Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-22
CONTEMPT ACTION
FACED BY SEVERAL
! IN PITTS DEFENSE
u. S. to Cite at Least Five
Connected With Trial.
Names Withheld.
FAKE PAPERS CLAIMED
IN CONSPIRACY PROBE
Government Charges Authorization
!, Spurious-New Proceedings
Due This Week.

Contempt citations against severa
persons connected with @. Bryan Pitt
in his defense at the F. H. Smith Co
conspiracy embezzlement trial last yea,
will be sought by the Government thi
week.
The names of the persons that Dis.
trict Supreme Court Justice F. D. Lett!
will be asked to adjudge in contempt
are being withheld, but it is under.
stood petitions will be filed against a.
least five.
Pitts and two other officers Of the
Smith company were tried for con-
Nspiracy to embezzle funds and destroy
records of that corporation. To n1eet
1.-THE embezzlement phase of the charge
Pitts, through his attorneys, introduced
f142 authorizations purporting to show
hhe was entitled to receive the money he
twaS charged with embezzling.
Authorizations Questioned.
Despite the introduction of these
documents, the jury found Pitts and his
two associates, John H. Edwards, jr.,
and c. Albert Anadale, guilty Of the
charge.
A short time later the Government
charged these authorizations were Spur1-
Gus and secured the return of perjury
indictments against Pitts, Edwards,
Emory L. CoblentZ, Frederick, Md,
banker Miss Helen Schneider, secre-
tary for Pitts, and H. o. Hart, an ac-
countant. These indictments are still
pending.
Contempt of court proceedings, based
On the act of bringing the documents
kinto court, were started against Pitts,
however, and he was found guilty and
fBentenced to serve year and day in
1.-the penitentiary. At that time Nugent
tDodds, Assistant Attorney General, adj
tNised the court he would file petitions
lagainSt other persons whose names were
drought into the testimony at the hear
sng Of the charge against Pitts.
Edwards, in his testimony, said the
authorizations were prepared at Pitts
home in Florida a few weeks before
the trial opened. The documents, how
ever. bore dates indicating they had
been prepared, in some cases, several
years prior to that time.
Claims Acid Used.
Edwards said he and Hart treated
them with acid SO they would have an
aged appearance. He also said Cob
1entz signed a number of the papers,
using different pens and different col
pred inks.
The banker admitted he had signed
sthe documents in this manner, but said
RDnly for purposes of completing certain
Rcorporate records and that they were
mot to figure in any way in the trial.
Miss Schneider was called to the
kktand and asked If she had purchased
"a paper knife in Florida a few weeks
before the trial. She refused to answer
the question on the ground it might
tkend to incriminate her. The Govern
Enent contends this knife was used to
trim the papers on which the authort-
cations were typed.
At the contempt hearing Justice Let's
kndeavored to ascertain whether any Of
the attorneys, who represented Pitts at
Ehe embezzlement trial, had any reason
10 question the authenticity of the docu-
snnents. All of the lawyers, who testified,
said they believed them to be genuine.
Il Burkinshaw to Assist.
4 Pitts was represented at that time by
9Frank G.. Raichle of New York and
kWilton j. Lambert, Rudolph Yeatman,
SGeorge D. Horning, jr., and Edmund
9Toland OF Washington. Mr.. Yeatmen
was not called as a witness at the con-
kempt hearing.
Z Mr.. Dodds will be assisted in the trial
kbf the new charges by Neil Burkinshaw,
b special assistant to the Attorney Cen
kRral.