The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-08-12
IS LAID
ON u. 5. AGENTS
IN BONUS RIOT
Federal SIeuthS Provoked
Clash, Commander of
Camp Declares.
HINTS HOOVER IN PLOT
Government Guilty of Arson
and TreSpaSS, Asserts
Equity Chief.
BY RAY TUCKER
Times stan Writer

Times STAN Writer
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12.-Vet-
Grams charges that federal UNDER
cover agents provoked the riot re-
Sulting in eviction of the bonus
marchers by the United States
army probably will be investigated
by the senate.
When informed that J. w. Will
ford, commander of the bonus camp
in which the July % trouble started,
had filed such charges with the
District of Columbia grand jury,
Senator Kenneth Mcclellan Dem,
TENN, announced that he would
move for a senate investigation las
soon as congress reconveneS."
Local police officials confirmed to-
day that federal agents had operated
secretly in the bonus camps here.
but said they had no knowledge
that the agents provoked the dis
orders, as charged by MILFORD in his
affidavit
Chief w. H. Moran of the United
States secret service said he could
not discuss what his agents we're in
structed to do or what they did in
the camps.
Hoover Is Accused
MILFORD also charged that "the
events of July % were prearranged
and planned at least a week in adj
vance, at a conference of Mr.. Hoo
yer and certain members of his
cabinet"
The only White House reaction
came from President Hoover's Sec
rotary, Theodore JoSlin, who said:
There simply is no comment to
make on such a report"
Commander Walter w. Waters of
the bonus army and r. B. Ellison,
one Of the bonus march leaders and
now national organizer of the khaki
shirts, supported the additional
charge made in the MILFORD affida-
Wit:
"The day before the eviction, a
high government official related to
the commander-in-chief of the B.
E. F. (Waters), exactly what was to
take place within the next twenty
four hours. 1t came off ex-
actly according to schedule"
Conferred With Hurley
None of the bonus leaders would
name the official It was recalled
that Waters conferred with Secre-
tary of War Patrick Hurley the day
before the battle, in an effort to
obtain army tents for veterans.
Other developments renewing in
terest in the evacuation included:
President Hoover's refusal to meet
committee of nationally known
writer's, who wanted to protest
against the use of troops.
Disclosure that an army officer
had helped to prevent an official
attack on AnacoStia. An allegation
that the eviction of the veterans
was violation of trespassing and
arson laws by the federal govern
ment.
Baby's Death PrObed
The circumstances surrounding
the failure to hold an inquest into
the death of the 12-week-old bonus
baby in a hospital were disclosed as
the infant was being buried in a
coffin donated by local under
taker and in plot donated by a
local cemetery.
His parents, Mr.. and Mrs. John
Myers of Ephrata, Pa, asked for
an inquest, but the coroner declined.
He issued a certificate saying death
was due to natural causes.
DR.. James Kelk, in charge of. the
hospital oh ldren's ward, made the
following statement:
1--WE found no trace of gas in the
child's body. 1t was suffering from
Castro enteritis, a stomach disor-
der"
When asked what traces he ex-
pected to find in the body of a per-
son suffering from tear gas, the
physician replieda
Personally, I don't know any
thing about the effects of tear gas.
I based my statement on what I was
told by an officer of the chemical
warfare service"
Arson Cnarge UpDeid
The charge of trespassing and
arson made against the federal gov
eminent was in a statement for
warded to the grand jury foreman
on Aug 2 by John A. Savage, direc-
tor Of the American Equity Associa-
ton here and made public today.
Savage declared that under the law
the governments liberation of vet
Grams on federal property had given
the latter proprietary rights to the
area they occupied.
Therefore, Savage m maintains,
troops violated trespassing laws
when they evicted the bonuseers,
and committed arson when they
fired the shacks.
Although Hoover declined to see
the writer's committee because of
extraordinary demands on his
time" they promised to return
again to voice their protest.
Led by Sherwood Anderson and
Waldo Frank, they expressed the
conviction that the President had
established two dangerous prece-
dents, in ordering out the troops