Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-21
ATTACKS RENEWED
BY SENATOR BLEASE
Laskey Acting as McPher-
son Attorney in Grand Jury
Probe, He Says.


grand jury investigation of the Nc
Pherson case, Senator Blease. Democrat
of South Carolina told the Senate agair
today that Special Prosecutor John E
Laskey is furnishing defense witnesses
as we'll as Government witnesses to the
grand jury.
Shortly after the Senate met today
Senator Blease quoted Newspaper stories
of yesterday telling of an unexpected
witness, Charles Wilson, friend of Nc
Pherson, who was reported to have tes-
tilted that he met Mcpherson near his
home shortly after midnight on the
morning of September 10.
II simply call attention to this" said
Senator Blease, land l especially call to
the attention of the Senator from
North Carolina (Senator SimmonS) the
fact that alibi witnesses are being fur
nished by Mr. Laskey to the grand jury
in this So-called murder case"
While Senator BleaSe was speaking
yesterday Senator Simmons of North
Carolina had expressed the belief that 1t
was a remarkable proceeding if defense
witnesses were being presented to the
grand jury.
In his speech yesterday Senator Blaine
coupled an attack on the Police Depart
ment with his criticism of the McPher-
son grand jury.
After declaring that in the grand jury
proceeding the Government has pre-
scented to the grand jury witnesses
for the defendants. and after asserting
also that persons called before the jury
have been required to answer yes" or
mo" without giving what information
they had, Senator Blease added:
1T is not case of hearsay; got it
right out of the grand jury room, and
If no bill is returned in the Mcpherson
case it will be because of the efforts
of Mr.. Laskey by presenting to the
grand jury every witness that he could
find to prove that Mcpherson is not
guilty"
Earlier in his speech. after he had
declared that washington will never
have a clean city with Mai. Pratt at
the head of the Police Department,
Senator Blease continued:
IF could tell all I know--it would
be hearSay, of course, from some reliable
person, for hearsay it not testimony in
any case-but if some people who talked
to me would give me the liberty to call
their names and tell what they tell me,
do not believe either one of these men
as Commissioners or Pratt would be in of
flee "a hours. ] do not believe even
Hoover with his Mussolini brain could
stand what is going on in the City of
washington today"
"Acts as Defense Attorney"
In his reference to recent proceedings
before the grand jury, Senator Blease
began;
here Is a man up here who is supposed
to be placed to represent the Govern
ment of the United States, sitting in
the jury room taking every witness that
the defense in the case has got, even the
alibi witnesses, and carrying them into
the jury room, not in the performance
of his duty to the Government, but
actually acting as the defendants at
torney. he being paid by the Govern
ment, and presenting witnesses to prove
the alibi of a man who is charged with
a crime.
81 do not condemn the defendant in
this case. I say he has a right to be
considered innocent until he is proven
guilty. / hope he is not guilty; hope
he can prove himself clear: but some
body killed that girl. somebody muir
dered her. Yesterday it was the Gov
eminent attorney I in the grand jury
room presenting witnesses, endeavoring
to prove that it is a case Of suicide. For
what reason? In order to discredit
Robert j. Allen. 1t is an outrage.
Senator Simmons here interrupted to
ask Senator Blease If he meant that
grand jury inquiring into an alleged
crime heard witnesses in defense of a
man who was suspected of the crime
Senator Blease answered in the affima-
tive, and Senator Simmons said it was
q very remarkable proceeding"
The South Carolina Senator also told
the Senate that he had heard recently
of case in which a place that was
scheduled to be raided was warned
ahead of time by some one.
Who tipped that place OFF," Senator
Blease inquired Somebody connected
with the raiding squad or with the
Police Department or the Government.
1t could not have been done otherwise.
Somebody connected with the Govern
ment in Washington is tipping these
places off,
Information in Letter.
In another part of his speech, SEN
etor Blease read letter which he said
had come to him from a responsible
person, whose name he withheld for the
time being, telling of a recent case
which he said he would ask the Sackett
subcommittee to take up when it re-
Sumes the police investigation. The
letter stated that motor cycle police
man had arrested a man for driving
faster than 30 miles an hour and on
charges of transporting and possession
OF 240 quarts of corn whisky. The let
ter further stated that all three cases
were dismissed in Police Court by Judges
Given and Mcmahon
Senator Blease exhibited to the Sen
ate large stack of newspaper clippings
from various local papers, which he
said bore out his contention regarding
the existence of crime in the National
Capital. He read numerous headlines
describing various raids and other cases
handled by the police. He said these
were not all the clippings he could
have collected, but that he wanted to
show the Senate enough to indicate
that "these things are going on and
that there is being no effort to stop it,"
Senator Blease declared something
should be done because I'VE all love
Washington" He asserted that when
people come to Washington they should
feel free to walk about without keeping
in the middle of the street without fear
of being attacked
Near the close of his speech, the South
Carolinian asserted that men are hang
ing around police headquarters" who
are no longer in the service, and he
charged that they are Hanging around
for dirty work, and doing 1t against
members of this body"
Senator BleaSe concluded by express
ing the hope that Congress would take
some action early in the regular ses-
sion to bring about an improvement in
the conditions here and renewed his
suggestion that the city should be
divided into several judicial districts.