer He explained, however,
that once every SO often he is called
into consultation on a matter hut
that is the extent of his interest in
the organization.
Tn Tilt With Reporter.
Burns said the private detectives
heard that "a newspaper man went to
one of the jury and tried to get him
drunk. The newspaper man had no
right to so out and make an investiga
tion like that. If he<had been a Burns
detective they would have put him in
jail. The newspaper man referred
to, Donald King. was in the group of
intervieWers and one Of Burns men
pointed him out. To King, Burns de-
clared, you should have been arrested
and brought before the court" King
said he appreciated Burns thought
fulness in the matter.
Inquiry Is Extended.
The investigation took wider
range today when Burkinshaw
learned that members of the panel
from which tho +,.;.,
had felt they were being shadowed by
Department of Justice agents. One
of the veniremen, it was learned. had
been called on the telephone and told
to watch your step if he became a
member of the jury, because Depart
ment OF Justice agents We're shadow
ing all members. This, the Govern
ment contends, was direct effort
to influence the jury against the Gov
ernment.
No agent of the Department of
Justice, the Government said, had in
any way been used in connection with
the oil conspiracy trial. 1t is charged.
however, that the Burns agents
dogged the footsteps of the jurors and
were we'll supplied with funds to carry
on their work.
When secret service men raided the
IooHiS occupied Dy the operatives they
found an index Of the members of the
jury, in which their personal lives
were gone into in detail. Burkinshaw
has been Informed by veniremen that
they had noticed the defense in the
conspiracy trial had a card index
which was consulted when each was
called for examination. An inquiry
is being made to determine any nos.
sible connection between these cards
and the index found in the operatives
headquarters.
Information has reached Burkin.
shaw's office that each of the Burns
agents had been given $50 expense
money, and that in addition 81, 800 had
been brought to Washington from the
Baltimore office of the agency,