Evening star., 1940-07-25
Lodge Drops OUT
OF Ninth Street
Liquor Cases
A. B. G. Board Head
Missed Testimony
Of Key Witness

Because he had not been present
when the chief prosecution witness,
a 17-year-old Staunton, Va, girl,
had testified, Thomas E. Lodge,
chairman of the Alcoholic Bever.
age Control Board, today withdrew
from consideration of charges of
liquor regulation violations brought
by the board against five Ninth
street restaurants.
Citations against the five places
were made by the board after JUS
tice Proctor, in District Court, sug-
gested that the A. B. c. Board make
an investigation of conditions in
licensed liquor places in the Ninth
street area. Charges made by the
board have been denied by spokes-
men for the five establishments.
The girl witness testified before
the board at its initial hearing July
3. At that time Mr.. Lodge was
out of town on vacation.
Kronheim Asks Withdrawal.
Mr.. Lodge announced his with
drawal from the cases after a de-
mand that he do so was made at
the outset Of today's session by Mil
ton S. Kronheim, jr., attorney for
the Ninth street tavern, which was
accused OF selling drinks to the girl
and a companion when they were
intoxicated.
As the hearings were resumed,
with Mrs. Agnes K. Mason, board
vice chairman, sitting with the third
board member, William P. Mere
dith, employees of two of the res
taurants denied they had sold drinks
to the girl.
Mr.. Kronheim moved that the
| board declare a mistrial in the case
OF his client on the grounds that
the boards attorney, William Dent,
had led the girl at the July 3 hear
ing in Identification of persons at
the establishment, and that the
board had heard the girls testi-
mony as to the four other places, as
well as the Ninth Street Tavern,
and that this might prejudice the
interests of his client.
Mrs. Mason overruled the motion
for mistrial and deferred decision
on another motion by Mr.. Kron-
helm that the charges be dismissed
for lack of sufficient proof.
Testimony Denied.
In the Ninth Street Tavern case
Louis Demas, co-proprietor; Lo-
retta Rogers, waitress, and Jeffer-
son Tolliver. dishwasher. all de-
MED that the girl had been served
drinks In the place.
In the case of the New York
Lunch, Inc, which answered a
charge Of selling a drink of whisky
:. to the girl, a waitress, Miss Billie
J Eckhart, denied that the girl had
been in this establishment on the
night Of February Z, when she was
alleged to have been served drink.
Miss Eckart said she remembered
the night in question because she
had been on sick leave for two or
three weeks and had returned to
work that night
Levi George Pratt, president of
the New York Lunch Corp, also pre-
sented his two bartenders, Samuel
| 1uCCAlcll dilu S1cOI &c NdSSAlOpOulOS,
who declared they had never seen
the girl before she appeared at the
July hearing. Mr.. Pratt made the
point that the girl had testified she
thought the bartender on duty on
the night of February was a
young man, and Mr.. Pratt said the
board could realize that his two bar
tenders were not young men.
Later, the board was to hear de-
fense testimony to meet charges of
violation of liquor regulations
brought against CAROLS Tavern.
the restaurant of David Moy Kee
and the Gayety Restaurant, op-
Grated by James Lake.