Evening star., 1928-12-04
HUGH M'DAN|EL
DENIES ROBBERY
Silver Spring Bank Defend
ant PIunges Into Recital
of Life History.
BY STAFF Correspondent of The star.

BY q STAFF Correspondent of The Star.
ROCKVILLE. Md, December 4-Tak-
ing the stand in his own defense In
Montgomery County Circuit Court this
morning Hugh l.. Mcdaniel, 80, denied
! he was the man who held up the Silver
Spring National Bank on October 81,
then plunged into q long recital of his
life history
The first question asked him by At
( torney David Hornstein of defense
counsel was, Did you or did you not
hold up the Silver Spring 'Bank?"
mo, I most certainly did not" Nc
Daniel answered.
Mcdaniel said he has lived around,
Washington for the past eight years,
residing at 80 Columbia avenue, Ia
coma Park, Md, for the last year and
half. He said he had attended school
only for three years and can read very
little.
On Friday, October 26, the day before
the robbery, he said he rode into WASH
ington with party Of friends and was
with them at 5 o'clock in the morning,
at which time a taxicab driver, testify
ing yesterday for the State, said he had
been engaged by Mcdaniel to drive him
from Tacoma Park to the bank.
On the morning of the robbery, Nc
Daniel said he got up at $50, shaved,
had breakfast and went for short
walk. He said he left the house few
minutes before o'clock and returned
20 or rs minutes later. He said he was
wearing a light-colored, English tweed
suit, which, he said, is not the one in
troduced by the State as the suit worn
by the bandit.
After returning to the house, he said,
he bathed and sat around until about
1O:15 o'clock, when he called a taxicab
to take him to Washington.
He denied ever having owned a pistol
and said that the money found in the
lining Of his coat represented his savings
for the past eight years He said he
carried the money with him rather than
deposit 1t for fear of its being attached
by his eStranged wife.
He accused Sergt. Earl H. Burdine of
the Montgomery County Police OF strik-
ing him twice in the face when he would
not admit that he owned a pistol.
> With only one more witness remain
ing to be called, the case was expected
10 go TO the jury early this afternoon,
conviction carries maximum penalty
OF 80 years Imprisonment.
Holds Glasses Necessary.
After States Attorney Peter had
called four witnesses YESTERDAY who
positively identified Mcdaniel as the
bandit, the defense produced witnesses
IN an attempt to show that Mcdaniel
did not go to the bank on the morning
preceding the day of the robbery and !
tnat II would have been physically i'm |
possible ior MIN to have committed the |
crime without his glasses, as charged |
by the State
Charles A. Bennett, jr.. 2I1 Maple |
avenue, Takoma Park, Md, and his |
sister, Mrs. Helen M. Kessler, same ad- |
dress. said that Mcdaniel rode down |
town with them Friday morning, the
day before the robbery and that he
was with them at the time a taxi driver.
Charles E. Mcfarland of Brentwood.
says he was carrying the man who COM
mltted the robbery to the bank. Nc
Farland, however, was positive In his
Identification, declaring he took Nc
Daniel to the bank Friday morning and
again Saturday morning, the day Of the
crime.
DR.. Leo F. Stencil, in charge of the
eye, ear and throat division of the Vet
eran'S Bureau, Baltimore, said McDan-
iels eyes are very weak and that 1t
would have been practically impossible
lot him to have held up the bank with
out glasses.
ANA0Ny AS (duCus
Mrs. Emily D. Harris of 80 Columbia
avenue, Takoma Park, Md. McDanielS
!andlady, was summoned by both de-
tense and State and her testimony was
both helpful and damaging to each.
Mrs. Harris gave an account of Nc
Daniels movements on the day of the
robbery while teStifying for the State.
She told of his leaving early in the
morning, of his trip to the cellar, where
revolver, which she said was not
hers, was subsequently found, and of
his asking her to call a taxicab for
him.
Under cross-examination, however,
she pictured him as a mild-mannered
young man who was always courteous.
Although State witnesses had described
the bandit as man with a 24-hour
growth of beard. she said she was 'prac-
tically sure" Mcdaniel was clean shaven
when he ate breakfast with her half
an hour before the bank was robbed.
Policemen Testify.
Asked If the defendant appeared nerv-
ous she replied, mo, but he seemed
little more serious than usual" Mrs.
Harris also said she had never seen
Mcdaniel without his glasses except
when he was sitting down resting his
eyes"
During the day several police officers
described the details of McDaniels ar
rest and the finding of the money in
the lining of his coat.
The cashier of the bank, his assist