Evening star., 1944-08-31
Laugh|in Move
To Delay Trial
Swiftly Denied
Attorney, soys He's
Victim Of Plot in
Bonk Robbery Case
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
BALTIMORE, Aug. 31.-New mo-
tions filed today by James ]. Laugh
lin, Washington attorney, seeking
delay in his trial on charges of
impeding the course of justice in a
bank robbery case, were heard and
quickly overruled today by Federal
Judge John Paul of the western dis
trict of Virginia, who came here to
hear the case.
The trial will start on September
II as originally scheduled by Judge
William C. Coleman. against whom
Mr. Laughlin filed charges of
prejudice.
During the hour r-and-a-h half hear
ing Mr.. Laughlin charged the Fed
eral Bureau of Investigation, United
States Attorney Bernard j. Flynn
and his former assistant, T. Barton
Harrington, with conspiring against
him. Specifically, he accused the
FBI and Mr.. Harrington with Offer
ing bribes of clemency to persons in
prison If they would testify against
him.
After Mr. Laughlin asked for writs
Of habeas corpus to obtain group
of witnesses, several of whom are in
prison, Mr.. Flynn said:
I'VE ought not to have a Jail de-
liverance SO that Mr.. Laughlin can
find out if they were interviewed to
prove something obviously untrue
mainly that the Government made
promises to them"
Allowed to Seek Writs.
Judge Paul gave Mr.. Lavghlin per-
mission to file the requests for the
writs so that the following persons
might come here to testify for Mr.
Laughlin:
Hilliard Sanders, now in the At
lanta Federal Penitentiary; Ellis O.
Jones, a defendant in the mass Sc
dition trial in Washington; M. Ed
ward Buckley, an attorney in the
same case; Frank j. Kane and Will
liam T. Crosswhite. whose addresses
were given as the District Jail, both
identified as former inmates of the
Atlanta Penitentiary; Kenneth Pal
mer, said to be at the Atlanta prison;
a man identified merely as "One Pea
body" also said to be in Atlanta
and Robert Noble, who had been
one of the sedition case defendants
until his case was severed and who
was said to have been formerly at
the Northeastern Penitentiary at
Lewisburg. Pa, and to be now in the
District Jail.
Laughlin His Own Attorney.
In his motion, Mr.. Laughlin. act
ing as his own attorney, said he
was calling the witnesses Ito testify
to conversations when certain in
mates (of prisons) stated that they
were approached by certain agents
of the FBI and other persons and
told that If they would make false
charges against the defendant they
would be suitably rewarded"
When Mr.. Laughlin expressed
doubt that persons in the seditior
case would be able to appear here
Judge Paul said:
Il don't know all the condition.
at the sedition trial. but it seem.
to me there are, means by which
defendants and counsel can absent
themselves.
Mr.. Laughlin said that he ex-
pected to build my defense ayound
what he learned from Sanders, now
serving 20-year term in connec-
ton with his part in the $4,000
armed robbery of the Prince Georges
Bank & Trust Co. at Hyattsville
Md.
Mr., Laughlin has made repeated
and SO far unsuccessful efforts in
courts in the District, Virginia and
Georgia to obtain permission to in
terview Sanders lin the presence
Of, but out of hearing Of, prison
guards"
Mr.. Harrington represented the
Government in the trial of the bank
robbers, in the course of which Mr.
Laughlin is accused of having Of
fered written and oral evidence
which he knew at the time to be
false.