Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-24
PRATT IS UNMOVED
BY SENATE ATTACK
Doyle and Allen Proffered
Many Offers of Aid as.
Trial Nears.
CONTINUED From First Page.)

| (COntlnusQ from fuSC FdSS.D
trial, but intimated that it probably
would be Bolitha J. Laws, who defended
him before the trial board less than a
year ago, when he was acquitted on
charge Of falling to cooperate with the
District nealth Department. The case
| involved a dciicatessen store proprietor
| who had been charged by the Health
Department with using unsterillzed
! glasses. Aliens testimony resulted In
| the dismissal of the charge against the
storekeeper in Police Court.
Preparing Charges.
The formal charges to be preferred
| against Doyle and Allen were still under
! preparation today and Maj. Pratt an
nounced that he expected the papers to
be completed and served on the two
officers within the next "a hours. The
| delay in drawing up the charges has
/ been due to the care with which Harry
M. Luckett, chief clerk of the Police
Department, is proceeding in writing
| the specifications. The general charge
| to be preferred against both officers,
| however, will be conduct prejudicial to
[ the good order, reputation and discipline
of the police force.
The trial was definitely fixed to begin
Wednesday, when the Police Trial Board
| holds its next regular session. There is
strong likelihood, however, that a
poStponement may be ordered, especially
| in the case of Allen, who fears that
| Attorney Laws, who is engaged in an
] important case, may not be ready TO
| proceed at that time should he agree
| to defend the officer.
Mai. Pratt declined to comment on
~ As.,o L.. II 10
| the Senate yesterday, and his associates
at headquarters said he showed no
visible signs of being disturbed by the
| attack. The Blease resolution calling for
| PrattS suspension also has failed to
move him.
Resolution Not Binding.
Even though the Senate should adopt
| the Blease resolution, Pratt'S associates
| pointed out, its effect would not be
| binding on the Commissioners. 1t also
was explained that while the Commits
| Sioners have the power to suspend Pratt
they cannot summarily remove him
| without trial.
While Maj Pratt was reticent on the
attacks on him in the Senate, he took
| occasion to deny reports that he pro-
posed to create a special trial board to
hear the charges against Doyle and Allen
and that he retired early last night on
account of illness. The superintendent
said the reports of his illness, like the
reports of Mark Twain's death were
greatly exaggerated" and that his only
physical ailment consisted of pimple
on his neck.
Maj. Pratt also explained that there
is no necessity for special trial board
and that he believed the Doyle and
Allen case should be handled in the
usual way. However, if either of the
accused officers object to the personnel
for the opposition. the superintendent
said, he would change the makeup
of the regular trial board.
Friends Rally Behind Doyle.
Led by the pastor of the church he
has attended for 25 years, old friends
| and admirers of Capt. Doyle continued
| to rally behind him today, voicing their
| faith in his integrity and pledging their
unqualified support in his forthcoming
trial on the charge of INSTRUMENTATION
preferred by Supt. Pratt.
Unstinted praise of Capt. Doyle and
his work in the Police Department was
given today by Rev. Moses r. Lowell,
pastor of the Mount Pleasant Congre-
gational Church, which Doyle has at
tended for a quarter century. Ex-
pressing the belief that Capt. Doyle
should be restored to his command the
pastor declared that This hundreds of
friends throughout the city now rise
up to demand for him an unbiased
hearing and square deal"
Capper Receives Letters.
Further indication of the high regard
| in which Capt. Doyle is held by his
| friends was forthcoming from the SEN
| ate, Chairman Capper of the Senate
| District committee announcing that he
has received number of letters today
praising the police record Of the sus-
pended officer.
At his home this morning Capt.
Doyle said he has been Swamped with
letters, kilograms and telephone calls
| from friends wishing to express their
confidence in him and offering their
aid in any way possible. Offers of legal
! aid, he said, have come to him from
IA local attorneys, and three from out
| of town.
The Rev. Mr. Lowell issued the fol-
lowing statement to the press:
I'm the present issue before the Dis
| trlct Commissioners and the chief Of
police, regarding Capt Robert E. Doyle,
we have under consideration a man of
most unusual record. For 40 years he
has been on the city's police force,
| serving "a of. them as captain, with
| hardly a blot on his career Entrusted
with a difficult precinct, he has met the
demands Of his Office with unquestioned
zeal and honesty. For 25 years he has
been a member in excellent standing
of the Mount Pleasant Congregational
Church, where he has host of friends
| who have absolute confidence in his
integrity and in the sincerity and up
rightneSs of his intentions.
Has High Sense OF Justice.
"He has endeavored always, regard
less of fear or favor, to bring the guilty
to justice, and yet has added to nj:
high sense of justice the humane desire
to help and improve the offender.
at is the superlatiVe frankness anc
honesty of the man in answering his
superior's request for an opinion thai
has been misunderstood and has re-
suited in raising the question of the
appropriateness of his reply. The
rugged honesty that. regardless of the
cost, forthrightly expressed itself, ha:
been gravely misunderstood.
LAS his pastor for some years, wish
to go on record for the mans sterling
character. I wish to speak in behalf OF
literally hundreds of men and women
throughout the city who, knowing him
equally we'll, now rise up to demand for
him an unbiased hearing and square
deal We believe that in his relnstate-
ment to his command will not only be
found the answer to the demands Of
| present Justice but more than that, re-