Evening star., 1944-09-14
Another Witness Saws
He Hired Laugh|in 10
Provide His A|ibi
Bonk Robber Testifies
He Sent Lowyer to
Box for Stolen Funds
BY NORMAN A. KAHL,
Star Staff CORRESPONDENT.

star Staff Correspondent
BALTIMORE, Sept. 14.-Testi-
mony that James j. Laughlin, WASH
ington attorney. was engaged to
provide an alibi for another one of
the men arrested for the Hyattsville
bank robbery in 194l as well as for
his client, Hilliard Sanders, was in
troduced in Federal Court here to-
day as the Government neared COM
pletion of its case against Mr..
Laughlin, accused of impeding JUS
tice.
William Leo Keefe. serving 20
years for his part in the robbery of
two messengers of the Prince
Georges County Bank A Trust Co.,
told the jury he asked Mr.. Laughlin
to obtain an alibi for him after the
attorney ailegedly told Keefe that
Sanders refused to share the one
being prepared for him.
Keefe said he gave Mr.. Laughlin'
a power of attorney to enable him
to open q safety deposit box In a
Bayonne IN. j. bank, where he said
he had cached from $4,000 to IS, 900
Of the Hyattsville loot.
Says Laughlin Visited Bank.
Keefe testified that Mr.. Laughlin
told him he went to Bayonne, but
that he was unable to enter the box
because officials told him they re-
quired signature on another form.
The witness said that on that oc-
casion he told Mr. Laughlin he be-
lieved the Federal Bureau of In
vestigation knew about the money
in the bank. He said ne signed
another power of attorney. however,
and that Mr.. Langhlin later told
him he had returned to Bayonne,
but that he had been "a little afraid
to 60 too far"
Did you tell him where the
money came from?" he was asked
by United States District Attorney
Bernard J. Flynn.
II absolutely did" Keefe said.
What did you tell him?"
That it came from the Hyatts-
vile bank robbery"
Tells Of Meeting.
Keefe said that he first met Mr..
Laughlin after he sent a note to
Sanders in the Baltimore City Jail
asking that the attorney be sent to
him. The witness said that at that
time Mr.. Laughlin told him Sanders
chances looked like sure acquittal." !"
The witness said that he was told
by the attorney that Sanders was
being placed in Raiford, Fla" on
September IS, the day OF the rob-
berry.
The Government accuses Mr..
Laughlin Of introducing false testi-
mony and afidavits in behalf of
Sanders to show that his client was
visiting the Florida State Prison
farm at Raiford on the day of the
robbery.
Keefe said he believed he should
have the same alibi az Sanders be-
cause he had accompanied Sanders
to the Florida prison three days after
the robbery and again two days later.
On the way to Florida, he said, they
had stopped in Charlotte. N. c., to
buy a new automobile, and he felt
that the FBI would place him with
Sanders at that time.
Says Alibi Failed.
When Mr.. Laughlin returned to
visit him about a week or 10 days
later, Keefe said, the attorney told
him Sanders would not agree to
! share mis- alibi. The witness said
Mr.. Laughlin asked him whether he
could furnish his own, and Keefe al
legedly told him that he knew Of
only one possible source. He said
If he could make Austin j. McCor-
mick, former commissioner of cor
rection in New York City, believe
that he had visited him on Septem-
ber IS. 1941, he could provide an
alibi Keefe said, however, that he
was informed by Mr.. Laughlin on
the day of the trial that Mr.. Nc
Cormick had been approached and
that the aibi had failed.
Judge John Paul told the jury to
ignore all of the witness testimony
except that pertaining to the charges
on which he is being tried. Mr..
Flynn argued that most Of Keefe's
testimony was pertinent In that his
discussions with Mr.. Laughlin con-
cerning the arrangement of q pos
sible alibi showed that attorneys
intent to arrange such story in q
similar case.
Paul B. Taggert, Silver Spring
attorney, who was mentioned In
earlier testimony as having deliv-
cred q $1,000 bill to Mr.. Laughlin
for the defense of Sanders and
Keefe, testified he had received
such Z bill from Gordon Blalock.