Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-06-14
Attorneys May Bring Habeas
Corpus Proceedings Be-
fore Another Judge.
CONVICTED OF CHARGES
IN BABY RANSOM FRAUD
Proctor to Impose Sentence Tomor-
row-Prisoner Faces 20 Years
Imprisonment.

Convicted of stealing 100000 from
Mrs. Evalyn Walsh Mclean in Lind
bergh baby ransom fraud, CASTOR B.
Means, former Department of Justice
investigator, sat in the District Jail
today awaiting the words Of the court
which will send him to the peniten-
tiary for the third time.
Justice James NJ Proctor. who pre-
sided at the trial in District Supreme
Court, will impose sentence tomorrow.
Means faces a maximum penalty OF 10
years imprisonment and 81, 900 fine on
each Of two counts charging him with
larceny of 100000 and the larceny Of
$4,000 from Mrs. Mclean.
Receives Verdict Calmly.
The jury reached its verdict after
two hours elaboration last night.
Means received the decision calmly.
When Justice Proctor refused to per-
nit Means to remain at liberty under
$4,000 bond and remanded him to
Jail. defense attorneys said they would
consider bringing habeas corpus pro-
oeedingS before another judge.
According to the testimony at the
trial. Means accepted the 100000
from Mrs. Mclean to ransom the
stolen child of Col. and Mrs. Lind
bergh. The $4,000 item was for ex-
penSeS.
United States Attorney Leo A. Rover,
who prosecuted the case with the as
sistance of John Keith of the Bureau
of Investigation, Department of Justice,
told the Jury Means took this money
from Mrs Mclean and converted it to
his own use without ever having any
intention or expectation OF returning
the child to its parents.
He characterized Means as prince
of liars and a ''picture-book detective
dealing in broken hearts and mothers
love"
Rover secuted Means story of having
turned the 100000 over to man VINO
identified himself as an agent OF Mrs.
Mclean through use Of code number
Means had said this man stopped him
night while he was driving back to
Washington from Concord, N. c.
Mrs. Mclean on Stand.
Defense Attorney T. Morris Wampler,
in his closing argument, said Means
story was no more fantastic than DR..
j. F.. Condon's act of tossing $4,000
over a cemetery wall in New York to a
man he had never seen before:
Wampler suggested that Means did
not take the stand in his own defense
lot lear Oh DSulS hAliSo Ny IAAS AANAAoFNAS
If he did so.
Means arrest" he said, sealed his
lips-put him on the spot. He knew
that if he opened his mouth to talk OF
his negotiations with the kidnepers his
life would be snuffed out-that the dan
gerous men he dealt with would reply
with a sawed-of shotgun"
The case hinged largely on Mrs. NC
Leans testimony. She told OF her trips
to Aiken, S. c., and Ell Paso, Tex, with
Means in quest of the Lindbergh baby,
which seemed always just beyond reach.
Means, she said. told her the kid
napers were desperate men, prepared
to shoot it out with the police if nee
essary. She also described the Fox
supposedly one of the kidnapers, who
was introduced to her by Means. AT
another point she told of giving Means
some knockout drops to use on the Fox
after Means had threatened to kill him.
She said she carried the drops for her
own protection.
Mrs. Mclean turned the $1,000 over
to Means on March 7. He was arrested
on May 5 and indicted five days later.