Evening star., 1934-04-18

he testified. was work outside the
State discussed.
On cross-exanination, the witness
said he understood Bishop Cannon was
chairman OF both the Headquarters
Committee and the State organization,
but stuck to his story that they were
separate groups. In response to a
question by Assistant United States
Attorney John J. Wilson, Moss said he
didn't know the identity of the treas
urer OF the State organization because
he received all of his money from DR.
Peters. He said he had heard of the
headquarters Committee and knew
Bishop Cannon was its chairman. but
that he personally had nothing to do
with 1t.
Powell Upholds Defense.
Wilson brought out, however. that
the meetings Of the State organiza-
ton were held in the general head
quarters in Richmond of the Head
quarters Committee.
Another witness, L. F.. Powell of
Richmond. also asserted there were
TWO political groups functioning in
Virginia during the campaign. He
asserted that George E. Conrad OF
Harrisonburg, Va. was chairman of
the State organization.
In response to question by JUS
tlce Peyton Gordon, the witness said
ne believed both groups had the word
headquarters" in their names. but
that one operated in the State and
the other throughout the South.
Beaten in their move for a directed
verdict Of acquittal yesterday, the de-
fendants called as their first witness
c. G. Berkeley. Newport News attorney.
Tells of Committees.
Berkeley was called in an effort to
establish the defense contention there
were two independent political COM
mittees operating in Virginia in 1928.
He said he was connected with the
"Anti-Smith Democratic Organiza-
tion," OF which the late Rev. j. Sidney
Peters was in active charge. Berkeley
also testified he was one of the 10
chairmen of congressional districts
called to Richmond in 1929 to attend
a meeting and that he understood"
they constituted a State central COM
mittee.
In denying the request for a directed
verdict, Justice Gordon said he
thought "the evidence in this case and
the circumstances surrounding it are
such that the jury should determine
whether the defendants conspired in
the manner charged and did some act
in furtherance of the alleged con-
spiracy."
In the argument preceding the rul-
ing, Wilson characterized a check ex-
change between Cannon and Miss Bur-
roughs as fictitious phony trans
action resolving itself into a common
garden variety OF check kite" He had
reference to an alleged exchange of
worthless checks between the church,
man and his secretary in February,
1929, when they were preparing a re-
port of their campaign expenditures.
The check exchange, according to VIII
son, was designed to artificially build
up Miss Burroughs bank account as
treasurer of the committee so she could
report a reimbursement of approx
mately SIT 900 to the bishop.
Fiction Is Charged.
Wilson also described the defense
contention that $4,000 of the jane
son money was spent through the vir-
ginia State Committee as fiction Of
these defendants for the purposes of
this prosecution"
The two defense attorneys argued
that the Government had failed en-
tirely to make out its conspiracy case
and in particular had failed to estab-
lish that Miss Burroughs had any
knowledge of the Jameson contribu-
ton before her report was submitted.
Even then, it was argued, she did not
know he had given more than $l7,300.