The Washington times., 1938-03-28
2 LOCAL GIRLS.
THRILLED OVER.
BIZ A U AWARDS
Trip West Indies Prize;
Other Awards Made
CONTINUED from Local Page)

at 3720 Twenty-Second st. N. E.,
was awarded q General Electric
radio by the General Electric Sup
ply Company. Mrs. M. r. Love,
Of 2122 Decatur Pl. N. W., for her
verdict Of guilty" was awarded a
17-jewel Bulova wrist watch pre-
sented by Castelberg's Jewelry Co.
Emil Hoffman won a table-model
Philco radio, presented by Georges
Radio Co., P. Kelly making the
presentation. Mrs. Marguerite
Wilcox, 826 L st. N. E., was
awarded q $25 bank account by
the Morris Plan Bank, Mr.. Russell
Shaw representing that institu-
ton in awarding the prize.
mot GUILTY" VOTE
The committee of awards an
nounced that, of the thousands
who listened to the broadcast and
followed the accounts Of the trial
in The Washington Times, the
Baron Won Blau was acquitted by
q two-to-one vote.
Following the award of the
prizes, Kenneth M. Ellis, author
Of the radio drama, was put on
the stand" to explain the mystery
of the fictional murder Of Ronald
Brooks, Chevy Chase architect.
The first question proposed to him
was relative to the identity of the
Baron, and it developed that
Baron Won Blau was, in reality,
John Thompson, United States Sc
cret Service agent, who had as
sumed the title and for years
woven a net around the spy ring
headed by Emil ArmbuSter, the
carpenter" who killed himself
the opening session" of the trial.
DETAILS STORY
Armbruster, according to Ellis,
who certainly ought to know,
went to Brooks home the night of
December 5, to recover the plans
which HiroShigi and Monomoto
had distracted from the Baron'S
effects, and from Brooks effects
to study their topography"
Fritz Blauheim, ArmbruSter's
chief lieutenant, who sold the
Baron" q gun exactly like that
used by his chief, and Erich Hol-
bein, another member Of the spy
ring who had secured the
''Baron's" confidence by hiring
himself as his secretary, were both
present. The Baron" finding the
evidences of the rendezvous, also
rushed to the scene in Tom VIII
tons cab. The fatal shot had
been fired q moment or two before
his arrival.
Armbruster had given the wea-
pom to Blauheim who, fleeing the
scene, was halted in the hedge
three blocks from Brooks house,
by the arrival of the "Baron's"
cab. AS the Baron ran toward
Brooks house, Blauheim tossed
the weapon into Wilton's cab, and
sauntered away minus the "evi-
dence." Armbruster had time to
escape from the premises. Holbein
also made good his escape in the
few minutes between the shooting
of Brooks and the arrival of the
Baron at the Brooks home. It
was therefore the Baron himself
whom Mrs. Allen had seen at the
scene.
MUST STAND TRIAL
The only hope of successfully
trapping the spies was for Thorp-
son, as the Baron" to stand trial
for the murder of Brooks, in order
to give the spies an opportunity
to assist" in the prosecution.
With Thompson dead their
chances Of exposure were shat
tered. They might not have come
into the picture at all. Thorp-
son being a good detective. was
sure they would. They did. and
were caught. The "Baron's"-
really Armbruster's collection Of
plans was completed with the re-
turn, by Hiroshigi, of military
maps" SO and 81 These the gov
eminent then had. If things had
gone wrong-if the spies had not
come back to finish off" the
Baron-then Of course Thorpson's
''ccnviction" would have been set
aside. The Trial Of Baron Won
Blau would not have accomplished
its purpose.
MANY SOLVE MYSTERY
Many of those who sent in
verdictS correctly asserted that
Armbruster had committed the
murder. But there was no evil
dence in the trial to that effect.
The awards were not made for a
solution Ct the mystery, but for a
careful consideration Of the
evidence"
In a brief speech to the radio
audience, John ]. Sirica, success
full defending counsel, thanked
the Jurors" and even Special
Prosecutor Raymond Neudecker,
who had worked tirelessly to bring
the spying evidence from the wit
nesses, expressed himself as "Satis-
fled" both with the validity of his
case and with the verdict. He
added:
Especially since this is
Johnny Sirica'S revenge for the
loss Of his first case to me when
I was an assistant prosecutor
and he was hopeful presentin
his first case in court!''
A Manhattan
H.I.,:l w