Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-07
SHELBY ANO,KELLY
FACING NEW PROBE
Of Jury CHARGES
Police Trial Board to Get
Case After Special Hear.
ing Falls Down.

/ With the investigation OF the grand
! jury's charges of inef1iciency against
/ Inspector william S. Shelby and Lieut.
i Edward J. Kelly for their handling of
! the Mcpherson case on the verge Of COL
| lapse because Of the refusal of witnesses
| 70 testify. the District government s
! two-man board OF inquiry today made
preparations to shift the responsibility
of determining the guilt or innocense
Of the two veteran police officers to the
police trial board.
| The important statement which the
/ board announced it would issue before
noon today failed to materialize but
| Corporation Counsel William w. Bride.
it's chairman, indicated it would be
! forthcoming early this afternoon. Its
! issuance. it is understood is dependent
! on the result of a conference between
/ the board and Merritt o. Chance, fore
man of the grand jury. which bitterly
criticized Shelby and Kelly and return
ed an Indictment for murder against
Robert A. Mcpherson.
Thus far Bride has information from
a ma aiority of the five members Of the
grand jury who prepared the report at
lacking Shelby. and Kelly. One Of these
was one OF the two witnesses who tes-
tified before the municipal board OF IN
quiry.
while Bride and Mai. Donald A.
Dawson. Assistant Engineer Commls-
sioner. and the second member of tbs
investigating board, refused to discuss
or even intimate what the statement
would contain, it was learned from
other sources that 1t would recommend
that the Commissioners order Shelby
and Kelly before the trial board and
that the present proceedings which
have developed into a f1asco, be discon-
tinued Immediately.
Dema nded by Attorneys.
The two officers, through their at
torneys, demanded such procedure
Friday Illst before the board OF in
ouirv convened for It's now farcical In
vestigation with a view to having the
charges aired in the open instead OF
behind closed doors.
CORPORATION Counsel Bride and Maj.
Dawson are expected to recommend to
the Commissioners that an extraordi-
nary trial board be created to pass
upon the charges against Shelby and
Kelly, one similar in its makeup to the
special trial board which exonei ated
Capt. Guy E. Burlingame, retired COM
mander of the second precinct, of the
sensational accusations of Mrs. Helen F.
Blalock.
Bride and Dawson were in conference
most of the morning with Chance and
J. H. Bait, another member of the
grand jury. The purpose was not dis
closed, but Bride attached considerable
Importance on the return of Chance.
who left the District Building about IL
o'clock and was scheduled to come back
for a second meeting after lunch.
Position OF Bride.
Since Bride previously announced
! that it would be impossible TO send
Shelby and Kelly before police trial
board as demanded by them on con-
clusions in the grand jury report, 1t is
believed that he proceeded In his con-
ference with Chance and Bait to pro-
cure facts from them on which to
base charges.
/ Bride has taken the position ever
since Shelby and Kelly made their de-
mands for a speedy trial before police
trial board that he would have to have
| facts and not conclusions in order to
! prepare charges.
! The boards conference with Chance
and Bait was followed by another with
Commissioner Sidney F. Taliaferro.
! Bride took with him in the Commits
Sioner's office a collection of papers,
! some typewriter and others in long
| hand. all of which are believed to have
a vital bearing on the boards future
course of action.
way, Policeman Raymond Aggleson ol
the first precinct. who was dignifieo
with the title of bailiff during the in
vestigation and stationed outside the
corporation counsels suite of offices
| continued to call the names of wit
| nesses and got no response. Four hac
been called to testify this morning. .nr
| all of them failed to appear. These
were John l.. Alcorn. Charles w. Young
Sophie Z. Brandon and John l.. Kear.
ney, all members Of the discharged
grand jury.
Adjournment Expected.
Three more witnesses are scheduled
to testify this afternoon, but the mu.
I nicipal investigation Is expected II
come to a close before the time SCI
for their arrival. These witnesses arr
Charles E. Nichols, George M. Hall ant
Charles L. Hosch.
For the first time since the grarC
iury's attack on the police for tht
alleged inefficient investigation of tht
Mcpherson case. Inspector shelby ant
Chance met in the corridors OF the Dis
trict Building. The meeting occurres
after Chance had left Brides ONCE
Inspector Shelby greeted him and walk
ed through the basement floor corridor
with him and both appeared to be deep
ly inerossed in conversation.