Evening star., 1944-09-19
Another Convict SAYS
He Was Asked 10 Sign
Statement on Laugh|in
Authorities Returned
Him to Prison After
Refusal, He Says
BY NORMAN A. KAHL,

BALTIMORE, Sept. 19.-Another
inmate Of the Federal Penitentiary
at Atlanta, who said he had been
approached in an effort to get him
to sign a statement against James
j. Laughlin. Washington attorney,
told his story on the witness stand
in Federal Court here today, where
Mr.. Laughlin is on trial for i'm
peding justice.
Burkett Patterson, serving a prison
term in Atlanta for violating the
Dyer Act transporting stolen au-
tomobiles), said he had a conversa-
ton with William Leo Keefe, serv-
ing 20 years for his part in the
Hyattsville bank robbery of 1871.
Keefe, who testified as a Govern
ment witness in the trial here, alleg-
edly told the witness he hoped to
get his sentence reduced by signing
a statement to frame" Mr.. Laughlin.
Names Carolina Attorney.
Patterson said Keefe told him he
had been approached by Mai. John
Henderson. North Carolina attorney
who served with Mr.. Laughlin as
defense counsel in the trial of Keefe
and Hilliard Sanders for the rob-
berry.
Later, Patterson said, while he
was at liberty on a conditional re-
lease from Atlanta, he was sum-
moned to Maj. Henderson's home
and asked to sign a prepared state
ment to the effect that he had over
heard Sanders telling Keefe that
Mr.. Laughlin had framed an alibi
for him in Florida"
The witness said he refused to
sign the statement and was returned
to Atlanta about a month later be-
cause the authorities said he was
keeping bad company"
Bennett on Stand.
James v. Bennett, director of the
Federal Bureau of Prisons, spent an
hour and a half on the witness
stand late yesterday under ques-
tioning both by Mr.. Laughlin and
United States District Attorney
Bernard j. Flynn. The Govern
ment official denied he had ever
made any promises or threats to
any one in an attempt to persuade
witnesses to testify against Mr..
Laughlin.
Just before Mr.. Bennett was
sworn in, Judge John Paul rebuked
the Federal Bureau Of Investigation
land a representative Of j. Edgar
Hoover, FBI director, for what he
called Childish evasion" Nicholas
TX. Callahan, chief FBI clerk told
the court he failed to produce certain
records which had been subpoenaed
from Mr.. Hoover because the sub
poena should have been directed
to Attorney General Biddle.
Childish Evasion
"This talk about Attorney General
Biddle is bit of childish evasion"
said Judge Paul. Il don't like the
attitude of this witness and I don't
like the attitude of the bureau"
Mr.. Bennett was called as a wit
ness by Mr.. Laughlin to produce
other prison records showing visits
made to some inmates involved in
the present case, but he was taken
over as a witness by Government.
He denied that he knew or had ever
talked to Sanders, now serving
20 years in the Federal peniten-
tiary in Atlanta and who was rep
resented by Mr.. Laughlin at his trial
for being participant in the rob-
berry of two messengers of the Prince
Georges County Bank g. Trust Co.
in 1941.
M. Edward Buckley, jr., another
Washington attorney called as a
witness by Mr.. Laughlin, said he had
a conversation with Sanders at the
18th precinct station in WASH
ington shortly after Sanders was
returned from North Carolina. He
said that Sanders told him at that
time that the Government wouldn't
be able to place him in Hyattsville
on the day Of the robbery" but he
said the man did not tell him where
ho hod hoon