Evening star., 1938-12-19

their chief clue in the arms snug
Cling inquiry was a recent letter to
George Muscia, alias George S.
Dietrich" assistant treasurer Of
McKesson & Robbins, ordering
$50 100000 rounds of ammunition.
Investigators said they had not
yet established the true identity
of the man who wrote the letter.
Another witness in the inquiry,
60year- old John NJ. Kantor, father
of Novelist MacKinlay Kantor, has
been held without bail as a fugitive
from justice. Federal agents said
Kantor had told them Coster's firm
offered to sell him old United States
Army rifles for shipment to Spain.
More than $50 subpoenas have
been issued for Wall Street brokers,
officials of the drug firm and other
concerns and for tons of McKesson
& Robbins Corp. records. Seven
trucks will transport New Jersey
records of the company here.
Subpoena for Mother.
Federal grand jury subpoenas also
were issued-but not served for
the 79-year-old mother of the Mu-
slcas, Mrs. Antonio MuSica, known
as Mrs. Girard, and her daughter,
Marie.
The family physician, DR.. Stephen
j. Petrovits. disclosed that the
daughter had taken the mother to
a Miami. Fla, suburb, fearing that
knowledge of her sons arrest would
kill her" DR.. Petrovits said that
Mrs. Girard, "gravely ill., with dia-
betes, heart trouble and liver en-
largement, had not been informed
OF her Oldest sons death.
Seeking evidence of the Musicas
possible political connections, in
vestlgators looked for a reason be-
hind the mysterious disappearance
OF police and district attorney rec
ords here giving data on earlier
criminal activities of Philip Musica
Federal authorities planned also
to question Harry E. Mackenzie, a
acknowledgements power in Repub-
lican circles in Connecticut, and
other Connecticut political figures.
Mackenzie has pleaded guilty to
a charge OF conspiracy against
him and 26 others to defraud the
city OF Waterbury of more than
81 900 900. The grand jury which
indicted him accused him of reveiv-
ing $3,9O0-a-year salary for lobby
ing for McKessen & Robbins at the
Connecticut General Assembly.
Other reports Federal investiga-
tors checked were that Philip Mu-
sica, who they said rose to finan-
cial power through bootleg profits
in the prohibition era, also oper-
ated narcotics smuggling ring and
defrauded the Government of
thousands of dollars in income
taxes.
Arms Plot Doubted.
Although Acting United States
Attorney Noonan said the Govern
ment had positive proof" of arms
smuggling by the Musicas, Saun-
ders Novel;, IA, former McKesson IL
Robbins board chairman before
Coster-Musica took over the firm,
expressed doubt.
Il don't believe that he could
have obtained arms to ship" said
Norvell also former president of
the Remington Arms Co.
Mr.. Norvell said that only two big
arms concerns-Dupont, controlling
Remington and the Peters Co. of
Cincinnati, and the Western Cart
ridge Co.-could have supplied am
munition in the quantities reported
The United States Government
is the best customer of the arms
companies of this country, and these
companies. am sure from my expe-
rience,' he said. would not run the
risk of losing that customer"
Mr.. Norvell said that Coster-
Musica, who handed over q certi-
fled check for $1OOO,0O backed by
Connecticut bankers to purchase
control of the drug firm in 1926, had
impressed him as a very pleasant,
but forceful, personality"