The Washington times., 1931-10-29
DENIES MAKING
$3.50 OFFER
FOR PAPER.
BIameS District Jail Guard
For Trying to Give Him Fake
Record in Murder Case

nGGUIU III WuI uCI S0OO
Abner Siegal, attorney on trial
for the alleged bribing Of a Dis
trict jail guard, today took the
witness stand in his own defense
and began telling his story,
which apparently was to be that
persons unknown to him con-
nived with the guard to deliver
to him a fake record which he
believed to be genuine.
Siegal is charged with having
bribed Harry S. Dean, the guard,
with $3.50 for inserting into the
Jail files a record which would
appear to show that a man
charged with first degree MUIR
der in Pennsylvania was in jail
here when the crime was COM
mitted.
The trial began Tuesday morn
ing before Justice James M.
Proctor and a jury in District
Supreme Court, with Siegal act
ing as his own attorney.
Enters Strong Denial
Siegal denied absolutely that he
had obtained the fake record
from Dean or that he had ever
given Dean $3.50 or any other
sum Of money.
Siegal said a man named Sam
Karol, who was friend Of Vim.
cenzo Damiani, the man charged
with the Pennsylvania murder,
told him that Harry S. Dean, the
guard, could give him jail rec.
ords which would prove that
Damiani was in Jail here when
the murder occurred.
He asked Dean to see If there
was such a record, Siegal testi.
fled, and Dean said he would
look it up. Dean then asked him
to come to his home on Sunday,
March 18, Siegal said.
Dean showed him the fake
records at that time, Siegal de-
clared.
Saw They Were Fakes
Upon examining the records,
he noticed that the court case
number was not ON them, and
recognized them as not actually
bona fide records, Siegal declared.
He told Dean he knew they
were not records and that he
would not try to use them as an
alibi for Damiani and refused to
accept them from Dean, Siegal
declared.
Dean pleaded with him not to
make trouble for him for having
attempted to give him the fake
records, Siegal declared, and he
told Dean that he would not do
him any harm.
The numbering machine with
which the court case number was
later alleged to have been placed
upon the papers was bought by
him at the request of Karoli, who
said he wanted it for stamping a
corporation record book, Siegal
declared.
Thinks Him No Friend
On cross examination SiegaI
said he did not know where
KarOIi is; that If he did know
where he was, he wouldn't sub
pOena him as a witness, because
he believed KarOIi was very
largely responsible for his being
brought to trial, and that he
didn't regard him as being any
friend of his.
After short cross examination
by District Attorney Leo A. Rover,
during which Siegal stuck to
every part Of his story, the de-
Tense rested.
One of the features Of the de-
fense today was Siega.'s assertion
on the stand that Chief Clerk
Wheat, of the District Jail, one
Of the principal witnesses for the
Government, had wished him luck
after court yesterday and ex.
pressed doubt that his testimony
SOAACCA L141S GAIC "AILA4IS VI OCNCAd1
documents had been accurate.
Wheat was called as a rebuttal
witness and denied that he had
told Siegal that he had made a
mistake in identification Of the
writing. but admitted that he
had said:
'Tf made a mistake, it was
an honest one"
Not Absolutely Sure
The Jail clerk declared that the
writing looked like his but that
he is not absolutely sure that he
had made out the papers.
At the end Of the defense case,
Siegal made a second motion for
a directed verdict on grounds
that there could have been no
bribery since Dean had no legal
duty concerning the Jail files.
The motion was overruled and
final arguments by counsel will
be begun this afternoon.
The case probably will go TO
the jury late this afternoon.