Evening star., 1944-08-02
SOCIETY AND GENERAL NEWS
WASHINGTON, D. G.
Aide 70 PeIIey
Questioned in
Sedition Trial
rSeveruI Defendants
Visited Silver Shirt
!, Leader. He Testifies
Bv CARTER BROOKE JONES

Leader, He I Testifies
By CARTER BROOKE JONES.
The Government delved further
today at the sedition trial in Dis
trict Court into the publications
and organizations of william Dud-
ley Pelley, one of the 16 defendants.
Jesse B. King, former secretary
and proofreader for Pelley, testified
that he worked for the ex-leader of
the Silver Shirts in Asheville, N. c.,
and Noblesville, Ind, between 1896
and 1912.
In response to questions by Chief
Prosecutor O. John Rogge, Mr..
Killing told Of seeing several of the
defendants at Pelley's ofdces In
Asl1eville or Noblesville.
These included George E. Death
erage. former commander of the
knights Of the White Camellia and
head of the American Nationalist
Federation: Frank w. Clark and
Ernest r. Elmhurst. 1T
The witness was asked If he ever
saw another defendant, Herman
Max Schwinn, former West Coast
leader OF the German American
Bund.
Il believe I did" said Mr.. Killing,
'but I wouldn't know the man."
Defense Choruses Protest.
Defense counsel voiced q chorus Of
protest to this answer, but Chief
Justice Edward C. Eicher allowed it
to stand. The witness said he helped
LAY out" Elmhurst's book, 'The
World Hoax" which the Pelley
establishment published.
Mr.. King was asked to estimate
the circulation of Pelley's maga-
zines. He said the roll call" had
5000 to $500 and Gallilean had
$500 to 5000.
The witness said he frequently
saw Defendant Howard v. Broen-
strupp at Noblesville.
did he 60 by any other name?"
Mr.. Rogge asked.
Not around the plant"
ANY other place."
Mot Of my own knowledge"
Broenstrupp, former attorney for
Pelley, has been identified by the
Government as Count v. Cherep-
Spiridovich." VINO signed articles
and letters.
Asked who wrote the material in
PeIey's magazines, Mr.. King said
he had no personal knowledge of
that. He added he supposed" Pei
ley wrote the articles in the Cali
lean.
Statement Struck Out.
The court. on defense motion,
struck out the last statement.
A mass OF new documents to be
offered in evidence by the Govern
ment was identified by the next
witness, Bliss Morton of the FBI.
Justice Matthew Mcclure of Dis
trict Court deferred for later argu-
ment and determination a petition
for a writ of habeas corpus for
Robert Noble, former defendant
IN the sedition case. The petition,
presented to court today by Attor-
ney James J. Laughlin, seeks to pre-
vent the return of Noble to Cali
fornia, where he faces sentences
totaling 10 years for violation of
Federal and State sedition laws.
Mr.. Laughlin asked and was
granted time to obtain a certified
copy of Mobiles conviction in a
California State court and to cite
legal authorities.
Mobiles case was severed from
those of the other defendants at
the present sedition trial. He is
held in District Jail.
Untranslated Exhibits Protested.
Proceedings of the trial should be
In English, as provided in all the
judicial codes in this country, Claude
Thompson, defense attorney, pro-
tested yesterday when the Govern
ment placed in evidence untrans-
lated German books seized by the
FBI ut Pelley's Indianapolis resi-
dence.
Mr.. Thompson asked that all
documents in a foreign language
offered without translations, be
stricken from the record. Eicher
denied the motion.
The point was raised during the
cross of Douglas J.
Williams. who led a squad of FBI
agents in the raid on Pelley's home
Mr.. Rogge said he was placing the
German books in evidence only to
display their jackets and covers to
the jury and was not concerned with
their contents. There was a yolIey OF
defense objections to this procedure
When Mr.. Rogge gave defense
counsel copies Of a future batch OF
exhibits, Justice Eicher requested
attorneys on both sides and de-
PENDANTS to refrain from showing
any of these documents to the press
until the court had passed on their
admissibility. There had been COM
plants from some attorneys that
the newspapers were "pre-viewing'
eYhihits not vat in apidav,n~