Evening star., 1935-05-22
Wife Is Cited in Four Bills
in Alleged Plot to Mur-
der Husband.
29 WITNESSES HEARD
IN TW0.DAY SESSION
Defense Counsel Criticizes Man.
ner in Which Case Was Pre-
sented and Returned.
Pictures on Page A-4.I
BY staff Correspondent of The Star.

By staf Correspondent of The Star.
ROCKVILLE, Md. May 22.-Sweep-
ing indictments were returned today
against Mrs. Anna Lyddane and four
men in an alleged conspiracy to mur-
der Mrs. Lyddanes husband, Fran
cis, and Mrs. Josephine Beall of
Darnestown.
Mrs Lyddane, member of a prom
inent Rockville family, was charged
in four indictments, one Of which
contained IA counts on a solicitation
to murder allegation Mrs. Lyddane
was named alone in this latter in
dictment.
In three other true bills she Is
Jointly accused with John H. Carnell,
dapper Rockville bartender, former
Washington policeman, and alleged
contact man" in the murder plot.
Carnell turned States evidence at a
recent Police Court hearing.
20 Witnesses Heard.
The indictments were returned after
the grand jury spent two days hearing
the testimony of 20 witnesses. The
probe was begun Monday morning and
concluded yesterday afternoon.
In one of the four indictments Mrs
Lyddane, Carnell and Harry E.
Thomas are charged with conspiracy
to murder Mrs. Beau and Francis
Lyddane.
A second indictment charges con-
spiracy to murder Francis Lyddane
to Mrs Lyddane, Carnell and John M.
Boland, AZ, of Washington.
Thomas told recent Police Court
hearing on the conspiracy warrant
that he had been approached by Bo-
land in an alleged plot to rob the
bank where Mrs. Lyddane was en-
ployed at that time.
Charged in Bean Case.
A third grand jury true bill alleges
a conspiracy to murder Mrs. Beall
against Mrs. Lyddane, Carnell and
Edwin j. Davis, also of Washington.
Davis said at the Police Court hear
| ing that Mrs. Lyddane drove him to
Darnestown in her automobile and
pointed out a woman he later learned
was Mrs. Beall, as one she wished to
have done away with.
1t was said that all indictments
sought by Pugh were returned by the
grand jury. The true bills were brought
into court this morning and turned
over to Judge Charles E. woodward.
Among the last witnesses to testify
before the grand jury yesterday were
Mrs. Beall and her husband, Arthur
Beall. Mrs. Lyddane admitted at the
Police Court hearing that she had
been going about with Beall.
Named in Divorce Suit.
Two years ago Mrs. Beall named
Mrs. Lyddane as correspondent in a
divorce suit she filed against her hus-
band. Mrs Bean withdrew the suit
few days later following settlement.
The Bealls, who have several young
children, are now reconciled and ap-
parently are living happily together.
Francis Lyddane is convinced Of his
wife's innocence and has loyalty stood
by her since her arrest and arraign-
ment on warrants charging the con-
Spiracy. Lyddane recently lost his job
as the bookkeeper for the Montgomery
County liquor dispensary system.
State Senator Stedman Prescott,
chief of defense counsel for Mrs. Lyd-
dane. in a statement today pointed
out that the grand jury findings rested
solely upon prosecution testimony.
"The grand jury hears only one
side of a case and much evidence
| which would not be admissible at a
trial in open court"
Prescott Criticizes Haste.
The defense counsel, whom Pugh
succeeded as States attorney, said 1T
seems to me there was over anxiety
in some quarters to press for action
in this case. Ordinarily indictments
are returned together after all pend
ing cases have been heard. The grand
jury seems to have made special re-
turn in the Lyddane case"
Prescott made it clear, however, he
implied no criticism of the grand jury
itself, but rather in the way the case
| was presented and returned
Prescott said he was anxious to have
his client vindicated in open court as
soon as the defense could prepare its
case, but could not forecast the trial
date.
After return of the indictments Pugh
said it rested with Judge Woodward as
to whether the bond Of the accused
persons would be increased. Mrs. Lyd-
dane, Carnell, Boland and Davis were
held under heavy bond following the
warrant hearing.
Mrs. Lyddane made bond, while the
three men were held in Jail when they
could not raise the sums assessed
against them.
Thomas was released under 81 900
bond as a States witness following the
Police Court hearing.