Evening star., 1938-12-17
George Musita Taken
From Jail for GriL|inq
On Drug Firm Tang|e
Dietrich Says Brother
Could Have Explained
The Charges
By the Associated Press.

IuS SuuISSS
By the Associated Press.
NEW HAVEN, Conn, Dec. IT.
Federal officials temporarily removed
George Musica from the New Haven
County Jail to more secluded spot
today in the hope he might throw
more light on the tangled affairs of
McKesson A Robins, Inc.
United States Marshal Bernard
Fitch and Thomas j. Dodd, Assist
ant United States Attorney General,
called for Musica at the Jail, where
he spent the night under $780, 900
bond on charge of conspiring to
violate the 1884 Securities Act.
The officials announced Musica,
known to the financial world as
George Dietrich, would be questioned
about the affairs of the $87 900 900
drug concern of which he was as
sistant vice president and assistant
treasurer. They did not disclose
where the interrogation would take
place or just what line it would fol-
low.
Arthur T. German, assistant
United States district attorney, said
Musica would be returned to Jail
after the questioning and would be
kept in New Haven at least until
Monday.
Firms $236,00O Tax Demanded.
In Hartford, the Internal Revenue
collector for Connecticut, Thomas S.
Smith, announced formal demands
would be made today on the drug
firm for payment of $236 900 in in
come and excise taxes.
Unless the taxes were paid during
the day, Mr. Smith said, a lien
would be filed at once
The collector said an agent had
been sent to Bridgeport to make a
formal demand for payment on
Julian F. Thompson. treasurer of
the corporation. Another agent
went to New York to make a SINH
lar demand on the trustees named
for the drug concern last week by
the Federal Court there.
Should they the agents. report
W lllC tllCil ldAuIC " oDIdlil q
check" said Mr.. Smith, "a lien
against the firm will be filed with
the clerk of the United States Court
in Bridgeport
The taxes, the internal revenue
office said, became due December Is
for the fourth quarter. During the
first three quarters of 1888 about
100000 was paid by the concern
one of the largest payers Of Federal
taxes in Connecticut.
Thinks Brother Would Have Won.
Sheriff J. Edwin Slavin said
Musicas chief regret seemed to be
the suicide of his third brother,
Philip, who had engineered his own
| rebirth as F. Donald Coster, pres
ident of the McKesson q Robbins
Drug Corp.
Il can't understand why my
brother did it," Mr.. Slavin quoted
George as saying. He could have
fought it and explained it."
AS for himself, Mr.. Slavin said
the prisoner expressed confidence
that Il can pretty well clear myself
of my activities"
George, who, under the name of
George Dietrich, had been vice
president and assistant treasurer of
McKesson g. Robbins, was under
500 900 bail on charges of violating
the Federal Securities Act, as were
brothers Arthur and Robert, known
in their rebuilt lives as George Yer
nard and Robert Dietrich.
Politician Declines Comment.
While plans were being made to-
day for the funeral of Philip Musica
who shot and killed himself yester-
day in his luxurious Fairfield coun-
try home, Harry E. Mackenzie. a
political leader and influential for
many years in legislative matters,
declined personally to comment on
the linking of his name with that of
"Coster" by the United States at
torney's Office in New York when
correspondence between them was
| seized
MacKenzie's attorney, William T.
Hadden Of New Haven, said, how
ever, that Mackenzie was Sur
prised" that the United States at
torney's Office had seized the COR
respondence, claiming There is
nothing in it."
Mackenzie recently pleaded guilty
to charges of conspiring with 26
other men to cheat and defraud"
the city of Waterbury of more than
a million dollars.
Was ROnaback Ally.
Mackenzie, whose home is in
Bethel, near Danbury, was a close
political ally of the late j. Henry
Roraback, Connecticut Republican
chiftain for Is years. The Water
bury grand jury report cited Mac
Kenzie as having been on the Nc
Kesson & Robbins pay roll at So, 900
a year.
The report stated that in the 1888
and 1887 General Assembly. Mac
KenZie was quite active in behalf of
the Druggists Association and at
the same time was receiving a sal
ary of $4,000" from the drug corpo-
ration plus an expense account of
approximately $1,000"
Gregory Noonan, assistant United
States attorney, said yesterday in
New York that Mackenzie, a former
State labor commissioner in Con-
necticut, would be taken there for
questioning.