Evening star., 1938-01-20
POLICE ARE HELD
IN WIRE TAPPING
Bombing of Vice Prober's
Auto in California Brings
Political Sensation.
~ the Associated Press,

~ the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 20-The CAP
tain and an oficer Of a special police
Intelligence squad were ordered held
today on suspicion Of overlapping at
the home Of Vice Investigator Harry
Raymond, victim Of a bomb explosion
Last Friday.
wire-tapping is felony in Cali
fornia.
District Attorney Buron Fits is
sued the order to arrest Earl Kynette.
acting captain OF detectives, and one
Of his aides, Dan M. Draper.
The two were booked at the county
JAN and their attorney Immediately
made arrangements for their release.
Five other members of Kynettes
squad. after Interrogation by Fits,
were released from technical custody.
Fits claimed he definitely had
linked Kynette with mysterious 90
day surveillance of Raymond.
Kynette and his men. Fits said he
was informed, rented and occupied a
house 100 yards from the RAYMOND
home and secretly watched his move
ments.
Injured by Explosion.
Raymond was critically injured
when he stepped on the starter of his
car and unwittingly detonated black
powder bomb.
Although more than 80 fragments
Of metal wounded Raymond, surgeons
expect him to recover.
Fits said he had possible clues to
the sources Of the bomb and its prob
able manufacturer, and police experts
were examining Hollywood garage
Tor fingerprints and other evidence.
In the absence Of Police Chief James
z. Davis on trip to Mexico City. As
sstant Chief George Allen announced
the department would not suspend
Kynette and Draper.
Allen said. We are not convinced,
even remotely, that these men are
guilty Of any charges" and asked the
public Ito withhold judgment until
the true facts are determined"
The victims wife. Mrs. Beulah Ray
mond. and several neighbors, Fits
declared. identified Kynette and GER
tain officers as tenants of shadow"
house. The neighbors saw them bor-
ing holes in the house and subsequent
ly stringing wires, Fits said.
He asserted the wires were arranged
to tap the Raymond telephone lines.
Neighbors said the house was sud-
denly deserted after the Raymond
bombing, and no wiring vas left be-
hind, Fits declared.
Fits quoted one of Kynette's
squadsmen as saying he and a fellow
omcer were instructed by the cap
tain to keep an eye on Raymond.
watch every move he made, take the
license numbers of all the cars that
came to the Raymond home and make
Q report on my findings each day"
Statement Refused.
Fits said Kynette refused to make
. statement, declaring it would tend
to incriminate myself"
Kynette. Fits said. displayed a cash
about week ago on his right tenn
pie and explained he had been hurt
in fall from table, but did not re-
member where.
AS the Raymond inquiry developed
sensationally, city and State politics
swiftly felt its influence. Speaker
William Mosely Jones and BENJAMIN
Rosenthal Of the California Assem-
bly, conferred with Raymond at his
hospital bedside Jones anno,,nred
he was ready to initiate a legislative
investigation Of Los Angeles political
conditions.
Raymond had been employed re-
Gently to subpoena witnesses for the
bankruptcy hearing of Harry Mum
son, former police commissioner.
Kynette, formerly Of Council Bluffs,
Iowa, was appointed to the police de-
partment in 1925.