Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-08-11
Sedition Jury Hears
Deatheraee Was Host
To Army Officers
by CARTER BROOKE JONES.

by CARTER BROOKE JONES.
The jury at the sedition trial in
District Court was told late yester-
day that George e. Destherage, q
was overheard to say in
the fall OF 1910 that he was doing
work In West Virginia
near an Army camp and that he
held open house for officers In his
nearby home and thought he had
gotten in some very good work"
The trial was in adjournment to-
day until Monday.
The conversation was described BY
q surprise Government witness, Miss
Alma McGroarty, ia South Fairfax
street, Alexandria, Va, who said
1t occurred while Deatherage was
visiting James True, . former de-
fendant, to whom she had sub-let
the second floor Of her house.
Another time, Miss McGroarty
testified, she overheard True telling
an Army ofncer, a Col. Del Vale,
about . revolution which was to
break out in New York.
He said the first thing would be
to seize the public utilities" the
witness said. The colonel asked
him what he thought the Army and
Navy would be doing while the
revolutionaries were taking New
York"
Had Ammunition Cache.
One day, Miss McGroarty recalled,
True told the colonel he had 500
boxes OF cartridges and il any one
investigated this cache. he would
like to send it to the of1icer's home
across the street.
Another time, said the witness,
True gave a young woman, whom
she did not know, a pistol and told
her she could get six Jews with 1t.
Miss McGroarty quoted True as
telling "a man with a German &C
cent" that it was dif1lcult to get
propaganda into the country at that
time. She also heard True say she
testified, that the German Army
was the finest in the world"
The witness explained that her
house was so constructed that she
could not help overhearing at times
conversations on the second floor.
After True and his wife left, at the
end OF q year, Miss McGroarty said,
the FBI searched the floor, remov-
ing some material from q waste.
basket.
Deatherage formerly was COM
mander Of the knights of the White
Camellia and head Of the American
Nationalist Confederation. The case
OF True, writer, who now lives in
Arlington County, was severed from
the mass trial several weeks ago be-
cause Of the elderly defendants con-
tinued i'll health.
Miss McGroarty will be Cross
examined when the trial is resumed
Monday.
Defense Would Bar Newspaper,
Chief Justice Edward c. Eicher
refused a request by several defense
attorneys that the New York news.
paper PM be denied press privilege.
at the trial. The lawyers complained
OF "scurrilous" attack on the
defense.
Inc request was made by Charles
e: Morganston, attorney for August
klapprott, former deputy national
leader Of the German American
5und, and joined in by Ethelbert B
frey counsel for Robert B. Edmond
son. and others.
Inc Judge said he. agreed that
such an attack was unjustified but
ne pointed out that the law. As laid
down by the Supreme Court rave
tne press wide latitude in reporting
trial. 's
lawrence Dennis, q defendant
representing himself, said he didn't
tnlnk PM should be excluded b.
cause he was sure Chief Prosecutor
y. John Rogge couldn't do without
the paper.
Court Never Saw PM.
When Mr.. Frey asked the court II
ne mad been reading the accounts
m This daily, Justice Eicher replied:
i nave never seen 4 copy of PM"
another attempt to disoualifv
Justice Eicher from presiding fur
tner over the case, thus forcing a
mlstrlal, was made when two de-
PENDANTS, Eugene N. Sanctuary and
ernest +. Elmhurst, filed In District
court almost identical motions
Each charged he had been deprived
OF adequate defense. James j
Laughlin, ousted defense attorney in
the sedition case, appeared Is coun-
sci for both defendants.
Inc Government plans to 70 into
anotner new line Of testimony as
soon as Miss McGroarty leaves the
STAND. The rs defendants ara
charged with conspiring to under
mine the loyalty OF the armAd forces