Evening star., 1944-09-12
Another Admits
AIibi Fake in
Trial
Testifies He Signed
Folse Statement
For Robbery Case
BY NORMAN A. KAHL,
Star Staff Correspondent

BY NORMAN A. KAHL,
Star staff Correspondent
BALTIMORE, Sept. l2.-The sec.
ond witness to repudiate an afiidavit
intended to provide an alibi for q
client of James J. Laughlin took the
stand for the Government in Fed
eral Court here today in the second
day Of the trial Of Mr.. Laughlin
Washington attorney. charged with
impeding justice.
John Donaldson, alias John Dick
ey. testified that an af1davit he
signedin January, 1912, to the effect
that Hilliard Sanders visited the
Florida State prison farm on Sep
tember Is, l94l. was false.
Sanders is now serving a 20-year
Jail term for his participation in the
armed robbery of the Prince Georges
County Bank & Trust Co. in Hy-
attsville on that day.
Gibson Gross Examined.
Mr.. Laughlin is charged with
having knowledge of the perjured
afIidavit used in the trial of Sanders
in an effort to show he was In
Florida the day the crime was
committed.
Earlier today Mr.. Laughlin fin-
ished cross-examining Hugh Gibson
who was an inmate at the Florida
prison with Donaldson at the time
Of the robbery, and who yesterday
testified that Laughlin knew the
records at the jail were being falsi-
fed to benefit Sanders.
Three other witnesses were ques-
toned briefly today by Thomas M
Kenney, Assistant United States
District Attorney. They were:
william J. Finlay, an employee OF
the Hotel George Washington in
Jacksonville, Fla, who identified
hotel records to show that Mr.,
had visited the hotel
which is about 40 miles from the
Florida prison, on three occasions
within few months after the
Hyattsville robbery. Mr.. Laughlin
contends he made two visits to the
prison farm and intimated that his
first stay at the hotel was to attend
q convention in Jacksonville.
Identifies Prison Files,
Lawrence E. Dugger, assistant di-
rector of the record office at the
Florida prison, who identified prison
files which have been introduced In
evidence, to show visitors at the
prison farm.
Miss Rose Lee Dunbar, secretary
to the superintendent at the prison
who verified the fact that she had
notarized affidavits made by in
mates and employees to support
Sanders alibi.
Mr.. Laughlin, conducting his ovn
defense. has denied any knowledge
that records at the Florida prisor
were altered as Gibson charged, and
has further stated that Sanders still
maintains his innocence.
Ousted From Sedition Trial.
Mr.. Laughlin, who was ousted As
an attorney In the mass sedition
trial in Washington several month";
ago because he sought the impeach-
ment Of the presiding judge, Chief
Justice Edward c. Eicher, clashed
several times with Gibson yesterday
afternoon when he was cross-exam-
lining the witness.
Gibson admitted he had q lons
record Of criminal offenses dat
ing back to 1927, and including
forgery, possession of counterfeit
money, hi-jacking and smuggling OF
whisky. He also said he is now out
under bond. in Georgia on charges
that he kidnapped and assaulted q
sheriff in North Carolina. He in.
sisted, however, that the story hi
told from the stand yesterday was
the truth.
At one point Mr.. Laughlin asked
the witness when his conscience
first began bothering him concern
ing his part in the alleged falsifica-
tion Of records.
Bothered by Legal Fees.
We'll, ] tell you, Mr.. Laughlin,
Gibson said. 1T began bothering me
when a man can steal a bunch oi
money and lawyer beats him OF,
of all OF it. decided l better quit
stealing"
What lawyer?" Mr.. Laughlir
asked.
ANY lawyer"
DO you mean to imply that
stole from Sanders?"
Gibson paused. mo, sir" he said
Gibson asserted that two affidavit.
he signed. purporting to show thai
Sanders was in the Florida prison
as a visitor on the day of the rob.
berry. were false. He told the fol.
lowing story of how they came te
be drawn up, along with other sim.
liar evidence:
Sanders. whom he had not seer
for five years, came to visit him al
the prison farm, where he was
serving a term for being an acces.
sorry to forgery. He arrived or
and Gibson said he had tt
shoe him away" because he wa.
a baseball game. Before
he left, however, he gave Gibson
$400.
Gibson Arranged Falsification.
A few days later Sanders reap.
peared at the prison and offered te
help Gibson contact a lawyer who
would try to bring about his re.
lease. On a third visit, shortly
afterward, Sanders said he had tt
hurry away but that he would leave
$700 with the lawyer who had beer
selected for Gibson.
Subsequently, when Gibson saw
In a newspaper that Sanders hac
been arrested and that Mr.. Laugh.
lin was his attorney, he said hi
arranged for the Justification of thu
prison records by paying a 10.
Steinberg, described as then beine
an inmate and secretary to the
captain of the guards, the sum o1
$25. This was intended for the
captain who was to change the
records to show that Sanders hat
been . visitor on September Is in.
stead of September 28.
Gibson called Mr.. Laughlin Ions
distance, the story continued. Mr.
II n - 49,