Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-31
3REPORTERS FREE
ON HABEAS CORPUS
Writ Is Granted Men Who
Refused to Testify for
Grand Jury.

Application for release from jail on
habeas corpus proceedings of German
M Hendricks, Linton Burkett and
Jack E. Nevins, jr., the Washington
Times reporters who were yesterday
sentenced by Justice Gordon to serve
As days in Jail for refusing to give in
formation to the grand jury of liquor
purchases, was approved this afternoon
by Justice Frederick l.. Siddons of the
District Supreme Court after Justice
Gordon had decided not to change his
ruling denying bail to the three news
paper men pending their appeal from
his decision. The three men were or
dered brought into court and it is un-
derstood they will be released on $500
bond.
The petitions, one in the name of
each of the three men, were filed by
Attorneys Wilton j. Lambert, Rudolph
II. Yeatman and George D. Horning,
jr., set forth the proceedings before the
grand Jury, the refusal of the reporters
to violate newspaper ethics and the ac-
ton of Justice Gordon in holding them
in contempt and committing them to
jail
The. petitioners say there was not suf-
f1cient warrant or authority for their
commitment; that there was no con-
tempt committed, as they were fully
JUSTIFIED in declining to answer the ques-
tions, and that their reasons, assigned
to the court, were sufficient in law and
they should be discharged from custody.
Attorneys Lambert and Horning. jr.
submitted to Justice Gordon a decision
Of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
holding that bail is matter of right
in an ordinary criminal case both be-
fore and after conviction.
Have Other Plans.
In the event that the applications
are denied, it Is expected, recourse
would be had to one of the justices of
the District Court of Appeals to release
the prisoners.
Like the postman who went for
hike on his day off, the three reporters
seem to be experiencing considerable
difficulty in dropping their professional
activities during their involuntary va
cation.
The three men were interviewed"
today by a reporter from The Star.
The latters principal difficulty was in
finding the opportunity to get in a
question on his own account, so numer-
Gus and varied were the queries with
which the others piled him.
Salaries Are Doubled.
Another development in their case
today was the announcement that their
employer had doubled their salaries dur
ing the time they remain in confine-
ment
The interview this morning was moth
ing to boast of from the standpoint OF
the interviewer.
Arriving at the jail about 8 o'clock,
he, after some slight diff1culty, was per-
mitted to go back to the cell room
Burkett received him. Inquiries as to
the whereabouts of the others revealed
that NeVin had not as yet finished
second helping of breakfast while Hen
bricks was in the jail barber shop re-
ceiving a shave and mustache trim.
A few minutes later they were ushered
in. apparently in high spirits.
While the visitor was still trying to
decide on a tactful approach to the
matter in hand, the three subjects
spurted about IL questions into the
lead. They wanted to know, among
other things, how the "other boys" felt
about the position they had taken re-
garding the grand jury's question, If
the court had shown any indication of
changing its mind, how Nevin's girl
friends were getting along and how
one, when in jail, goes about securing
a set of chessmen.
After these and additional queries
had been satisfactorily answered the
interviewer had his inning.
Men Treated Well.
It seemed the three men had been put
through the regular cleaning and
polishing" procedure when they arrived
at the Jail yesterday, but that Lieut..
Col. Peake, superintendent of the jail,
and the guards treated them with every
courtesy and consideration.
Since 1t is against prison rules to sleep
in the daytime, they have decided to
devote themselves to mind-improving
pursuits. Lacking chessmen, the jail
dominoes were selected as the best
available medium, and a 45-day tour
nament has been started between Hen
bricks and Nevin. The latter was so
points down this morning but attrib-
uted this to the alleged fact that Hen
bricks has had previous tournament en-
perience.
All three men were warm In their
praise of the prison food and sleeping
quarters. ~They are permitted the
freedom of their dormitory, which they
share with about SO other prisoners, in
cluding thieves, bootleggers, gamblers
and habitual drunkards.
Hendricks said he spent most Of yes
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