Evening star., 1942-08-05
Pe||ey Called Traitor
As Sedition Trial
Nears Last Phase
Ex-SiIver Shirt Leode-
Devoted to Hitler,
Prosecutor Asserts
Earlier Story on Page A-6)

tEarller story on rage ADJ
3, the Associated Press.
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 5.-William
Dudley Pellev was called traitor
and a man who serves poison
against his Government-sugar
coated with the teachings of Jesus
of Nazareth, in the Governments
final arguments today in the former
Silver Shirt leaders sedition trial,
I'VE find Pelley doing just what
| anyone would do who was trying to
help the enemy" Oscar R, Ewing,
special prosecutor, told the farmer
dominated jury. That is. beat his
chest and proclaim his patriotism
vociferously In order that these false
protestations of loyalty might serve
as a smoke screen for the poisonous
| dagger he was aiming at the heart
of America
Mr. Ewing was the first attorney
to present his arguments as the
trial approached it's conclusion. Each
side was allotted two hours for its
final summation.
timony of DR.. Jacob ThorkelSon,
former Montana Congress member,
from whom it sought support of
Pelly's published statements that
this country provoked" war with
the Axis Mr.. Thorkelson testified
it was his opinion that "repal of the
arms embargo was the direct act
that led us into war
One Count Dismissed.
Before the arguments began, the
Government dismissed one of the
II counts in the indictment. This
charged Pelley with publication of
false statements about the damage
done at Pearl Harbor by the Japa-
nese December 7.
Mr.. Ewing said the count was dis
missed at the request of Assistant
Attorney General Wendell Brge,
who explained that the Navy De-
partment was unwilling to permit
the introduction of any testimony
about the Pearl Harbor damage be-
yond that contained in the state
ment issued by Secretary Knox last
winter.
In his argument to the jury, Mr.
| Ewing described Miss Agnes Marian
Henderson. on trial with Pelley. as
IAN important and responsible actor
in the whole picture"
She was with Pelley." he said
when he launched the Silver Shirts
in 1888 and has been his conf
Dental secretary down through all
the years. When Pelley was absent
from the publishing plant in
| Noblesville. Ind. it was Miss Hender-
son to whom the other employees
turned for instructions. She
owned 800 out of the 1000 issued
/ shares of Fellowship Press, Inc"
tPelleys publishing firm.
Cola boration Charged.
Mr.. Ewing said Lawrence A.
! Brown, the other defendant, "at
{ least collaborated in the writing of
/ one of the most reprehensible arti-
cles that was published, the article,
I'VE Fight for This Republic Only"
Brown was secretary of the pub
llshing firm.
The evidence of Pelleys inten-
| tions was Overwhelming" Mr..
Ewing went on, asserting:
Beginning in 1929, he said to
himself that he would become the
head of a national vigilante organi-
zation, a quasi military force which
would be launched the day young
Austrian painter became chancellor
of Germany. On the day Hitler be-
came chancellor Pelley launched the
Silver Shirts"
! Mr. Ewing told the jury that "all
Of the statements of this man (Pel-
ley) show devotion to Hitler and
Nazi ideals for all of l3 years Is
it any wonder then that we find this
man Pelley deliberately dissent
mating Axis propaganda?'