Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-23
ROVER EXCORIATES
FOUR POLICEMEN AS
TRIAL NEARS END
Continued From First Page.l

door closed. When the officers couldn't
get from him a voluntary admission OF
guilt, they used blows on his face and
eyes and head. And when he still
would not confess, the piece Of rubber
hose was used upon him. And when he
| continued in his refusal, the chair was
kicked over and Mostyn, like a slave
| driver Of old, dashed him again as he
| lay on the floor. And finally, just to
! add variety, they kicked the boy on the
| shinS.
as it not natural that most any of
us might confess to anything under
such circumstances as that?"
Rover reiterated details of testimony
tending to show Harker was normal in
appearance, except for intoxication,
when he was taken into the station
house, but that he was suffering from
black eye, bruised back and scraped
shins when he emerged.
The prosecutor emphasized that a
defense witness, Irving Lichtenberg,
who was the first of Harker's friends
to see him upon his release, had testi-
fed under cross-examination that Har-
ker had told him They beat the h
out Of me-"
Rover declared the four defendants
when they took the stand corroborated
exception of the beating charges. He
said 1t was but natural the police
would not admit the beating.
Calling attention to efforts of the de-
Tense to show Harker's charges against
the officers were inspired as result of
a desire to escape punishment for a
crime, the District attorney declared
the four defendants themselves had
vital interests in the outcome Of the
| present case.
Il submit" Rover concluded, that
these police officers beat Harker to ex-
tort a confession. and they did get an
involuntary confession. These men,
acting in concert, starting out to solve
the crime, used physical force.
IT submit that this was wrong, cruel
and inhuman, and 1 ask from you a
| verdict that will place your urgent dis
approval on such conduct by police
officers in the District Of Columbia.
O'Shea Opens Defense.
In opening the defense address to
the jury, OShea recounted events lead
| Ing up to the arrest of Harker in an
alley near North Capitol and H streets
by Policeman Burroughs and night
Waterman. He characterized Harker
variously as a "conceited burglar" "a
coin collector" and "a confessed thief"
Il,
kwho had told conflicting stories to the
police who arrested him and who had
| testified falsely on the witness stand.
| The defense attorney said he was con-
f, WINGED Harker was about to commit
another robbery at the time he was
apprehended.
O'Shea asserted Harker'S confession
was a voluntary one, obtained when he
broke down under questioning which
exposed his false alibis.
| Among the false statements made by
Harker on the witness stand, the attor-
| new declared, were his story about being
forced to remove his coat before the al
legged beating was administered, his
statement that Capt. w. e. Holmes had
told him to leone clean or we will have
| to use force" and that Mostyn sat on
a desk when he began the questioning.
! The attorney argued that defense testi-
mony had disproved Harker's allega-
| tons.
Holds Testimony Conflicting.
do you believe the story told by
these splendid police officers, or do you
believe Harker's story?" O'Shea de-
manded.
What have we come to in this jul
risdiction when even captain of po-
lice Is not above suspicion on the word
| Of q confessed thief"
| The attorney commended that If Har-
| ker had been beaten. as alleged, he
| could not have fallen asleep on an iron
| cot 50 soon thereafter, as testified by
several witnesses for the defense. He
| declared testimony regarding the con-
dition of Harker prior to the alleged
beating was conflicting, as was also
1 4. 1knk &c aA
ance of Harkers eye afterward,
O'Shea'S address was interrupted ri
1890 o'clock by the luncheon recess OF
the court,