Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-13
Embarrassment Result OF
Large Sums Owed on Worth
less Bonds, He Says.
RETURNS TO STAND
TO AMPLIFY TESTIMONY
Visit to Smith Company Head in
Florida Added $23, 900 to Wee,
Contempt Jury Told.

Returning TO the witness stand at his
own request today. Emory l.. Coblents
Of Frederick. Md. placed the blame fo'
the recent failure of his chain OF Mary
land banks on the shoulders of G.
Bryan Pitts, now on trial in District
Supreme Court on contempt charges.
Pitts owed my associates and me
large sums Of money which embarrassed
and finally ruined U.s." Coblentz de-
clared.
Some of the worthless bonds he gave
U.S." he continued. ARE lying out In
Frederick now in my broken bank"
Coblentz told reporters after leaving
the stand that he had been mistaken
in saying the bonds were in his bank.
Instead, he said they were in a sub
sidiary bank.
Coblentz came back to the witness
stand to amplify his earlier testimony.
Charge Of Deception.
He said Pitts had issued instructions
to his subordinates not to tell him
(Coblentz) the real purpose for which
certain authorizations were being sign
ed. The contempt charge against Pitts
Is based on the charge that these au-
thorizations, introduced in evidence at
the recent F. H. Smith Co. conspira cy-
embezzlement trial, we're spurious and
prepared fraudulently few weeks in
advance of the trial.
Coblentz said he went to Florida in
September and November, 1880, in the
hope of making some adjustment of
large sums of money owed him
and his associates by Pitts. 1t has been
brought out that Coblentz's bank, the
Central Trust Co. of Frederick, held
the notrs of minor Smith Co. employees
for som, 100000.
when I went to Florida" Coblentz
declared, II was unsuccessful in liqui-
dating this indebtedness
"As q matter of fact, Pitts loaded
$33, 1000 more onto me. He gave me
that amount in matured bonds and
coupons, requesting that I Mace in my
bank credit of $4,000 to his account.
This did. He then checked this out
in two checks, one to his attorney
Wilton j. Lambert, and the other,
think. to another attorney, Frank j.
Raichle. These worthless securities
bank"
Lawyers Seen In Florida.
Justice F. D. Let's, who Is presiding
at the contempt hearing, then asked
Coblentz to name the lawyers he saw
at Pitts home in Florida prior to trial
The witness said he saw Raichle and
George D. Horning, jr., there on No
vember Is He said he did not see
Edmund A. Toland when questioned
directly on this point by the Judge.
Justice Let's then inquired whether
Horning took any active part in a con-
ference held there that afternoon. Cob
lentz testified two days ago that the
question of using the authorizations at
the trial was discussed at that con-
ference
Referring to the courts question,
Coblentz said Horning was there part
of the time, and heard part Of the dis
cussion, but he was not sure whether
the attorney was present while the au-
thorizations were being discussed.
He asserted, however, that Raichle
was there, and that Raichle told Pitts
it would be unwise to introduce In EVIL
dence any papers signed so soon before
the trial.
Plot Stories Objected To.
When court opened this morning
DoZier De Vane, counsel for Pitts, OBJ
jected to stories recently published
concerning extreme precautions which
had been taken to Illustrate an alleged
plot to liberate Pitts. He said these
articles were prejudicial to his client,
and asked the court to make an in
vestigation to determine their source
Justice Let's promised to protect Pitts
interests in this connection.
The Government called two witnesses
this morning, Louis Loebl, special agent
of the Bureau of Investigation of the
Department of Justice, and Wesley
Gardner, a court clerk. They testified
to having had custody Of the authorize
lions, which De Vane tried unsuccess-
fully to have ruled out Of the case.