Evening star., 1935-05-06
jailed Representative Protests
Treatment at Police Station
Cannon of Wisconsin,
Held Three Hours on
Drunk Charge.
Arrested on Complaint
of Cab Driuer in
ROtU OUer Fare.

Representative Raymond ]. Cannon,
Democrat, Of Wisconsin, protested to
Supt. Of Police Brown this morning
at being held incommunicado In
police cell this morning from to S
o'clock.
Cannon, with q companion who
gave his name as John w. McKenna,
was booked at the first precinct on
charge Of drunkenness and disorderly
conduct at the complaint Of Roosevelt
Koonce, . taxicab driver.
The Representative posted SIS COL
lateral for each. $50 in all, which
was forfeited this morning when the
two men failed to appear at the
police station for a hearing.
Koonce, who lives in Garrett Park,
Nd, drove the men to the police sta
ton after trip from Maryland Club
Gardens. According to the driver,
Cannon got tough with him" and
refused to pay him the fare demanded.
Tells Of Row Over Fare.
Cannon declared this afternoon he
engaged the cab with the understand
ing the charge for the trip to the
Prince Georges County resort was to
be $3.50.
However, said Cannon, the driver on
the way back to Washington de-
manded SIS. When the Representative
protested, Koonce said, Cannon drove
at once to the police station.
At this juncture the Wisconsin
Representative declares he gave
Koonce the SIS asked and So to boot.
Cannon says he and his companion,
said by the Representative to be
deputy United States marshal. were
forced to take of their belts and
neckties and put into a cell with
8 or 10 other prisoners.
There were four or five vacant
cages, nevertheless" Cannon proa
tested today.
Cannon Charges C0IIusion.
II asked the police to call a number
OF influential friends I have here, but
they refused. We did not get away
until S o'clock this morning." he de-
clared. This action last night makes
me convinced there is a tieup between
the taxi drivers and the police"
Koonce emphatically denied the
charge.
The arrest was made by Policeman
W. c. Grooms, 123 c street southeast,
deskman at the first precinct station.
Cannon. q Milwaukee labor lawyer,
who worked his way from an orphan
asylum to Congress, Is chairman of
the Committee on Revision of the
Laws in the House, where he Is serv-
ing his third term.
A year ago he acted as counsel for
Representative Shoemaker, Minnesota
Farmer-Laborite, since defeated, ac-
cused Of assaulting q cab driver.
Koonce, 81, denied that he had
overcharged the Representative and
said that Representative Cannon and
his companion abused him and struck
him with hat while he was driving
them through the Capitol Grounds at
2 O'Clock this morning.
Koonce said he picked Cannon and
his companion up at the Representa-
t:ve's hotel at 10 o'clock last night
with the understanding that he was
to drive them to Maryland night
club and was to receive $3.50 for the
round trip and for q 30-minute wait.
He said he waited 40 minutes and then
went to the manager and asked for
bis passengers. Representative Can
non came out, he says, and told him
to stay in his cab and wait and the
bill would be paid. He says the two
came out and got In the cab
ct about las an.
Koonce said on the way back into
the city they asked what the bill
would be. He told them that 1t would
be So.
'They then began to curse me and
threaten me and they both called
me several Names" Koonce said. II
lust saved myself q good beating by
driving into No. / precinct and call
ing out the police"
Koonce said Cannon gave him the
Sc when they arrived at the police
station, and then insisted that he take
an extra dollar. Koonce said then
Cannon turned his attention to the
police and charged them with crook
edness" and with prosecuting him and
o common taxicab driver"
Koonce said Cannon called for the
president Of the police" when he en-
tered the station