Evening star., 1937-04-21
Mrs. Krieger Sobs When
Officer Says She Tried
to Turn on Frooks.
TESTIMONY UNNEEDED,
PLAN REFUSED, HE SAYS
Conferences Between Lawyer and
Client Owe. Pierce Claim"
Are Detailed.

had offered to testify against Frooks.
Detective Sergt. Earl P Hartmann,
who Investigated the alleged plot by
Mrs. Krieger and Frooks to extort
$4,000 from the late Carroll Pierce,
Alexandria banker, said he and As
sistant United States Attorney Roger
Robb declined the offer during an in
terview with Mrs Krieger in the psy-
chopathic ward at Gallinger Hospital.
Hartmann said that when Mrs.
Krieger invited him to interview her
at the hospital following her arrest,
she bitterly excoriated Frooks, a New
York lawyer, asserting she had
enough on him to send him away"
She asked u.s." Hartmann said,
what We could do if she agreed to
testify against Frooks. I told her we
didn't need her testimony, that we
had sufficient evidence to convict
both of them when the case went to
trial"
Mrs. Krieger Sobs.
Mrs. Krieger buried her face in her
handkerchief and sobbed audibly. Her
attorney, John j. McGinnis, attempt
ed to quiet and console her.
FTooks, a former candidate for
Congress, stared straight at the coun-
sci table throughout the testimony.
Hartmann. under questioning by
Robb declared Mrs. Krieger told him
Frooks knew what it was all about"
and that she was satisfied he was
staying away from her and letting
her down" for reason.
The detective said he had two later
conferences at the institution with Mrs.
Krieger, during one of which she said
she had warned FTooks against the
possibility of a dictaphone trap at the
local hotel in which Frooks had ar
ranged 70 discuss with Pierce's at
torney settlement of Mrs. kregers
claim
Statement Identified.
Sergt. Hartmann identified state
ment which Mrs. Krieger signed in
the Office of United States Attorney
Leslie c. Garnett Immediately after
her arrest on September IS last, and
made by Frooks at the district at
torney's Office the same evening.
In Mrs. Krieger's statement, as read
BY Robb, the 35-year-old blond told
of a number of dates" she had with
Pierce in her apartment here and at
an inn. Acts Of intimacy were men
toned.
The statement quoted Mrs. Krieger
as saying Pierce promised her life
job at SITS a month as contact lady
in the personnel department of his
bank She was quoted as admitting
receipt of numerous sums from Pierce,
amounting TO 5000 or less in each
instance.
Hartman quoted Frooks as saying
Mrs. Krieger came to him about her
claim against Pierce because he had
refused to give her employment as
promised. Frooks, Hartman said, ad-
mitted Mrs Krieger had submitted
no proof of the claim. During the
interview at the District attorneys
Office, the detective continued, Frooks
asserted Mrs. Krieger had "guaran-
teed" him a fee of 81 500 and had
discussed a possible claim of $4,000,
based on wages she would have re-
ceived if she had been given life job.
Told Record Clear, Frooks Said.
Frooks was quoted as saying he had
never represented Mrs. Krieger be-
fore and that when he asked her if
she had ever been arrested, she told
him her record was clear.
Another witness today was Pvt
Darius Green of the Police Depart
ment, who told of assisting in placing
the microphone in rooms at the hotel
where Frooks was to meet Pierce's at
torney.
Berthold N. Cole, inn proprietor,
testified that Mrs. Krieger, during a
visit to his establishment with Pierce,
told him she had 100000 in bonds and
asked his aid in selling them to Pierce.
Cole said he asked Mrs. Krieger why
she didn't sell them direct to bank,
and he quoted Mrs. Krieger as say
Ing she couldn't do that because the
bonds came from Dutch Schultz"
The proprietor told of several visits
made to the inn by Mrs. Krieger and
the banker.
George F. Downham, vice president
OF Pierce's bank, told the jury he had
seen Mrs. Krieger in conference with
Pierce on several occasions.
The jury yesterdad heard NJ Carter
Hall, attorney for Pierce, testify re-
garding conversations he had with
Frooks in Alexandria and in Wash
ington hotel regarding efforts of Mrs
Krieger to collect $4,000 from Pierce
Hall said he told Frooks the request
for money from Pierce was nothing
but blackmail.'
Officers in Next Room.
The conference between Frooks and
Hall at the hotel, the testimony
showed, was heard in the next room
by two police officers, an assistant
United States attorney and short
hand reporter. Frooks was arrested
as he left this conference, and Mrs.
Krieger, awaiting the outcome Of the
parley in a nearby hotel, also was
taken into custody.
Assistant United States Attorney
Robb told the jury yesterday the
Government would show the al
legged plot was conceived when Mrs.
Krieger "scraped" an acquaintance
with Pierce on a train.
Pvt. Paul Little of the Police De-
partment and Minor D. Randolph,
court reporter, testified they were in
the room adjoining that of the hotel
conference. Little said he installed a
microphone, through which Randolph
heard the conversation between Frooks
and Hall