New Britain herald., 1927-11-19
'REMUS BITTERLY
 DEN0UNCES TAFT
Threatens Hand-to-Hand Battle
 With Him

Cincinnati, O.. Nov. 19 (UP)- Overshadowing any question as to the guilt or innocence Of George Remus in connection with the shoot ing to death of his wife, Imogene, today lay the problem as to whether he would continue long as co-counsel for defense.
 With Judge Chester R. Shook, who will decide the issue in case the dynamic defendant decides to make anw more operations in his own behalf, visiting Columbus to watch a football game, no ruling could come over the weekend.
 But Judge Shook declared late yesterday that if Remus continued to pay no more attention to his die tums than he did to the prohibition laws a few years ago Remus would TO longer be active in direction of the defense.
 Remus, interviewed in his cell by the United Press correspondent, was emphatic in his belief that he would not be barred as an attorney in the case.
 Did you think I was effective in denouncing the prosecutor" he ask ed. Wait until I get going. I'll be in there at the finish and you can bet on that.
 This defendant stands on trial with his life at stake. To have & fair trial he must examine such wit nesses as he may choose and must make the opening and closing state ments to the jury. Surely no court would deny man the right to speak the truth
 But Charles P. Taft, IT. county prosecutor and son of Chief Justice William Howard Taft. thought otherwise. In the closing minutes Of Fridays session Remus thunder ed, with the jury excluded from the courtroom, that he would like to wreck you (Taft) physically"
 If Remus is guilty of another such outburst,' the prosecutor said, T shall move his exclusion as CO., counsel and ask that two bailiffs be stationed beside him to maintain order, meanwhile I shall be prepar- ed for any assault Taft smiled. He is a former football and basketball player at Yale and has an advant- age of at least six inches over the short but well conditioned Remus. Taft also is 20 years the junior of the defendant.
 Remus said after court, however, that he would relish the opportunity of hand -to-hand conflict with the prosecutor whom he terms 6 ''perse- cutor"
 Remus daily has been shadow boxing in the jail to keep fit.
 For a moment yesterday it looked as though he would have more than one antagonist. That was when he singled out Earl E. Basler and said the latter drank "pints and pints' Of liquor and had not been caught yet. Easier then told Remus that if the defendant came nearer he would punch" him.
 With such threats of physical vio- lence and the taunt by Remus that Taft was, in effect, a ''pitiful offshoot of his great renowned father" the first week of the trial ended in d burst of eXcitm ent, and outside the courtroom the atmosphere was strained.
 For here in Cincinnati former con- victs and gangsters are ready 10 tes- tify either for state or defense.
 In the ballroom of a downtown hotel, last night, a man who served a sentence with the former King of Bootleggers" pulled a revolver from his pocket, tapped it significantly, and said "a bullet in there goes for anybody who thinks that Remus is going to be tapped for this racket"
 That sounds too melodramatic to be true, of course but it actually happened. There is not a reporter assigned to the case who hasn't heard a threat of violent death from at least one of the many pros pective witnesses in the case.
 All of which keeps the tempera- ture on high. There are those who believe that anything may happen if Remus is permitted to cross examine Franklin I. Dodge, Jr., the former department of justice operative he considers as the lover of Mrs. Remus and his arch enemy. After the roar ing attack upon Taft and Easier. two of the three alienists appointed by the court hurried forward to con- fer with Judge Shook, Their conver- sation was not overheard. But, as affecting Remus' sanity, testimony that did not go into the court rec ords must figure. One reporter swore that before the vocal eXplo sion Remus turned and whispered: Heres a good lead for your morn ing papers. Watch me burn up Taft" and after 1t was all over and the jury had gone out to Eden park, where Remus shot his wife on Oct. $, while she was en route to a divorce hearing to testify against him, Remus asked whether he had been reflective"