Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-03
WITNESS DECLARES
BRYAN PITTS TOLD
HIM TO GET AWAY
Missing Janitor in Smith
Case, Found in South, Tells
Court of Receiving $500.
TESTIMONY TO BE USED
in CRIMINAL TRIAL
Joseph Howard Regarded as One
of Most Important Links in
Federal Fraud Charges.

Joseph Howard, erstwhile missing"
witness In the F. H. Smith Co., case,
was brought back to Washington today
after being apprehended in hiding in
the Florida Everglades and placed under
1000 bond by Justice Joseph w. Cox
when he declared in the District su-
preme Court that he had been given
5000 by G. Bryan Pitts and told to get
away from here" Howard was brought
back here on bench warrant
Howard, colored janitor of the Smith
Building on Fifteenth street when the
company had its Offices In Washington
and later a personal servant of Pitts is
regarded by the Government as one of
its most important witnesses in the
forthcoming trial on an indictment
which charges four officials of the COM
pany with embezzlement and a con-
spiracy to destroy allegedly incrimi-
mating records.
Missing After Indictments.
The man testified in court today
that he entered the employ of the
Smith Co. in 1922 and that last April
ne appeared before the local grand
Jury as a witness in connection with
the alleged burning of certain records
In the basement of the Smith Build
ing. Shortly after the indictment
against Pitts, Samuel j. Henry, c. FL
bert Anadale and John H. Edwards, IT.,
was returned, he disappeared.
Department of Justice agents, work.
ing under direction Of j. Edgar Hoover,
chief of the Bureau of Criminal In
yestigation. trailed Howard to Pitts
September Z agents of the Department
OF Justice went to Pitts home and
served subpoenas on two witnesses.
They returned the next morning seek
ing Howard, but were told he no longer
was there.
Found in Everglades.
Howard testified that on September Z
he heard the telephone In Pitts home
ring and that a few minutes later
Pitts came down stairs and said, "They
are after you and you had better get
away from here" Pitts, he testified,
gave him 5000 the next day.
The colored man said he climbed over
wall surrounding the Pitts estate and
went to an island of Key West, where
he lived under an assumed name. The
Department of Justic agents and Florida
police picked up his trail, however and
he moved to a lonely shack in the Ever
glades swamp, approximately Is miles
from Olympia, Fla.
Howard was apprehended by Sheriff
II. H. Baker of West Palm Beach, Fla.
during raid on a speakeasy near
Olympia. Baker said he found the col
ored man hiding in bed room and
recognized him from a description
which had been broadcast.
Questioned Here.
Howard was brought Immediately to
Washington by Department of Justice
Agents May and Anderson after he had
been served with a bench warrant for
his arrest, issued by Justice Cox last
Monday.
He was questioned at the Department
of Justice this morning by Nugent
DoddS, special assistant to the Attorney
General; Neil Burkinshaw, assistant
United States attorney, and Special
Agents Louis Loebel and Aaron w.
jacobson, who we're assigned by Mr..
Hoover to investigate the case.
After making a statement at the de-
partment, Howard was brought to the
District Supreme Court in the custody
of Deputy United States Marshal
Thomas East and taken before Justice
Cox.
Burkinshaw, who had asked that
Howard, If apprehended, be placed
under $4,000 bond in applying for the
bench warrant Monday, urged the court
today to fix lower bond.
Seek Trial October 8.
ct am satisfied that Howard is the
unfortunate victim of conspiracy"
he told Justice Cox, land I do not be-
lieve that punitive bond is necessary.
He has promised to hold himself in
readiness to testify for the Government
and has agreed to report daily to the
Department of Justice
Acting on this recommendation from
Mr.. Burkinshaw, Justice Cox fixed bond
at ST 1000, which Howard posted for his
release.
The Government is endeavoring to go
to trial October on the conspiracy in
dictment, but 1t is possible that pleas
of abatement that were filed by defense
counsel may necessitate a postpone
ment.