The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-08-16
FAIL TO ASK
BILLINGS IF He
WASAT BLAST
Quizzers Too Interested in
Painting Him Red to
Inquire of Murders.
SINISTER ASPECT MEETS
Arch-Fiend of Former Trial
Now Pictured as Half
Baked Radical.
BY MAX STERN
Times STAFF Correspondent

Times stan Correspondent
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 16.-A
murder retrial with the murder left
out.
This is about what today remains
of the three weeks supreme court
hearing into the Billings pardon
plea following Thursday nights
dramatic scene in Folsom peni-
Tertiary.
The really significant thing that
happened at that hearing is just
beginning to dawn upon California,
for it was something that didn't
happen.
It was that during five hours of
hostile broadside of questions
fired by the prosecutor Judge, John
w. Preston, ex-Prosecutor Ed
Cunha and several of the other
justices, not one question was di-
rected at what occurred at the
murder scene.
Billings was eager to tell all he
knew. Even big Charlie Fickert,
his 1916 Nemesis, and Jim Brennan,
his prosecutor, were there. The
setting was ripe for a real fact
finding excursion into the crime Tor
which Billings is doing life.
Yet not one Of these men asked
Billings if he was at or near the
scene of the explosion at the time
it occurred or if he carried the
lethal suitcase.
DeIved Into Past
Instead, Preston and the others
attempted to put a red shirt or
him." Preston delved deeply into
the convict'S past.
He sought desperately to tie him
into the Berkman- Emma Goldman
anarchist group. He tried to create
sinister aura about his relations
with Belle LAWN, who once har-
bored Jim Mcnamara.
Every escapade of the itinerant
worker was made to appear
crime.
Upon cross examination by his
counsel, Edwin Mckenzie, much Of
the sinister aspect of Billings as
SOc1ateS melLeQ away.
The Berkrnan- edited Blast turned
out to be not Billings idea OF good
light readings and, said Billings
copies were not found in his room
as Cunra claimed.
The mysterious package delivered
to the MONEYS on the eve OF the
explosion changed from bomb
to a camera. Billings politics faded
out from deep crimson to the pale
hue of a good Democrat.
Expressed Regret
The murder conspiracy became a
tour of malicious mischief with
Billings squirting paint remover on
five or six autos so as to cause "un-
fair" garages the loss of $500.
And Billings himself seemed to
melt down from the arch-flend OF
his former trial to young hobo,
turned half baked radical laborite,
selling himself to strike leaders for
Jobs of sabotage to get even with
what he called Capitalism"
Billings was abjectly sorry for IT
all and promised Preston that If
pardoned he would prove worthy OF
the confidence the pardon implied.
Pardon" he insisted, 'it must be,
for parole is for those who are guilty
and have repented."
Freedom Moves Nearer
The omission of all examination
of the actual bombing is being taken
here to mean that the state has
dropped the idea of murder guilt
and is turning toward the theory
that Mooney and Billings while not
mass murderers are yet very bad
citizens.
Many interpret this as a move
toward a proposal by some OF the
judges that the pair accept conn1u-
tation of sentence as of the present
date rather than pardon. All who
attended the prison hearing agree
that it has brought Billings and
Mooney nearer to freedom.
The hearing is likely to be termi-
mated the latter part of next week
Chief Justice Waste expressed a de-
termination to hurry it to a con-
clusion. 1t is understood that there
will be no final argument.