Evening star., 1934-03-14
PITTS AND RHEEM
DENY FAv0R|T|SM
Men, on Witness Stand, An.
sWer Charge of Secret
Trips and Luxury.
Continued From First Page.)

Pitts gave in after another protest
Il was brought here March g.
1882" he asserted, but had been in
the District Jail since December 10,
1880. This is the thirty-ninth month
OF my incarceration. AS recall.
have been carried to Washington four
times In both March and April Of
1892 I was carried down at the re-
quest of the Department of Justice
by an officer whose name. think, was
Capt. Smith. was taken to the Dis
trict Jail. Twice in June, 1892. either
at the request Of the Department of
Justice or on order of the District
Supreme Court. was carried directly
to the Jail.
Denies Visiting Hotel.
Since June, 1892, have never
been of the reservation at any time
with anybody"
When did you go to the George
Mason Hotel in Alexandria," inquired
MILAN
What do you mean?" Pitts in
.quired loudly
We'll, will ask you were you ever
there?" MILAN said.
Certainly not, Mr.. Milan" Pitts
replied. Mr.. MILAN, have never
been off this reservation except on
order of the court or the Department
of Justice. Any statement to the
contrary is absolutely false"
Tells of Bankers Porch.
Then. without further question, the
witness began to tell ii the so-called
bankers porch" where are housed
many men who have figured in major
Washington financial scandals. Both
Pitts and Rheem sleep there
'All am interested in is giving you
the facts" Pitts told the committee.
Il have been falsely accused and
wish to defend myself. / will give
you the story.
When I was taken to the Jail at
first was put in the south wing.
which is the criminal wing. re-
manned there until the latter part of
January. 1882. when I was taken Sc
riOuSly i'll and sent to Gallinger HoSpi-
tai. nearly died there In February
was brought back to the Jail on a
stretcher and placed in the Jail in
firmary.
EARLY in March I got up from bed
and was brought to Lorton in Lor-
ton truck. When arrived I was put
through the regular prison procedure,
just as any other prisoner. I was In
very weakened condition and had
lost a substantial amount of blood
Because of my condition, MIR. Tawse,
who was superintendent at that time,
put me on the porch of what was
then the hospital DR.. Hornbaker,
the prison physician, examined me
and said was to stay there. I ran
fever for weeks
Some time later. the hospital was
moved to a. new building and the
porch made into a dormatory and I
have remained on the porch since. !
, never asked to be put there"
Denies Paying for Privilege.
Asked by Mr. MILAN If he paid any
money for the privilege of sleeping on
the porch, as had been charged, Pitts
replied:
Absolutely not"
He volunteered the information he
had never seen anything to lead him
to believe there was any graft at
the institution.
Stories that inmates who live on
the porch ere surrounded by luxuries
were characterized by the witness as
absolutely absurd"
"On the porch there is one water
basin, one toilet one water spigot, no
carpet and the furniture is the same
as in the rest of the prison." he said.
There are two rooms in the new
hospital building occupied by prison.
ers more comfortable than the porch
and no mention is made of them.
The only reason mention has been
made of the porch is because Pitts
and Rheem are quartered there"
Pitts said that during the recent
cold spell he had six blankets, an un-
usual number, he admitted, but ne
cessitated by the weakened condition
Of his blood He also said he had two
lockers, one used for storing his pri-
vate papers.
The only advantage the porch has,
Pitts explained, is its privacy and
quiet. He said it was hotter in Sum-
mer and colder in Winter than any
other dormitory.
Rheem Called Third Time.
Rheem was called back to the stand
a third time and questioned concern
ing the porch. He said Capt. Barn
ard placed him there in August. 1888.
1.-The principal reason we are as
signed to the porch" Rheem ex-
planned, "is that most Of us are doing
work of a confidential nature and
have to work irregular hours. Prac-
tically every man on that porch Is
key man at the institution. We pos
sess such information that other pris-
oners would assault us to get II we
were quartered among them"
He also denied he had ever heard
of money being paid for a position on
the porch.
Two guards, Capt. Paul F. Pegelow
and william j. Devers, told Of coca
sionally finding evidence Of drinking
among the prisoners and OF once f1nd-
ing one inmate with half q gallon Of
liquor.
Says Prisoners Complained.
Lester E. McMenamin, mail clerk,
said he has received or 10 COM
plants from prisoners during his Is
months as a prison employe concern
ing failure to receive money they
contended had been sent them by
friends and relatives. He said about
IS comes in daily from this source.
Representative Shoemaker has
charged that Capt. Barnard refused
to permit complaining letters from
prisoners to reach him. The mail
clerk emphasized only two such let
tiers had been written, and these were
allowed to pass. He said he censored
outgoing letters or turned them over
to higher of1cial when there Is any
thing detrimental to anybody or to
the institution"
Denies Meeting Rheem.
Mrs. Rheem appeared voluntarily
before the committee yesterday in
Washington and denied she had met
Rheem secretly in Alexandria.