Evening star., 1935-02-13
.CR|ME HEARINGS
.OFF UNTIL MONDAY
"Something important" to
Be Developed Is Word.
Fitzpatrick Named.

The special Crime Investigating
Committee of the House temporarily
halted its hearings today and made
plans for a more searching inquiry
that will develop something of i'm
portance."
The sudden postponement OF hear
| ings followed the appointment OF John
r. Fitzpatrick as attorney for the
| committee. He is dean Of the Law
| School of Columbus University and
a former assistant United States at-
torney for the District, position ne
resigned last November after dis
pute over the continued postpone
! ment of a murder trial.
Fitzpatrick'S appointment was an
nounced late yesterday by RepreSen-
tative Randolph. Democrat, of West
| Virginia, chairman of the inveStigat-
ing committee, as Inspector Frank S.
w. Burke. chief of detectives, took
the witness stand to complete his
| testimony.
DELAYED Until Monday.
In the midst of Burke's testimony,
however, the committee members
went into a huddle and after brief
conference announcement was made
| there would be no further hearings
until Monday at II am. The delay,
| it is understood, is intended to give
Fitzpatrick adequate time to prepare
for the proposed driving inquiry.
oE ;o1c oiccinnnr Mol
vim C. Hazen and Representative
| Blanton, Democrat. of Texas have
been the only witnesses before the
committee in the firSt three weeks
of the investigation which has de-
veloped little of importance thus far
except general charges against the
Police Department. However, Ran
dolph predicts the future hearings
will produce something more tangible.
Burke, during his brief appearance
on the witness stand, cited various
records to show the efficiency OF the
| Detective Bureau under his adminnis-
tration to answer the charge of Rep
resentative Schultz, Democrat, of In
| diana, that he did not have proper
control of his men. He also put into
| the record affidavits signed by each
detective sergeant saying reports of
their whereabouts in the past were
truthful and accurate. Burke also
did this to reply to statement OF
Schultz that one detective would re-
port for two others who would remain
! at home in bed.
Bureau ReorganiZed.
Prior to taking command of the
Detective Bureau, Burke said, there
| had been "a good deal of complaint"
about its operation. He explained he
reorganized the bureau and put it on
an efficient and effective basis of oper-
alton.
| Schultz questioned Burke about the
gambling situation, and he said there
had been more vigorous activity on the
part of the police and the courts to
stamp out gambling in the last year
than ever before. Police, on their
own he declared, 'have aimed to cut
| gambling as much as possible"
| Randolph asked Burke if he agreed
with the statement of Lieut.. George
NJ Little. head of the special gambling
squad, that there is less gambling in
Washington now than in the last 27
years.
Burke replied he believed Little's
statement.
Later Schultz suggested there was
some laxity in the District parole law
and that the Parole Board is toe
lenient. He cited in particular the
case of a man sentenced to 18 months
in prison on robbery charge who was
paroled less than a month after he
began the sentence.