Evening star., 1932-05-12
MEANS PROPOSES
TO GIVE DETAILS
IN ALLEGED PLOT
SAYS He Will Make State
ment "if Certain Man Will
Do His Part"
DEN0UNCES FEDERAL
AGENTS FOR "VISIT"
Insists He Will Have Mrs. Nc
Leans Home Searched, but Is
Silent on Why or How.

CASTOR B. Means, facing arraignment
tomorrow on charges of mulcting Mrs
Evalyn Walsh Mclean of 100000 in
an alleged Lindbergh baby ransom
fraud, began shaping up today the de-
tense side of what promises to be one
of the most sensational stories ever
told in local court
Determined to fight with characters
tic vigor the Governments allegations
that his claims of contact with the kid
napers of the Lindbergh child were
pure fabrication" the voluble and ex-
plosive intermediary" indicated he
would issue a detailed statement prov
ing his claims.
Denies Paying mo. H."
At the same time Means denied ever
having said ne has turned the Mclean
money over to mo. H." a mysterious
stranger who is supposed to have repre-
Sented himself by a secret code as an
agent of Mrs. Mclean.
The United States Bureau Of Investi-
CATION is said to have in its possession
a statement by Means asserting that a
stranger got the money from him In
Alexandria by whispering the magic
number al" assigned to Mrs Mclean
in the negotiations. Means also was
quoted to this effect by reporters who
visited him at the Jail.
Means is ready to plead not guilty
before Justice James M. Proctor when
he is arraigned at 1870 O'clock tomor-
row afternoon in Criminal Division
of the District Supreme Court. He is
at liberty under $4,000 bond, arranged
yesterday afternoon.
Offers to Bare Details.
Means said, "If a certain man will
do his part" he (Means) will issue
statement this afternoon covering in
chronological detail his connection
with the Iindbergh case.
He was going downtown this morn
ing Tor conference. He said that the
statement would cover facts occurring
before the Lindbergh kidnapping.
Means insisted that certain ques-
tions be put to him in writing by the
reporter, and in response to a query
as to whether a report in a morning
paper quoting him as denying he eyer
said he turned the 100000 over to
NO. H." he said: deny that ever
said that I turned $4,000 belonging
to Mrs Mclean over to anybody, desig-
mating himself as NO. IL or other
wise. have more caution in financial
matters than her (Mrs McLean's) at
torneys. The only person I recognize
among all her attorneys as a man of
any brains is Frank Hogan. I look
upon the rest Of them in contempt"
In reSpone to another question as to
the report quoting him as denying that
he knew anything about an alleged
payment to him by Mrs. Finley j.
shepard OF New York to protect her
daughter from alleged Communists, he
said:
Il never took penny from Mrs.
Shepard I knew nothing about Com
munists threatening Mrs Shepard or
her daughter Rover is liar by in
tuition"
He said, however, he knew Mrs.
Shepard.
In conversation regarding the Nc
Lean case, Means said there are two
other sums involved in this case that
have never been mentioned"
Means is bitterly critical of the De-
partment Of Justice for ransacking his
house He displayed a safe which
agents had broken open and declared
that had they come down to jail he
would have given them the combina-
tion or would have opened the safe
himself. He also assailed their actions
In tearing up. he said, the interior Of
workshop in the rear of his home.
The shop, he said, Is used by his young
son.
Storms Through House.
He insisted he is going to have Mrs.
McLean's home searched but would
not say why or how.
He stormed through the house and
wanted to know if the Department of
Justice is "a collection agency"
While he was talking about the
Shepard case, he referred to his ac-
tivities against the Communists and
said he had accomplished more than
the Canadian government had been
able to do in six years. He refused to
amplify this statement, nor would he
say by whom he had been employed.
He declared, however, he had been con-
verted to the Communistic point of
view as a result Of his investigations
Of their operations.
Bond Cut in Half.
Means was released from the District
Jail yesterday afternoon, ending two
day argument between United States
Attorney Rover and Defense Counsel j.
William Tomlinson over amount and
character of the bond.
Justice Proctor cut the bond in half
after hearing contentious of both sides
Rover had held out for 100000 bond
secured by four bondsmen, and Tomlin-
son asked for a reduction to S25, 1000,
and offered the Public Indemnity Co.
of Newark, N. j.. as surety.
The court upheld ROBBERS objection
to the bonding company and finally
accepted Milton S. Kronheim and Isaac
B. Jones as bondsmen, each responsible
for the full amount of the bond of
$4,000.
Means was met at the jail by his
wife, who arrived in limousine driven
by a chauffeur. He was brought in this
car to the court house in custody of
Deputy Marshal John J. Clarkson. The
formality of freeing Means took but
few minutes IN the clerks Office, after
which Means went TO the ONCE of Mr..
Kronheim.
Asked by reporters what he was 60
ing to do now, Means replied. I'm 60
ing home" He refused to answer any