Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-11
Miss Helen L. Schneider
Claims Statements Might
Be SeIf-Incriminating.
CONVICTED MAN LAUGHS
AT ESCAPE PLOT STORY
Former Head of F. H. Smith Co.
Escorted by Heavy Guard
Between Jail and Court.

Claiming her testimony might be self
discriminating, Miss Helen L. Schnei-
der, former secretary to G. Bryan Pitts,
refused to testify today when called To
the witness stand in contempt of court
proceedings against the former head OF
the F. H. Smith Co.
AS the hearing was resumed this
morning. it developed that extraordi-
nary precautions had been taken to
guard against rumored plot to liberate
Pitts. On his trips from the jail to
the court house and back it was said,
he has been guarded by two automo-
bile loads of police detectives armed
with machine guns, number of deputy
United States marshals and two car
loads of Department of Justice agents.
Pitts laughed when told by reporters
Of the extreme precautions being taken
to guard against the reported plot.
Refuses to Answer.
Miss Schneider refused to answer a
question as to whether she had pur-
chased a paper knife in Palm Beach,
Fla, during September, 1880. The Gov
eminent contends this knife was used
in the preparation OF allegedly spurious
authorizations and receipts introduced
in evidence at the recent trial Of Pitts
and two other former Smith Co. off,
GERS on conspiracy embezzlement
charges.
The witness, after claiming her con-
Stitutional immunity on advice of coun-
sci, was excused by Justice F. D. Let's.
Miss Schneider was in tears when she
left the stand.
After she had been excused, Neil
Burkinshaw. special assistant to the At
torney General, advised the court he
would ask that the contempt citation
against Pitts be enlarged to include her
If Justice Let's should grant the prose-
cutor's request Miss Schneider would
then be obliged to appear as a defend
ant against the same contempt charge
Pitts is now facing.
Denies Authorizations Discussed.
Her claim to immunity was based on
the fact she Is under indictment for
perjury in connection with the same
matters forming the basis of the con-
tempt charge.
George D. Horning, jr., who was as
trial, was called as the next witness.
Questioned by Assistant Attorney Gen.
eral Nugent Dodds, he admitted he was
at Pitts home in Florida for 10 days
Immediately preceding the trial. He
said he did not discuss the allegedly
spurious authorizations and declared
he never saw them until they were in
PRODUCED in evidence. He said he knew
Pitts intended to rely on certain au-
thorizations, but did not know spe-
officially what they were.
Horning said he was present at a
conference in Pitts home. at which,
according to testimony given yester-
day, the authorizations were discussed.
He denied that any such discussion
took place while he was present.
Justice Let's asked the witness how
he occupied his time during the 10 days
he was at Pitts home in Florida.
Horning replied that he devoted prac-
tically all his time to studying histories
of certain corporations, the preparation
of a trial brief and conferences con-
corning the removal of records from the
Smith Co. Offices.
Denied Checking Particulars.
He denied that he had ever checked
the authorizations against bill of par
ticulars which set forth the particular
embellishments with which Pitts was
charged.
He also asserted that C. Ebert Ana
dale. Pitts co-defendant in the trial,
was given an opportunity to take the
witness stand and declined to avail
himself of this privilege
Another attorney, Wilton j. Lambert
also was called as a Government wit
ness. He said he had nothing to do
with the DreDaratiOnS for the trial made
in Florida. His contract he said, did
not cover this phase of the case. He
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