Evening star., 1944-09-16
Pearson Says Story
OF Laueh|in True Bill
Came From COLLEAGUE
Columnist Denies He
Got information THROUGH
Sedition Trial Attorneys
BY NORMAN A. KAHL,

BALTIMORE, Sept. Drew
Pearson, columnist and radio COM
mentator, testified in Federal Court
today in the trial of James j. Laugh
lin, Washington attorney charged
with impeding justice, explaining
how he happened to know an in
dictment was to be returned against
Mr.. Laughlin two weeks before the
grand jury returned the true bill.
over the objection of Government
prosecutors, Mr.. Pearson said he OBJ
tanned his information from another
Washington correspondent, Peter
Denzer (Trarisradio Press. He said
he did not know where Mr.. Denzer
learned of the indictment.
Mr.. Laughlin, conducting his own
defense, asked the commentator
whether the information was not
obtained as the result of conversa-
tions regarding the attorneys activ-
tiles in the mass sedition case in
Washington and that I had been
troublesome and thorn in the side
of certain Government officials" Mr..
Pearson denied this.
Prediction Made May 2l.
A prediction concerning the in
dictment was made by Mr.. Pearson
on his radio broadcast Of May 81.
Mr.. Laughlin subsequently filed a
100000 suit against the columnist
and the Blue Network. The indict-
ment was returned by the grand jury
here on June g.
Hilliard Sanders, who was repre-
sented by Mr.. Laughlin in the Hy-
attsville bank robbery case and for
whom the Government contends, a
false alibi was concocted, testified
yesterday afternoon.
Sanders, now serving a 20-year
sentence for his part in the crime,
maintained he was innocent of par
ticipation in the armed robbery of
the Prince Georges Bank g. Trust
Co., of Hyattsville in 1941. He in
sisted he was actually a visitor at
the State Prison farm in Raiford,
Fla, on September 25, 194l, the day
OF the robbery.
Evidence Introduced.
The prosecution previously in
troduced evidence to show that
afidavits and testimony produced
at Sanders trial to substantiate his
alibi were false and that Mr..
Laughlin knew they were untrue.
Sanders said that Maj. John ].
Henderson, a North Carolina at
torney, who also represented him
and William Leo Keefe at the rob-
berry trial early in 1912, had visited
the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary
several times to confer with Keefe,
also serving 20 years for his part
in the robbery. Sanders testified
that on one occasion, Maj. Hender-
son told him:
I'm getting Bills (Keefe's) time
cut 10 years. If you string along
and play ball with him, you can
get yours cut, too."
Interviews Unusual.
The witness said it was not GUS
tomary to allow prisoners conf
dental interviews at the Atlanta
prison.
The defense witness said that he
had been friendly with Keefe at one
time, but that their relations had
cooled when they were being ar
raigned together for the robbery.
Also testifying for Mr.. Laughlin
yesterday were Ellis o. Jones, a
defendant in the mass sedition case
in Washington, and Robert j. Noble,
formerly a defendant in the same
trial until his case was severed
several months ago.
Jones and Noble said that Gordon
Blalock, a Government witness, had
told them of the FBI's efforts to
get him to sign a statement against
Mr.. Laughlin.
Judge John Paul ordered the un-
usual Saturday session today be-
cause, he told the jury, the case was
moving so slowly. 1t was believed
the case will probably reach the
jury around the middle of next
week.