Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-20
Prosecutor to Decide Today
on Counts Against Police
and Two Others.
SWORTZEL DENIES HE
SOUGHT $50 HUSH MONEY
Precinct Captains Assert Hold-up
Has Not Been Reported to
Them by Victims.

Assistant District Attorney Charles
Murray was to decide today what
charges were to be placed against four
persons, two Of them police officers,
held FOR investigation as material wit
nesses in the shooting early yesterday
Of James Crotts Of Lexington, N. c.,
who is in a critical condition at
Casualty Hospital.
Detective SpottSwood Gravely, proti-
bition enforcement offlcer of the third
precinct, Is under suspension on O
charge of unauthorized use of his re-
volver in shooting CrottS.
The witnesses held in connection with
the affair are Ardie Swortzel, a police
man of the fourth precinct, who also
is under charges of conduct unbecom-
ing an of1cer in connection with the
affair; John G. Elgin of the 1900 block
OF K street and Hugh G. Hummel of
Plainfield, N. j.
Murray and Precinct Detective w.
F. Burke of the third precinct were In
conference and the decision as to the
charges was expected shortly.
Cornell to Be Questioned.
John C. Cornell. who was arrested
at the Ebbitt Hotel Tuesday night
shortly after the shooting, is to be
questioned IN connection with the
hold-up of q house IN the 1900 block
Of First street, last Sunday morning
This hold-up was under investigation
when the shooting of CrottS took place.
Cornell, Swortzel and Hummel are
held at the third precinct and Elgin
at the eighth precinct. Two women,
Rose Marie Foster and Frances O'Brien,
also are held at the House Of Deten-
ton as material witnesses. There Is
an additional charge against Miss Fos-
ter Of having defaulted a $500 bond
imposed on q charge of disorderly con-
duct last November Is.
According to the stories told by the
two women in afddavitS made to In
spector ThaddeuS Bean yesterday,
Swortzel, Elgin and Hummel entered
the First street address and Swortzel
attempted to get $50 protection
money" from Miss Foster.
SwortzeI Denies Charge.
This was denied in Swortzel's am
davit, which said that one of the wom-
en- had made proposition to pay $50
for protection and that he then left
the house to report the matter. The
WOIuCL, SIIOItly ALJSI J1tC c4ItL aIlCS u
the three men, left the house and went
nearby to Detectives Burke and Grave
~, who had just then driven up in an
automobile, and reported the alleged
extortion.
Gravely and Burke then drove around
to where Crotts' roadster was parked
and Crotts, according to his COM
panions. thinking that hold-up was in
progress, leaped out of the car and
fed. Gravely said he shot Crotts when
Crotts appeared to be about to draw
gun from his hip pocket. Crotts later
was found to be unarmed.
Lieut.. Edward j. Kelly, head OF the
homicide squad, said that he had asked
Burke to keep a watch on the First
street address, thinking that he would
be able to arrest somebody who could
explain the hold-up last Sunday In
which eight men and four women al
the house were robbed of 81 ,555 worth
of jewelry and $165 in cash.
He said that Burke had told him
about this hold-up Monday night and
that he had interviewed Della Great
house on Tuesday night with Burke
and obtained the details of the hold-up
story from her.
Captains Dispute Claim.
Burke is one of the men assigned by
the Police Department to aid District
Attorney Leo A. Rover in his work
against gambling and disorderly houses,
Continued on Page 2, Column 81