Evening star., 1929-10-06
Continued From First Page.)

lntOrmaJlOn OF WHICH was printed III
The Star last Thursday, will be checked
up. While Mcpherson Thursday de-
clineG to discuss the trips, declaring
that he had already taken tco many
on the chin by talking" 1t is under
stood that his companion was a friend
who played with him on a foot ball
team. The friend whose name is known
could not be located last night. Fred
ericksburg dispatches Thursday said
that Mcpherson frequently visited his
grand parents near there
Last Monday before the grand jury
returned the indictment Mcpherson and
his companion. Robert Lyon, said that
as they expected this thing would
soon be over" they were planning to
make trip to Fredericksburg this
week end.
Pleads Not Guilty"
Mcpherson entered a formal mot
guilty plea when arraigned in court
yesterday
Handcuffed to another prisoner, he
was brought to the courthouse in the
black Maria of the District Jail and
placed in a cell in the basement.
When Judge Peyton Gordon opened
court in Criminal Division at 10
O'Clock. the prisoner was released from
his handouts and escorted upstairs by
deputy marshal. As he entered the
courtroom from side door, he glanced
about the room and smiled a greeting
to his parents, who were seated in the
front row.
William E. Leahy, McPherson's at
torney, was late in appearing, and
Judge Gordon proceeded with several
other cases, pending the lawyers ar
rival. When Leahy came in he walked
to where Prosecutor Laskey was sitting,
shook hands with him, and engaged in
whispered conference
When Judge Gordon said he was
ready to hear the Mcpherson plea.
Leahy walked TO his clients chair, shook
hands with Mcpherson and uShered him
before the bench. The young man
stood motionlesS, slight smile playing
about his lips.
William s. Adkins, clerk of the court,
began reading the grand jury present.
ment. In a monotone he read off the
charge of first degree murder and the
detailed allegations that Mcpherson
"feloniously willfully. purposely ana of
his deliberate and premsditated malice"
did put, fasten and bind certain strip
Of cloth about the neck" of his wife.
choking and strangling her to death.
Asked for Plea.
When he had finished reading the
how he wished to plead
Not guilty. the young man replied
in firm tones.
The arraignment was over. McPher-
son turned and smiled again at his
father and mother and then allowed
himself to be escorted back to the base
ment cell. A few minutes later he was
hustled, hsndcuffed, into the Jail van.
which had been backed against the
~ fot hoc
to the jail.
Leahy and Laskey reached an agree
ment at court not to press for a trial
date until the Department of Justice
has had an opportunity to complete its
investigation of the crime. The two at
torneys are pitted against each other
for the first time in their careers, Leahy
revealed to reporters. Leahy formerly
was an assistant district attorney under
Laskey when the latter was United
States attorney for the District of Co.
lumbia, some years ago. Both are
known as experts at criminal law.
Two Federal agents assigned to in
vestigate the Mcpherson case were in
court when Judge Gordon heard Nc
Pherson's plea.
Allen Back Mt Work.
Policeman Allen is 10 start pounding
pension from active duty on the police
force which began September %. Po-
liceman Allen will be on night duty at
the eighth precinct under Capt. Robert
E. Doyle.
Aliens restoration to duty was ordered
by the Board of Commissioners yester-
day against the wishes of Maj. Henry G.
Pratt, superintendent Of police. In TAX
ing their action the Commissioners
q. Loo l.,
them at three successive board meet
ings. Probably never before in the his
tory of the Police Department has pri-
vate caused the Board of Commissioners
so much concern. The action was taken
out of the feeling that regardless Of the
merits of the charges made against Al
len by Inspector Shelby, on the basis of
which he was suspended, it would be an
injustice to deprive the policeman of
his pay during the many weeks and per-
haps months which will intervene be-
fore the charges, which have not yet
been drawn up, can come to trial. When
Allen finally is tried, should the board
find him guilty and sentence him 20 be
dismissed from the force it would mean
that unles he had been restored to ac-
tive duty III the meantime ne would
have lost all his pay from September %
to the date of the trial.
Owing to the extraordinary conditions
Aliens case the city heads
are understood to have agreed that 1t
would have been impossible to bring
Allen to trial on the charges preferred
by Shelby before the Mcpherson case
is disposed of by the District Supreme
Court. Shelby charged Allen with
keeping from his superior Officers
of facts whicn the policeman
had in his possession concerning COM
mission of a crime. and with failing to
cooperate with other members of his
that went to the grand jury would
probably be brought into Aliens trial
either by Allen or by the prosecution,
and this might have prejudicial ef-
feet not only on the trial Of Allen,
but possibly later on the trial Of the
Mcpherson case.
Commissioners Statement.
In taking their action, which was
done on motion of Proctor L. Dougherty,
president of the board, the Commits
aioners issued a written statement as
follows:
"Order that Robert j. Allen. a mem
ber of the Metropolitan Police force OF
the District of Columbia, who was sus-
psnded from duty upon the recon-
mendation of the major and superin-
tendent of police on September %,
1929, be restored to active duty as of
this date, that he be paid during the
period of suspension and that the
major and superintendent of police be
directed to assign said Allen to active
duty.
My motion is predicated upon the
unusual conditions that exist in this
particular case which make it unwise
to bring said Allen to trial on charges
at this time, while investigations are
in progress and because it seems un-
reasonable to keep said Allen suspend
ed without nav and without an nnnor.