The Washington times., 1931-09-23
CASES TO Be.
tPRESENTED b
AGAIN
Suspension Of Indicted Police
Still in Effect Pending Re.
=, hearing Of Beating Charges
CONTINUED From Page ~

heard the clerk PROFOUND the
question as to pensioners when
the Grand Jurors were sworn in.
Justice Adkins then excused
him. No announcement was made
as to whether additional action
would be taken against the man.
Justice Adkins also excused
Randolph M. Scott, of SOB F st.
S. W., who pleaded press Of busi.
ness.
More Jurors Sought
Court machinery was immedi-
ately set in motion to bring the
Grand Jury back to its strength
of % Jurors. The jury commits
eioners we're instructed to have
additional Jurors in attendance
tomorrow. These will be sworn
In and the Grand Jury will get
back to work.
Mr.. 9o7er said:
DESPITE the fact no time is
being lost in making the Grand
Jury legal, we cannot possibly
start work on the brutality
investigations until next week.
At the Department of Justice,
when developments at court were
learned, work was halted i'm
mediately on the voluminous re-
port of it's investigations OF
brutality which is being made for
the District Commissioners.
j. Edgar Hoover, chief, said:
1--WE will resume work on our
report after cur investigators
have gone back before the
Grand Jury"
Will Be Recalled
Thirty agents were brought here
on the investigation, and many
of these since have scattered to
many sections of the country and
must be resummoned to Wash
ington.
The District Commissioners,
when apprised of the situation.
began considering whether to
stop their work of investigation
of the Staples case, which was
prompted by the Grand Jury's re-
pOrt of September 4.
The Commissioners were said to
favor continuing the investlga-
ton, but no announcement was
made pending a thorough inquiry
into the legality.
Announcement that the Grand
Jury was illegal brought also an
announcement from Mr.. Rover
that additional i indictm e n t S
against police, which were ex-
pected to be handed down today,
would be held up until further
notice. These cases are among
those which must be represented.
Five Were Indicted
On September 4, this Grand
Jury indicted the following First
precinct policemen on charges Of
brutality in handling prisoners:
James A. MOStyn, w. c.
GrOOms, william r. Laflin, w. T.
Burroughs, and George E. Perry.
The collapse of this Grand
Jury is the second affecting a
sensational inquiry in Washing
ton in recent years. Two years
ago, the July Grand Jury, which
was delving into the Virginia Nc
Pherson case was declared illegal
after it had charged the woman's
husband with murder and had
excoriated two high police Of
ficials.
Mr.. Rover then represented
the case and the new jury de-
clared the woman's death was a
suicide. The Department of JUS
!tice also was involved in that in
Nestigation.
~ Was Called Illegal
The July Grand Jury of 1929
was also declared illegal because
Of the presence of a pensiOner.
Since that date several at
tacks have been made on grand
juries on various bases, and some
OF them have been successful.
None, however, has precipitated
the necessity of redoing as much
work as followed in 1880 and to-
day.
: Up until today the present
Grand Jury has returned 179 in
dictments. Practically all of
these must be presented again,
but most of them probably will
30 over until the new Grand
Jury comes in, in October.
Court Is Responsible
In selecting Grand Jurors the
court itself is said to be re-
pOnSible.
The jurors are summoned by
the jury commissioners and SER
we'd by deputy U. S. marshalS.
They appear in court, and the
first % are set aside as a tenta-
tive inquisitorial body.
Then for one day, an effort
to check up on them Is made, this
inquiry being directed primarily
toward aScertaining whether any
Of them have previously been
convicted of a felony. If nothing
de-ogatory is discovered, the %
are sworn in, but all these are
asked the question:
"Are you a penSiOner Of the
United States Government"
This question is usually pro-
pounded by the judge himself.
Justice Peyton Gordon swore in
the jury declared ineligible today.
Will Stay Suspended
Police Commissioner Herbert B.
Crosby said:
"The evidence which brought