Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-21
ORDERS NEW STUDY
OF HIGHWAY BOOKS.
Grand Inquest to Probe
Amounts Paid to County At
torneys for Rights of Way.
By WILLIAM !. WHEATLEY,
stat Correspondent Of The Star.

STATEHOUSE. ANNAPOLIS, Md,
February 2l-Further Investigations
are to be made of the books of the
State Roads Commission for the ex-
press purpose OF determining what
amounts were paid to county attorneys
for the purchase of rights of way for
State highways. The grand inquest
directed this yesterday. following the
interrogation of Raymond E. North,
who had been summoned to appear
again for questioning as to the efforts
to collect the amounts in the accounts
receivable on the books.
Daniel C. Joseph, Baltimore. leader
of the insurgent bloc in the lower house,
started on the point of amounts paid
to attorneys, but North said that he
did not particularly examine these
amounts, as his firm was only deter
mining if there had been any fraud.
During the course of his questioning
Joseph animated that there was some
thing worthwhile in these accounts,
when Speaker Z. Brooke Lee OF Silver
Spring interjected that if Joseph be-
lieyed there was any rottenness IN
these" he would second resolution to
get the information.
Asks for Amounts.
Joseph insisted that he thought the
grand inquest ought to have the infor-
nation, and particularly how the money
was paid.
The resolution as adopted. calls on
the new State Roads Commission for
details as to the amount of money
spent for obtaining rights OF way and
the amounts paid in counsel fees in
connection with obtaining these over
a period of eight years, the period
shown by the investigation to date
during which populations OF the road
funds took place.
Although he would not give details,
because he said he did not want to
present hearsay testimony which might
hurt some one before the real facts were
known absolutely. Joseph also said he
had information that a political boss
in one of the counties had whole
barn full of material belonging to the
State Road Commission, which had
been given to him. He renewed his re-
quest that the committee ask the po-
lice commissioner of Baltimore for the
use of several detectives to run down
/ certain leads in this connection, and
other leads developed as result of the
investigation by Joseph into the dis
State by the Federal Government for
use in road building.
Refuses to Give Information.
He was asked to give the information
to the committee, but refused, and one
member suggested that the commit
tee go into executive session SO that
Joseph could present the matter without
publicity, but Speaker Lee objected to
any closed sessions.
Joseph also added that he did not
want the information to get out prior
to an investigation, as the material
would be moved
Senator S. Scott Beck chairman of
the inquest, suggested that Joseph give
the name of the political boss con-
cerned, so that he might be summoned.
But Joseph opposed this.
Levin said that if the grand inquest
did not show a disposition to go into
this matter it would face a charge of
failing to investigate. He said that
while he voted against a resolution of
Delegate Paul Berman on TUESDAY,
which would have provided for the use
OF detectives, he now was thoroughly
in favor of their use.
It was suggested by Speaker Lee that
Joseph name the county concerned, and
If this was done he would second a mo-
lion 10 nave the states attorney of the
county present the matter to the grand
jury.
Reporter Takes Stand.
w. Turner Catledge, a reporter for
the Baltimore Sun. appeared before
the committee 10 tell of his interview
with w. PurneH Hall of Baltimore, at
torney, who presented AZ charges pur-
porting to have been made by Thomas
A. Butler, convicted purchasing agent
OF the commission. While on the stand
Han denied a statement in an interview
IN which he was quoted as saying that
John N. Mackall, former chairman and
chief engineer of the commission, had
been made the goat of the whole affair.
Catledge testified that Hall had made
fhe statement. Asked if he had printed
everything that Hall said, Catledge said
that If he had written all, it would have
taken three newspaper pages He also
said that when he pressed Hall to tell
him Of the men higher up" that were
concerned, the answer was "the Richie
gang"
North's testimony dealt entirely with
efforts to collect the $254,000 in bills re-
Jceivable on the books of the commits
l6ion on December II, up to February Is.
A PADDING" is CHARGED.