Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13
SENATE PLANNING
FULL POLICE PROBE
Subcommittee Ordered to
Take Over Inquiry Dur
ing This Week.
tcontinued From First page0

Senator Capper, chairman of the Sen
ate District committee, said last night
the whole matter Of the senatorial in
Quiry is now in the hands of the police
subcommittee, and that he will turn
over to that group the letter he received
yesterday from counsel for Inspector
Shelby and Lieut.. Kelly. in which they
ask for an opportunity to be heard on
the charges made against them by the
grand jury
j, After pointing out that the plans for
the investigation are to be worked out
by the subcommittee, Senator Capper
added: Just how far they will 80 or
how soon I have no means of knowing
at this time"
Sackett Out Of City.
Senator Sackett. Republican. of Ken
lucky, chairman of the subcommittee
was out of the city when the full COM
mittee acted yesterday, and the next
step at the Capitol will await his re-
turn, possibly Tuesday. The others on
the subcommittee are:
Senators Jones', Republican. of Wash l.
ington; VandeTiberg, Republican. OF
Michigan: Copeland, Democrat, of New
York and Blease, Democrat of South
Carolina and author of the investigating
resolution.
The resolution, as passed by the Sem
NJe, IN COuCIcC DIOdu tCIUlS,
tioniEg the Commissioners and those In
public Offices connected with the gov
eminent of the District of Columbia, +"
In addition to the police and district
attorneys ONCE. The discussion at the
full committee meeting yesterday, how
ever, indicated that there are three ger-
eral propositions to be considered by
the subcommittee, namely:
Whether the committee should launch
- 10 1ran h0V laH
the Mcpherson case while the death of
Mrs. Virginia Mcpherson is still being
investigated by the Department of
Justice and while Robert A. Mcpherson,
jr., her husband. is still awaiting trial
on the murder indictment returned by
the grand jury.
Whether there was delay in the dis
trict attorneys ONCE in the handling
of indictments returned by the grand
Jury in connection with the killing las.
Summer of Lee King, Chinese, found
dead on the street,
The extent to which permits have
been issued in the District during the
past year for the carrying Ct concealed
weapons.
Senator Blease, author Of the investl-
eating resolution, Vold the 6ommittee
yesterday that the last two rcontiOned
matters are the only ones on which
he is anxious to get immediate action.
He said that II the subcommittee will
take steps at this tire to obtain from
the proper authorities the records he
desires relating to the investigation into
the death OF Lee King, and the records
as to the issuance Of concealed weapon
permits. he has no objection TO what
ever they may decide Is the best course
of llis resolution.
The Sou+n Carolina Senator said fol-
lowing the meeting that he will confer
with Chairman Sackett of the SUBJ
committee as soon as The latter returns
to the city.
Senator king, Democrat, Of Utah,
who took an active part in the dis
custom at Che committee meeting yes
terday, last night reiterated his belief
that 1t would be . mistake for . con-
gressional committee to enter at this
time upon q general police inVeStiga
ton of how the Mcpherson case was
handled, since it is still pending in
court and still being investigated by
the Department Of Justice. He said
he had confidence in the Commits
sioners, and felt that . general study
of police affairs should await the
regular session beginning in December.
Tariff Bill May Interfere.
Two of the Senators who are on
the subcommittee to which the in
veatigating resolution has been referred
indicated yesterday that they did not
see how they could devote time to a
general police investigation in the Dis
trict while the tariff bill is before the
Senate.
AS soon as the full committee got
down to consideration of the resolution
yesterday Senator Blease made it clear
to his colleagues that his chief interest
at this time Is to obtain the records
relating to the death of Lee King, the
Chinese. He said information had
reached him to the effect that the
grand jury which investigated the
death Of Lee King had returned q true
bill in June, but that indictments were
not presented until September He
said he wanted to find out whether
there was delay in the district at
torney's ONCE in handling this case.
He next explained why he wanted
the complete records from the proper
local ohlcials as to how many permits
to carry concealed weapons have been
issued and denied in 1929. He said he
understood there were two organiza-
tons Of Chinese in Washington, one
rich and the other poor, and that his
information was that the rich group
could get permits to carry weapons,
while the others could not. He said
his position was that neither of them
should be given these permits.
Senator Blease also repeated at yes
terday's committee meeting the charge
he made in the Senate recently that
narcotics could be bought within a
few blocks of the Capitol. To support
his statement he told the committee
yesterday that he has in his office safe
now q quantity Of opium that was pur-
chased within the past few days near
the Capitol.
J. When the discussion turned to that
Nection of the resolution calling for an
Enquiry into the reason for the suspen-
Rion Of Policeman Robert j. Allen, who
3nade an independent investigation OF
the death of Mrs. Mcpherson after the
detective bureau had concluded 1t was
n suicide, the committee became ip-
Evolved in q spirited debate over the
wisdom OF taking up at this time a
police inquiry that would relate to the
Mcpherson case.
Z 4 sharp colloquy ensued between
Senator Blaine. Republican, OF Wiscon-
sin, who contended the efficiency OF
Nhe Police Department could be in
Aestigated now without interfering with
Ihe probe into Mrs. McPherson's death,
Ind Senator King, who declared an in
-ouiry into the Police Department at
this time would necessarily revolve
tsound the Mcpherson case.
= JaTy Troubling Senator.
= eff had been In the Senate when
fSe resolution came up think should
lave asked that it be not acted on
a. present" said Senator King. II
A.link that with the grand jury work.
Jag. the Department of Justice in
Aestigating. and a board appointed by
skhe Commissioners to consider the po-
Ice handling of the matter, we are
Billing 1t on rather thick at the mo-
Inent. would have preferred waiting
A4hA NrDharenV1