Evening star., 1937-04-22
B[ACKMA|L CASE
DEFENSE DENIED
DIRECTED VERDICT
rooks-Krieger Attorneys
Charge Prosecutor and
Police Connived.
USE OF DICTAPHONE
IN SCHEME ALLEGED
Woman's 16.Year.Old Daughter
Tells Of Questioning and
Hospital Visits.

hospital Visits.
Justice F. Dickinson Let's today de-
MED defense motions for a directed
verdict in favor Of Samuel L. Frooks,
New York lawyer, and Mrs. Mary
Krieger, former teacher, at their trial
IN District Court for alleged blackmail
Of the late Carroll Pierce, Alexandria
banker
Defense Attorneys John J. McGin-
mis-. representing Mrs. Krieger, and
William r. Berkson, representing
Frooks, charged the district attorneys S
ofiice and the police department with
"coniving in a scheme Of entrapment'
against the defendants. They vigor-
ously criticized action Of police and
prosecution officials in using dicta-
phone to overhear conversation be-
tween Frooks and Pierces attorney
Immediately preceding Frooks' arrest
last September.
Daughter Defense Witness.
The first defense witness was Rose
mary Krieger, l6-year-old daughter of
the blond co-defendant, who told of
several visits to her mother in Gal
linger Hospital after the latters ar
rest, made in company with Assistant
United States Attorney Roger Robb
and Detective Sergt. Earl P. Hart
mann.
Dressed in dark blue sailor dress,
with a red scarf flung around her
throat, Rosemary said she had at
tended National Park Seminary and
Holy Cross Academy. She said when
her parents separated some years ago
they set up trust fund in Oklahoma
for her education and that her moth
er had been trying to break" the
fund to get more money for her
schooling.
The girl told the jury she was held
for two weeks in the Childrens Re-
ceiving Home and during this period
was taken to Gallinger.
She said Robb and Hartmann told
her she could be of help to her mother
If she so desired, and that they ques-
toned her several times about her
mothers activities. When they show
ed her . picture, she said she recog-
nissd 1t Is that Of 4 man she and heE
mother had met on q train. It had
been testified previously that Mrs.
Krieger first met Pierce on = trans
continental train.
Learned to Like Frooks.
The daughter said she told the de-
tective and prosecutor she knew Frooks
and did not like him 1T first, but had
changed her mind about him. She
explained she felt Frooks had done
the best he could" and that one gets
to know true friends" when trouble
comes
At one point, Robb, while cross-ex-
amining the girl, asked her to stop
looking at her mother She had been
exchanging smiles and mods with Mrs.
Krieger.
Justice Let's denied the motions for
a directed verdict without waiting to
hear Government objections to the
motions. He said he felt the case
should go to the jury for decision.
McGinnis and Berkson declared the
motion should be granted because mot
scintilla Of evidence" has been in
produced by the Government to show
there was any threat to expose Pierce
In blackmail plot. They claimed the
prosecution merely had shown that
Mrs. Krieger had certain business re-
iations" with the Alexandria bank
president, as the result of which she
employed a lawyer to press a claim Of
"breach of contract"
The Government closed its case
shortly before noon after questioning
three witnesses in connection with a
statement signed by Mrs. Krieger in
December, 1885, regarding a claim she
said she had against man identified
only as John Doe"
Signature Is Identified.
DR.. Wilmer Souder, handwriting ex-
pert Of the Bureau of Standards who
testified against Bruno Richard Haupt-
mann, identified Mrs. Krieger's sigma
ture on the statement, which was made
to Assistant United States Attorney
Charles B. Murray. Before Souder
completed his testimony, the defense
conceded that Mrs. Krieger had signed
the document.
A portion Of the statement, read to
the jury, quoted Mrs. Krieger as saying
that John Doe" had given her SITS
after having Illicit relations with her
and that she had consulted Frooks in
New York regarding a claim against
doe" The statement said George D
Horning, jr., attorney for Doe" had
conferred with Frooks and asked 'if il
was blackmail" The statement sale
Horning later gave her money with
which to go to California.
Horning, called as a Government
witness, told Of interviewing Frooks IL
New York after his client, Doe" hat
recsdved letter from the New Yorl
firm. Horning said there was q brie
discussion with Frooks Of Mrs
Krieger's claim, and that afterwart
he (Horning) lent Mrs. Krieger SOM
money for which she gave a persona
note. Under cross examination he sale