Evening star., 1942-02-19
Woman Partner Hits
Ewing Aceuser's
Attack Story
Business Associate
Contrudicts Five Points
In Prosecutions Case

Much of the Governments prin-
cipal testimony in the criminal-at-
tack case against Orman w. Ewing
was fatty contradicted today by
Miss Hester C. Chamberlin, who
slept in the room adjoining that of
the 20-year-old girl Ewing is ac-
cused of assaulting last october 26.
Under direct examination in Dis
trict Court, Miss Chamberlin,
business associate of Ewing, for
mer Democratic National Commit
teeman from Utah, contradicted five
principal contentious Of the prose-
cution.
She said, in response to questions
by Defense Attorney Homer McCor-
mick, that no one passed through
her room on the way to the COM
plainant's room; no force was used
against the door between the two
rooms; no conversation was carried
on in the complainant's room; no
sheet was washed out in the bath
room, and the gas stove in the
nearby kitchen was never lighted.
Denies Any One Was in Room.
Miss Chamberlain answered SINH
lar questions regarding these points
in almost identical language.
would 1t have been possible for
any one to pass through your room
that night without you knowing it?"
asked Mr.. Mccormick.
mo, it wouldn't have been pos
sible"
Did it happen?"
mo"
Miss Chamberlin gave testimony
to indicate that a door through
which the Government charges Mr..
Ewing passed on his way 70 the
complainant's room was locked all
night. This was the door leading
from the outside hall into Miss
Chamberlin's room. She said she
locked it from the inside, leaving
the key in it, before retiring about
2 am. on the date of the alleged
attack, and it was still locked when
she arose at 6 am.
The complainant had occupied a
room in a suite in the building at
11o1 Sixteenth street NV, owned
Ewing.
Says Door Was Not Forced.
Miss Chamberlin, who said she
had been friend of the complain
ants mother for about 20 years,
also testified that she saw the COM
plainant the morning after the al
legged assault and there was Moth
ing unusual about her appearance.
With regard to force being used
against the door between the two
rooms, the Government has charged
that Ewing broke a part of the end
of the door chain. Miss Chamber
lin, however, said the chain already
was damaged so badly it would not
have held anyway.
The witness also said that a drink
was mixed" for the complaining
witness when she returned from
date" that night. The complainant
testified she does not drink.
During croSs-eXamination Miss
Chamberlain charged that state
ment she made to police the day
following the alleged attack was
added to without her knowledge.
The addition consisted of the last
line, just above her signature, she
said.
She gave the testimony during
questioning on whether the state
ment would be admitted into evil
dence. Justice Morris recessed court
for lunch before ruling on the
matter.
Acquittal Verdict Refused.
Assistant United States Attorney
Charles Murray was attempting to
use the statement as a refutation
of Miss Chamberlin's testimony,
given on direct examination about
certain details of the case.
Justice James w. Morris refused
to grant a defense motion for a di-
rected verdict of acquittal at the
close of the Governments case late
yesterday.
Defense Counsel Charles Henry
smith, IN MS opening statement TO
the jury yesterday afternoon, said
Ewing was engaged in various tasks
at the apartment building about the
time approximately 2 a.m.-the
complainant, then a resident there,
claims he forced his way into her
room and assaulted her. Ewing was
not in her room at the time the girl
claimed he was, the defense counsel
stressed.
The defense placed on the witness
stand John Joss of Arlington, lawyer
in the Federal Works Agency, who
testified he saw Ewing around $50
o'clock the evening before the al
legged assault; Joseph Minton, as
sociate legal adviser of the Immi-
grafton and Naturalization Service,
Justice Department, who testified
he and his wife saAW the defendant