Evening star., 1939-11-30
Counsel Admits Trio
Took Cassini From
| -
Dance al Warrenton
Tells Court They Did
What Any Red -BIooded
Vireinion Would Do
BY ALFRED TOOMBS.
Star Stan Correspondent.

WARRENTON. Va, Nov. 30
Three young Virginians, charged
with applying tar and feathers to
Igor Cassini, did no more than ANY
red -blooded Virginian" would do
under the circumstances, their law
yer said today as they went to trial
on a charge of sassault by a mob.'
A. G. Weaver Of Front Royal, Va,
counsel for the defendants, admit
ted in his opening statement to the
jury today that the accused had
taken the Washington gossip COL
nmnist away from dance near
here on the night of June 25, but
said they were only trying to scare
him away from the community and
to put an end to the "sneaky, Shiny
articles which had appeared in his
colmn"
The accused are Ian Montgomery,
49, his brother, Colin, %, and Alex
ander Calvert, 81.
Commonwealth Attorney Clar-
ence w. Carter in his opening state
ment to the jury, composed mostly
OF farmers from Fauquier County,
said he would show that five men,
including the defendants, beat Mr..
CasSini, abducted him to a lonely
spot near Warrington, stripped him
and applied tar and feathers.
Mr.. Carter asked that the trio be
convicted of assault by mob, fell
ony which carries penalty Of
from ! to 10 years in jail.
Doorman Is First Witness.
The first witness called by the
prosecution was Preston Ruffner, a
doorman at the Warrenton Country
Club, who testified that he had, at
the request of man he did not
know, summoned Mr.. Cassini from
the dance floor, telling him tina,
something had happened to his au-
| tomobile. At the time, he said, Mr..
Cassini was dancing with Miss Jane
Calvert, sister of one of the de-
PENDANTS.
Mr. Cassini followed the doorman
on the stand and repeated his
version of the events on the night
he was assaulted Mr.. Cassini,
grandson of Count Arturo Cassini.
Russian Ambassador to the United
States at the turn of the century
spoke with an accent and was in
terrupted several times during his
testimony by the court stenographer
and other Vlrglnlans who had
trouble understanding him
He testified that five men beat
him when he went outside the court
house and knocked him unconscious
He recognized the defendants among
those who put him in an automobile
and drove him about nine miles
from town.
Threatened Mutilati0n.
He told how they ripped his
clothes from his body, threatened
to mutilate him. then doused him
with tar and feathers and left him
naked and alone in the woods He
identified a can. labeled oil and
covered with heavy substance that
appeared to be tar, as that found at
the scene.
His clothing and a bundle of
feathers were also identified and
entered as exhibits. -
Mr.. Weaver, in making his open
ing statement to the jury, admitted
the defendants had participated in
the occurrence, but said they did
not constitute a mob nor did they
do anything but "oil him up a
little
This case narroWs down to
whether these boys must stand by
while this Russian count or any
other kind of count can belittle this
community with his articles. They
wanted to scare him, and they did
scare him. They have no apology"
The courtroom in the ancient
Fauquier County courthouse was
packed and jammed with collection
of farmers, housewives and members
Of the wealthy "horsey" set who
make their homes in this part of
the country. Circuit Judge w. r.
Alexander had to rap for order con-
tinually.