Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-10
WITNESS ON GRAFT
IN GOTHAM KILLED
BY SUBWAY TRAIN
City's Chief Dock Engineer
Leaped to Death, Rail Line
Officials Declare.
MAN WAS EXPECTED
TO SAY WHO GOT FEE
Traugott F. Keller Had Testified
in Two Inquiries-Due Today
for Further Questioning.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, July 1o.-The suicide
this morning of Traugott F. Keller,
0,o00a-year chief engineer of the
dock department, forestalled by little
more than an hour the intention Of
investigators in the Legislative Com
mittee's city-wide investigation to make
him either identify or admit that he
himself was the Frank Baxter" who
received nearly all Of the s250,000 pier
lease fee traced by Federal authorities
to former County Judge w. Bernard
Vause.
This was learned at the Investigators
headquarters late today.
MI. Keller was ground between the
wheels of a speeding southbound sub
way express at the Bowling Green sta
ton, near the southern tip of Manhat-
tan. The Interborough Rapid Transit
Co., reporting the case to the transit
commission, said he jumped from the
platform.
Testified on Pier Leases.
In his pocket, police said was a
SuDpOCLld L1OlLA9lllS lIILii " appeal NC
fore assistants to Referee Samuel Sta
bury, who is conducting the city in
quiry One phase Ct the investigation
is an examination of pier leases grant
ed by the city to steamship companies.
The preliminary police version Of the
report on Kellers death was that he
fell or jumped"
The dock chief died just an hour
before he was due at investigation
headquarters to submit to further ques-
tioning by lawyers seeking evidence OF
graft payments in connection with the
pier leases and other dock matters. For
three days, the lawyers disclosed, he
had been undergoing examinatEn.
Hoped to Trace $4,000 FE~.
Keller had furnished the naises OF
several contractors who paid moN,y tc
city officials, it was said at ii3uiry
headquarters, but investigators has eX-
pected even more important statef1entS
from him today His death ws% re-
garded by Seabury's assistants as a
blow to their inquiry.
They had hoped Keller would identity
Frank Baxter" mystery Of recent
pier-lease inquiry. Authorities have
been trying to check up on this man
ever since they were told he eventually
received most of the S250,000 pier lease
fee paid by steamship companies.
Although Vause declared the bulk OF
the money went to Baxter" no further
identification was obtained.
The dock departments engineering
bureau, of which Keller was the head,
approves leases, computes rentals and
passes on plans for pier superstructures.
He was As years old and had been in
the city service for 81 years. rising to
his S10.000-a-year post as head OF the
dock department.
Third Witness Eliminated,
Kellers death makes another gap in
the sources of information on which IN
vestigators were depending.
Two avenues we're closed to them
when Charles Brady, former superin-
tendent of buildings, and John o. Lewis,
resigned assistant engineer in the Man.
haitian Bureau of Buildings, disap-
peared.
Examination of Lewis bank account
revealed. they said, that he had depos-
tied more than $150C00. His salary
was $500 year.