Evening star., 1944-09-12
Ex-Conyict Insists
laughIin Knew Of
Perjured Evidence
Washington Lawyer
Tries to Breok Down
Story Of Trial Plot
BY NORMAN A. KAHL.
Star Staff Correspondent


vict, in an attempt to break down
Gibson's story that Mr.. Laughlin
knew about perjured evidence in
troduced in behalf of his client,
Hilliard Sanders, during the Hyatts-
vile bank robbery trial in 1912.
Gibson, called to the stand by
United States District Attorney Ber-
nard j. Flynn, during the trial of
Mr.. Laughlin on charges of impeding
justice, told an~envolved story of
plotting that allegedly went on in
the Florida State Prison farm in an
ef1ort to provide an alibi for Sanders.
During Sanders trial in Baltimore.
testimony and aff1davites were pro-
duced to show Sanders actually was
at the Florida prison farm on Sep
tember Is. l941.. the day he and
several others were charged with
holding up and robbing messengers
OF the Prince Georges County Bank
q Trust Co. in Hyattsville.
Mr.. Laughlin. conducting his own
defense. has denied any knowledge
that records at the Florida prison
were altered, as Gibson charged, and
has further stated that Sanders, now
serving 20-year term for his part
in the robbery, still maintains his
innocence.
Ousted From Sedition Trial.
Mr.. Laughlin, who was ousted as
an attorney in the mass sedition
trial in Washington several months
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.
The witness admitted he had a
long record of criminal offenses
dating 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 a
sheriff in North Carolina. He in
sisted, however, that the story he
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 falsifca.
tion of records.
Bothered by Legal Fees.
We'll, I tell you, Mr.. Laughlin."
Gibson said, 1T began bothering me
when man can steal bunch of
money and lawyer beats him out
OF all Of it, I decided I better quit
What lawyer?" Mr.. Laughlin
asked.
ANY lawyer
DO you mean to imply that I
stole from Sanders?"
Gibson paused mo. sir" he said.
Gibson asserted that two affidavits
he signed, purporting to show that
Sanders was in the Florida prison
as visitor on the day of the rob-
berry, were false. He told the fol-
lowing story of how they came to
be drawn up, along with other SIM
liar evidence:
Sanders, whom he had not seen
for five years, came to visit him at
the prison farm, where he was
serving term for being an acces-
sorry to forgery. He arrived on
Sunday and Gibson said he had to
shoe him away" because he was
umpiring baseball game. Before
he left, however, he gave Gibson
$500
Gibson Arranged Falsifica tion.
/ A few days later Sanders reap
peared at the prison and offered to
help Gibson contact a lawyer who
would try to bring about his re-
lease. On a third visit. shortly
afterward, Sanders said he had to
hurry away but that he would leave
S700 with the lawyer who had been
selected for Gibson.
Subsequently, when Gibson saw
In newspaper that Sanders had
been arrested and that Mr.. Laugh
lin was his attorney, he said he
arranged for the Justification of the
prison records N paying a Joe
Steinberg, described as then being
an inmate and secretary to the
captain of the guards, the sum of
$25. This was intended for the
captain who was to change the
records to show that Sanders had
been a visitor on September 25 in
stead of September %.
Steinberg's wife, who was visit
ing the prison but was going back
to her home in Washington, was
then asked to get in touch with
Mr.. Laughlin. She reported she did
so and sent his telephone number
ito Gibson who called him long
distance, the story continued. Mr..
Laughlin assertedly told Gibson he
could not talk to him on his own
phone because the wires were tap
ped by the FBI, but he called him
back later, whereupon Gibson all
legedly told Mr.. Laughlin that the
records had been fixed"
Asked If Laughlin Knew.
| Judge John Paul, who is hear
ing the case in the place of Federal
Judge Williams c. Coleman, against
whom Mr. Laughlin filed an affi-
davit of prejudice, interposed to
ask whether Gibson actually told
Mr.. Laughlin over a prison tele-
phone that the records had been
altered. When the witness replied
that he had, Judge Paul said:
What kind of a prison is that?'
Gibson said Mr.. Laughlin came to
visit him at the prison on two occa-
sions and that again the prisoner
made it clear that the records had
been changed to give Sanders an
ahbi. He said that Mr.. Laughlin
provided $500 to be paid to Mr..
Redding, guard at the prison farm,
and that another $500 went to a
Lester Royal. who was to use part
Of it to bribe employees of a Florida
hotel to change their register to
indicate that Sanders stopped there
on September IS. Gibson declared
he was to get 5000 of this sum from
Royal, but that he actually received