Evening star., 1935-01-22
Criminal Element to Be
Called After Officials
Present Case.
JUVENILE DECISIONS
WILL BE INVESTIGATED
Plans Laid in Executive Session
SOB Sisters" to Be Barred
From Meetings.

0c-cdlleu gangSterS" serving tine
! at Lorton, men under indictment fCl
alleged criminal activities, prosecu-
| ton and law enforcement officials
in fact, every element involved in TIL
conception, execution and suppression
| OF crime-are to play a part in tho
: impending investigation of lawlessneSi
in the Nations Capital to be con
Quoted by special subcommittee OF
the House District Committee.
At least, that is the plan Of the sub
| committee. which met in executive
session last night i'd dug the founGa-
ton for its proposed far-reaching il
quiry into crime in Washington.
The subcommittee aims are out
lined in resolution to be introduce
in the House by its chairman, Repre-
| sentative Randolph, Democrat, OF
West Virginia, asking authority to
investigate all forms of criminal ac-
tivity in the District of Columbia, the
! probable causes for the commission
of crimes, the law enforcement agen-
! cies, paroles and parole boards, tha
activity of the courts and the cor
/ duct of prisons" The resolution will
ask for an appropriation of $4,000 fcc
| the job.
To Probe Court Action.
The subcommittee, Randolph an
/ nounced also will probe into the re-
cent action of Judge Fay L. Bentle..
| Of Juvenile Court. in imposing upon
two 15-year-old Washington boys. a
siX-year sentence in the National
Training School for 'joy ride" in
stolen automobile. But, Randolph
! said, she will be called in regular
order" and this particular case will
not be the only one considered. The
subcommittee, he explained, also will
look into some of her other decisions.
-he actual investigation will get
under way at 1890 am. next Monday.
when the subcommittee plans to sum-
J mon its first WitnesSes-COmmis-
sioner Melvin c. Hazen president of
the Board of District Commissioner.
and Maj. Ernest w. Brown, superin-
! tendent of police.
| Randolph said consideration had
been given to a proposal to call the
"gangsters" and criminal element at
! the very outset, but the conclusion
was reached this would be the wrong
! procedure. He wants the enforcement
/ agency to outline its case first.
! The subcommittee intends to hold
daily sessions during the inquiry from
1890 am. to II noon. and the public.
| except for their representatives, the
newspaper men, are to be kept outside
of the closed doors of the District
committee room. Even women who
! write sympathetic stories. better
} known i'll newspaper circles as sob
sisters, are to be kept out. Repre-
! sentative Werner. Democrat of South
! Dakota. a member of the investigating
! committee. announced that he partic-
ularly did not believe this type of
news writer should be permitted
/ inside.
To Call Officials.
: When the subcommittee finiShe7
! with Commissioner HaZen and Maj.
Brown. it will call other prominent
police officials. including Inspector L.
| I. H. Edwards assistant superintend-
/ ent and personnel officer. and In
! SpectOr Frank S. w Burke. chief OF
detectives Then it will turn to the
! courts and summon United State,
Attorney Leslie c. GarnCtt and hiS
| assistants. and finally the criminal
! clement inside prison walls as well "a
! the men and women enjoying freedom
under bond.
How long the inquiry will last j.
| matter for conjecture. But from
remarks dropped by Subcommittee
members it may drag all through the
Summer In fact, Representative VIZ
ginia Jenckes, Democrat of Indiana,
/ gave that impression when she asked
that the original phraseOlcgy Of the
resolution to authorize the investiga-
| ton be changed SO that it would not
be necessary for a report to be sub
mitted to the House before the end 0!
| the Seventy-fourth Congress.
| Randolph explained to the sub
! committee that the inquiry undOubt-
! edly would bring an improvement III
! Washington's crime situation. and de-
! clared he had been amazed" at a
recent statement on the floor of the
House by Representative Cannon,
Democrat, of Missouri. that the Ma
tons Capital is a law-abiding COM
munity and a model of law enforce
ment. Cannon made a statement to
! that effect in opposing an amendment
to the 1886 District appropriation
bill providing for an increase Of 35
privateS in the Washington police
force.
! Picking up the late editions of the
three afternoon Washington news
papers, Randolph read the headlines
! telling of the brutal murder earlier
in the day of two men in the Capital
Transit car barn at Chevy Chase, Nd,
and declared that was an illustra-
ton of the situation in the District.
mot only do we have petty crimes
and colluSion," he said, but the
major crimes as we'll. Why, over the
week end the police department here
arrested 81 'hoodlums.'
Mrs. Jenckes expressed the opinion
that crime conditions in Washington
undoubtedly have been intensified by
the hundreds of transients who came
her in search of jobs, and, unable to
find work, become public charges.
She described Washington as 1.-The
playground of America-the mecca
for people who think they can get a
job here" but who are soon dis
illusioned and find themselves with
M funds Tn lenVo